What Now? Epidemiology in the Wake of a Pandemic

Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the coming transition to a postpandemic world where COVID-19 will likely remain as an endemic disease present a host of challenges and opportunities in epidemiologic research. The scale and universality of this disruption to life and health provide unique opportunities to study phenomena and health challenges in all branches of epidemiology, from the obvious infectious disease and social consequences to less clear impacts on chronic disease and cancer. If we are to both take advantage of the largest natural experiment of our lifetimes and provide evidence to inform the numerous public health and clinical decisions being made every day, we must act quickly to ask critical questions and develop new methods for answering them. In doing so, we should build on each of our strengths and expertise and try to provide new insights rather than become yet another voice commenting on the same set of questions with limited evidence.