Episode 29: Surveillance, Research Rules, and Preparedness - A Conversation with Jim Alwine, PhD

Our public health safety net is unraveling. In this episode, we explore why infectious disease surveillance — once our invisible safety net — is quietly vanishing, and what that means for early outbreak detection. Dr. Jim Alwine breaks down common misunderstandings around gain-of-function research and explains how fear-driven narratives like the lab leak theory have warped public perception and policymaking. We also examine how recent regulatory changes are limiting the ability of U.S. scientists to study viruses...and what systems we urgently need to restore if we want to be ready for the next pandemic.

Take Action:

• https://www.defendpublichealth.org/get-involved

Further Reading & Resources:

• TWiV 1121: SARS-CoV-2 Still Didn’t Come from a Lab https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-1121/ 

• Oversight of Pathogen Research Must Be Carefully Calibrated (J. Virol.) https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jvi.00176-23

• Virology Under the Microscope: A Call for Rational Discourse https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jvi.00089-23

• Improving the Health of America Together – DPH https://www.defendpublichealth.org/resource/improving-health-americans-together-evidence-based-framework-addressing-root-causes

• Field Research Is Essential to Counter Virological Threats (J. Virol.) https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jvi.00544-23

🔗 Full article links, summaries, and transcript: infectiousdose.com/jim-alwine