About Beat The Virus
Our coalition of experts in public health, data analytics, media, and marketing is focused on empowering people with the information we need during every stage of the fight against COVID-19.Delivering Trusted Information in a Fragmented Space
In the fight against COVID-19, the US is facing a series of challenges ranging from social distancing to mass-scale testing, caring for the sick, developing and administering treatments as well as safe and effective vaccines, and re-opening communities to return to “normal” life in a responsible way.
With our fragmented news and social media ecosystem, logical sources of trustworthy public health information (public health agencies and news organizations) are challenged to reach people with messages and resources that are consistent, up-to-date, understandable, and actionable.
Beat the Virus helps guide people through these challenging times with critical, trusted, and engaging public health messages and resources
Our Science Advisors
Beat the Virus is led by public health and technology experts trying to spread the word on how you can #beatthevirus with simple, clear explanations of the science.
The website’s science messaging is guided by our Science Advisory Council, chaired by Public Health and Science Director, Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, MD, MPA (ret), former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General; Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine; and Visiting Professor, MIT Media Lab.
Deb Roy, Professor of Media Arts; Director, Center for Constructive Communication; and Executive Director of the MIT Media Lab serves as the Director of Technology Innovation.
Susan Blumenthal, M.D. | Director, Public Health
& Science; Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee
Former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General; Rear Admiral (ret); Visiting Professor, MIT Media Lab; and Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine; Senior Fellow in Health Policy, New America; and Senior Medical Advisor, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
Professor Deb Roy | Director, Technology Innovation
Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, Director, Center for Constructive Communication; Executive Director of the MIT Media Lab
Arya Rao | Content Editor, Beat The Virus
Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Candidate; Columbia University '22, B.A. in Biochemistry and Computer Science
Scientific Advisory Committee
Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement, Professor of the Practice in Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Dean, Public Health and Professional Degree Programs, Professor and Chair; Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
Senior Fellow, Federation of American Scientists
Connecting Our Mission
We’re leveraging a network of public health experts to track the pandemic and recommend actions to help people stay healthy and prevent viral spread.
We’ve built a community of social influencers — artists, athletes, celebrities, creatives and you — who are using their voices to amplify #BeatTheVirus
We deploy state-of-the-art media analytics to guide the development and delivery of #BeatTheVirus communications across the US to improve public understanding.
Beat The Virus - Foundation Support
Support for the BeatTheVirus.org website was provided in part by New America under a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The views expressed as part of this project do not necessarily reflect the views of RWJF or New America.
About Our Collaborators
#BeatTheVirus is a coalition of experts in public health, data analytics, media and marketing focused on empowering people with information and resources they need during every stage of the fight against COVID-19.
The #BeatTheVirus social media campaign was established in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in the United States. It was expanded to serve as both an educational initiative and a comprehensive resource hub for information about the pandemic and the actions that can be taken to stop its spread. #BeatTheVirus was developed by a core team of individuals and organizations contributing their time and resources, including:
Several other organizations have made significant contributions to creating the #BeatTheVirus social media campaign including: McKinsey and Company, HUGE, Creative Artists Agency, ENDEAVOR, Snap and Twitter.