Talk by Prof. Adrian Egli
The Centre for Public Health hosted an engaging session by Prof. Adrian Egli, a leading expert in clinical microbiology and infectious disease surveillance on 29th November 2025. Dr. Egli shared valuable insights on the expanding role of Artificial Intelligence in strengthening epidemiological monitoring and public health response.
Prof. Adrian Egli is the Chair of Medical Microbiology and Director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology at the University of Zurich. His work integrates clinical research, genomics, bioinformatics, and digital microbiology to advance infectious disease surveillance and diagnostics. He co-founded the Swiss Pathogen Surveillance Platform, which supports national genomic monitoring, and his team has made notable contributions in mapping pathogen transmission and developing rapid sequencing approaches for infection control. His research is widely funded and highly cited internationally.
During his talk, Dr. Egli highlighted how AI-driven tools are transforming the way data is collected, analysed, and interpreted in real time. He discussed several key applications of AI in public health.
He explained the role of AI in data imputation, where missing or incomplete data can be reliably estimated to improve the quality of epidemiological analyses. He also highlighted how predictive modelling can help anticipate transmission trends and identify populations at higher risk, enabling more targeted interventions. Dr. Egli also noted the use of AI in analyzing GIS-based temporal patterns, allowing teams to better understand when and where diseases are likely to emerge or spread over time.
