CU Global Thought

New York City has selected Columbia University to run its new pandemic response institute, which has the goal of preparing for future disease outbreaks and attracting investment into the city.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the decision Wednesday. The city will invest $20 million initially in the institute.

“This is a big step forward, and we’ve got the right people for this big responsibility,” de Blasio said during a press conference. “Columbia University, renowned all over the globe, is exactly the right place for it to be housed, and this will prepare us, protect us, against potential pandemics in the future, help us to stop the pandemics of the future, or worst case scenario, handle them in a way we’ve never been able to before, while at the same time recognizing the real issues of inequity that have come up during Covid that need to be addressed.”

Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health will partner with the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, de Blasio said.