Georgetown University and MedStar Health have launched a pioneering Health Security Operations Center (HSOC) to monitor infectious disease transmission and mitigate global health risks as millions of soccer fans travel across North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The HSOC will operate under the joint National Center for Health Security and Resilience and will begin operations June 1. More than 6.5 million fans from over 100 countries are expected to attend matches in communities across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Localized outbreaks can quickly become international concerns. The convergence of millions of visitors creates a unique need for coordinated, real-time health monitoring.
Drawing on data from wastewater monitoring, hospitalizations and real-time health reports gathered from host cities, the HSOC will monitor infectious disease risks and deliver timely, actionable information to health officials, health systems and the public throughout the summer.
“Mass-gathering events like the World Cup require the kind of coordinated, multidisciplinary situational awareness that no single institution or jurisdiction can provide alone,” said Rebecca Katz, PhD, MPH, director of Georgetown’s Center for Global Health Science and Security and director of the Health Security Operations Center. “Our role is to support the people responsible for protecting public health, such as city health departments, hospitals, emergency managers, and many others by providing data and insight to help them assess a complicated situation and act confidently if a risk emerges.”
By translating complex disease surveillance data into actionable local insights, the initiative serves as a model for how today’s communities can anticipate and mitigate large-scale public health risks.
“This effort reflects the long-standing commitments by MedStar Health and Georgetown to population health and strong public-private partnerships that make health systems more resilient,” said emergency physician Ethan Booker, MD, FACEP, vice president of care innovation at the MedStar Institute for Innovation and chief medical officer for telehealth at MedStar Health. “The Health Security Operations Center brings together the right people, the right data, and the right partnerships to support innovative, collaborative approaches to health security.”
The HSOC functions as a hub for monitoring potential infectious disease threats and supports the mitigation of global health risks. Core functions include monitoring disease signals across host city regions, integration of wastewater surveillance and electronic health record data, daily situation reports, health alert notices and translation of complex public health science into plain-language public communications.
The operations center, located on Georgetown University’s Hilltop Campus adjacent to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, will also serve as a unique “living classroom.” Approximately 12–17 staff members, including graduate and undergraduate students from multiple universities, will provide supervised support daily.
Already, more than 350 organizations and individuals, including hospital emergency managers, state and local health officials, federal agencies and tournament organizers are enrolled to receive daily situation reports.
“This is a unique opportunity for students to learn how to operate at the intersection of science, policy, and emergency management,” added Katz. “They aren’t just watching history; they are helping write the playbook for the future of public health.”
The HSOC leads a coalition of more than 30 organizations spanning academia, public health, technology and communications. Collaborators include Verily Health, Your Local Epidemiologist, University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Global Center for Health Security, Samsung Electronics America and PAX sapiens.
MedStar Health operates multiple hospitals and outpatient facilities across the Baltimore-Washington region, including locations easily accessible to families in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. The new center’s work will directly support regional health systems that serve Southern Maryland residents who may travel to D.C.-area World Cup matches or seek care during the tournament period.
The initiative reflects growing recognition of the need for coordinated health security during large-scale international events. Southern Maryland’s proximity to the nation’s capital and major transportation hubs makes the region particularly sensitive to emerging health threats that could affect local hospitals, schools and community events.
