Pathogen Genomics for Public Health

Harness the power of pathogen genomics in infectious disease response.

Illustration for Pathogen Genomics for Public Health course.

Pathogens are a part of life, responsible for illnesses ranging from the common cold to large-scale outbreaks that affect millions. As infectious diseases continue to evolve, so too must our approaches to surveillance and response. Pathogen genomics offers groundbreaking tools to track how diseases emerge, shift, and spread. By studying the genetic code of disease-causing pathogens, we can identify both new and familiar threats, track their spread, and guide effective public health action.

Build the skills and confidence to turn genomic insights into action with the Pathogen Genomics for Public Health series.

Illustration from Pathogen Genomics for Public Health course.

Foundations I: Conceptual Foundations of Pathogen Genomics

Discover how pathogen genomics informs public health decisions and practice.

Aimed at public health staff, infectious disease professionals, and curious learners alike, this course requires no prior scientific or genomic background. With a focus on conceptual understanding and core principles, this course equips learners with the essential knowledge to understand how pathogen genomics is shaping and advancing public health.

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Foundations II: Technical Introduction to Pathogen Genomic Epidemiology: Mutations, Transmission, and Phylogenetics

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Explore how genomic patterns help us understand infectious disease transmission.

This course explores the molecular science that underpins pathogen genomic sequencing. Focusing on scientific principles, this course equips learners with the knowledge needed to inform effective disease surveillance and response in real-world public health contexts.

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Getting Started

  • Current public health workforce
    • Public health agency staff engaged in infectious disease response or surveillance, including laboratorians, bioinformaticians, and epidemiologists
    • Professionals supporting infectious disease teams, such as IT leaders, laboratory directors, researchers, and public health administrators
  • Future public health workforce
    • Fellows, students, and trainees in public health, infectious disease epidemiology, or related programs who want to build a strong foundation in pathogen genomics
  • And more
    • Medical providers, hospital infection preventionists, and others involved in clinical care of infectious disease
    • Researchers working in infectious disease or population health
    • Anyone with a curiosity about how pathogen genomics is advancing infectious disease detection, tracking, and response
  • Open access and self-paced-study on your schedule
  • Presented by leading experts in pathogen genomics
  • Grounded in real-world examples from public health agencies
  • Fostering a common language and purpose as the field of pathogen genomics evolves

Begin your learning journey

Join a community of learners building the skills to turn pathogen genomic insights into effective public health action.

Start with Foundations I, an introduction for anyone in public health, or with a general interest in understanding pathogen genomics. In this course, you’ll discover what pathogen genomics is and why it’s becoming an essential tool for tracking infectious diseases and responding to outbreaks. 

Continue with Foundations II for a deeper understanding of key principles in molecular biology that underpin genomic epidemiology. You’ll explore how sequencing pathogen genomes can reveal important insights into pathogen transmission—laying the groundwork for more advanced topics in additional courses.

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Acknowledgments
These courses were developed under the U.S. Pathogen Genomics Centers of Excellence (PGCoE), and supported by the Office of Advanced Molecular Detection, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through Cooperative Agreement Number CK22-2204. Contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.