No one could have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic would turn 2020 upside down and the effects it would have on the tourism industry...or could they? Epidemiologist Dr. John Brownstein, Ph.D has spent nearly two decades predicting disease events. He is leading the development of several novel disease surveillance systems, including HealthMap.org, an internet-based global infectious disease intelligence system which provided one of the earliest indications of the novel H1N1 virus in 2009. In this talk, he will explain how data from scientific and citizen sources help scientists predict pandemics and epidemics, what the data says about COVID-19 moving forward, and how we can use bioinformatics tools to be better equipped if and when a future health crisis arises.