About NDEWS
The National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) was first funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in 2014 as an expansion of its longstanding Community Epidemiology Workgroup (CEWG). Funded by NIDA as a Cooperative Agreement in April 2020, the second iteration of this center is led by our Coordinating Center, composed of scientists from the University of Florida, New York University, and Florida Atlantic University.
Through this second iteration, NDEWS will incorporate real-time surveillance to detect early signals of potential drug epidemics. Ongoing data collection will provide an integrated and comprehensive characterization of drug use and availability by synthesizing traditional, indirect sources with new, direct sources of data, as well as on-the-ground epidemiologic investigations within high-priority areas of concern.
Our new system implements an expanded Early Warning Network that utilizes novel surveillance methods and harmonizes and disseminates data in a rapid and timely manner, and our Scientific Advisory Group, composed of scientists and experts from across the US, serves to advise NDEWS leadership regarding data indicators, harmonization, and interpretation.
We welcome scientists and the public at large to subscribe to our Weekly Briefing and to share your own local drug-related trends. All other queries can be directed to ndews-cc@ufl.edu.