Brookings: Experts - Ross A. Hammond

Systemic Risk in the Financial System: Insights from Network Science

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The financial system is comprised of networks of connectivity, Ross Hammond dicusses how these networks may have enabled disruptions initially affecting only a few financial actors to rapidly spill over into a system-wide crisis.

The Scouting Report Web Chat: Flu Contagion in Schools

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As the nation and the world continue to grapple with H1N1, and while delivery of the vaccine in the United States faces delays, school closures are one policy tool under consideration to slow spread of the pandemic. Ross Hammond, co-author of a recent report that quantified the economic effects of school closures, and Fred Barbash, Politico senior editor, took questions in a live web chat about the implications and potential costs of this approach.

H1N1 Containment: Economic Cost and Workforce Effects of School Closures

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Policymakers are looking at school closures to contain the spread of an H1N1 influenza outbreak. In the first comprehensive U.S. study of the economic cost of school and daycare center closures, the Center on Social and Economic Dynamics at Brookings finds that closing all schools in the United States for four weeks could cost up to $47 billion and lead to a reduction of up to 17% in key health care personnel.

Complex Systems Modeling for Obesity Research

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Obesity has grown rapidly into a major public health challenge in the United States and worldwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that as many as one-third of Americans are obese. Ross Hammond explains how techniques from the field of complexity science can inform both scientific study of obesity and effective policies to combat it.

Containing the Spread of Swine Flu and Other Diseases through Dynamic Modeling

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:46:00 GMT

With cases of swine flu rising in the United States and around the world, health officials are taking action to contain the spread and severity of the disease. Brookings Fellow Ross Hammond discussed the artificial society models he has helped develop that can aid professionals in better understanding how to prepare for and react to epidemics.

Coupled Contagion Dynamics of Fear and Disease: Mathematical and Computational Explorations

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In classical mathematical epidemiology, individuals do not adapt their contact behavior during epidemics. They do not endogenously engage, for example, in social distancing based on fear. Yet, adaptive behavior is well-documented in true epidemics. Joshua M. Epstein, Jon Parker, Derek Cummings, and Ross A. Hammond explore the effect of including such behavior in models of epidemic dynamics.

A Complex Systems Approach to Understanding and Combating the Obesity Epidemic

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In his latest working paper, CSED Fellow Ross A. Hammond says that obesity is a substantial and growing public health crisis worldwide. Many of its features—breadth of scale, diversity in actors, and multiplicity of mechanisms—are hallmarks of a complex adaptive system. Thus, according to Hammond, the lessons and tools of complexity science can help us better understand and combat the obesity epidemic.

A Complex Systems Approach to Understanding and Reversing the Obesity Epidemic

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

An event brought together top international obesity experts—from academia, government, industry, and non-profit—to work toward a comprehensive approach to the worldwide obesity pandemic. Brookings’s Ross Hammond discussed how insights and techniques pioneered at CSED can play a key role in facilitating an integrated approach.

Obesity and the Influence of Others

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Op-ed by Carol Graham, Ross A. Hammond and H. Peyton Young (08/21/07)

Are We Born Prejudiced?

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Article on Ross A. Hammond (03/17/07)