Transdisciplinary training to address challenges in genomic epidemiology of infectious diseases.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergence and detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern highlighted the pivotal role of genomic epidemiology in public health decision and policy making. The pandemic also revealed a need for genomic epidemiologists to effectively engage with a broader audience, including policymakers and the public. To address this need, we introduced a new transdisciplinary training workshop, "From Trees to Public Health Policy," at the Virus Evolution and Molecular Epidemiology (VEME) 2022 workshop in Panama City, designed to foster an enhanced understanding of the current challenges translating the results of genomic epidemiology into public health decision-making. Transdisciplinarity provides a collaborative problem-solving approach that integrates multiple disciplines and stakeholders to address complex and difficult to define problems, often referred to as "wicked problems." We argue that training in transdisciplinary approaches within genomic epidemiology will more effectively prevent, prepare for, and mitigate future pandemic risks. Here, we introduce this new module and methodology, along with detailed output, reflections on its implementation and outcomes, as well as areas for improvement for future iterations of the workshop. Workshop participants (