The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated in stark and searing terms the need to improve the ability of communities globally to detect emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and coordinate their responses to these threats. Global early detection, rapid transparent reporting, and open information sharing regarding potential biological incidents are critical.
The Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON) is dedicated to the rapid collection, vetting, reporting, and analysis of information on emerging threats affecting humans, domestic animals, wildlife, plants and the environment globally. BEACON combines emerging infectious diseases surveillance, a global network of moderators who are subject matter experts and the power of artificial intelligence and large language models.
The program is based at Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEID) and operated in partnership with the Hariri Institute for Computing and Data Sciences at Boston University and HealthMap at Boston Children’s Hospital.
At its launch, BEACON will be the only open-source global surveillance platform of its kind, linking public health authorities, practitioners, researchers, and the general public, rapidly and transparently sharing data and contextual knowledge about new threats. By providing early warnings of sentinel cases, clusters and outbreaks, BEACON will enable early public health response.
Interim Advisory Group
Recent BEACON News
On April 24, 2025, CEID will host the official launch of BEACON. The event will feature a keynote address by Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as additional speakers from global and local public health organizations. Register to join on campus in Boston, or by Zoom.
In December 2024, BEACON Senior Advisors and CEID associate faculty Dr. Larry Madoff and Dr. Majorie Pollack represented BEACON at the World Health Organization’s Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources Initiative conference in Dakar, Senegal. Dr Madoff served as a panelist during a session on, “Inclusive Intelligence: Equitable AI for Public Health.”
In July 2024, CEID Director, Dr. Nahid Bhadelia spoke at CEPI’s Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on a panel on innovation and cutting-edge surveillance tools for public health innovative technologies, where she announced BEACON’s upcoming launch.
Sign up for updates on BEACON’s launch.
Questions about BEACON? Contact us at info@beaconbio.org.
Healthmap