The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy

News

-- In a blog post, Center for Global Development calls CDDEP's work a complement to that of CDC and WHO: “RFF’s prowess in the economics of infectious disease, and a strong focus on drug resistance and how to control it, fill at least two major gaps in infectious disease knowledge.”

-- Watch the video of our recent seminar "The Economics of Pandemics"

 
What we do

Objective research. Comprehensive approach. Practical solutions.

The Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP) at Resources for the Future produces independent, multidisciplinary research to advance the health and wellbeing of human populations in the United States and around the world.

The challenges of human health improvement call for coordination of varied perspectives that go beyond the usual models. CDDEP researchers bring together a unique set of analytical tools in resource management and health policy to innovate strategies for reducing the impact of infectious and non-communicable diseases and improving human well-being.

The strength of CDDEP derives from its researchers’ experience in addressing country and region-specific health problems, as well as truly global challenges, while recognizing the circumstances in which the answers must fit. The solutions require the disciplines of economics, epidemiology, disease modeling, risk analysis, and statistics—the collective expertise of the CDDEP staff.

Why it matters

CDDEP seeks to address pressing policy questions ranging from sound vaccination policies and appropriate responses to bioterrorism threats to transportation policies that encourage active living and reduce life-style illnesses. Our work on individual projects will inspire new strategies for analysis, and innovative approaches will be shared through publications and presentations focusing specifically on methodology.

What we’ve accomplished already:

CDDEP researchers played a key role in the establishment of the Affordable Medicines Facility—malaria (AMFm), a novel financing mechanism to lower the cost of effective antimalarials in endemic countries and decrease the likelihood that resistance to the anchor drug will emerge.

CDDEP’s Extending the Cure report has informed legislative efforts at both state and federal levels in the United States to improve infection control in hospitals and manage antibiotic effectiveness as a shared societal resource.

CDDEP’s work on the Disease Control Priorities Project has influenced changes in tobacco policy in Kenya and health priority setting in India.

Photo courtesy of World Bank Photo Collection.