Lawrence Were is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Boston University’s College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, and in the Department of Global Health at the BU School of Public Health. His research focuses on application of health economics in the estimation of the impact of reforms within healthcare systems and health insurance programs on the outcomes of marginalized and high risk populations. He is also interested in Complex Emergencies and Disasters, HIV/AIDS financing mechanisms and Geo-Spatial aspects of public health. He received his PhD in Health Services Research (HSR) – Health Economics from Brown University’s School of Public Health. Specific to COVID-19, Lawrence Were is part of a team of researchers working to model a dynamic trajectory of COVID-19 on the continent, generate a risk profile specific to COVID-19 and use these sets of data points to inform policy responses for governments and relevant entities on the continent.