The information networks that carry public health guidance into communities are essential to ensuring that individuals can make health decisions informed by science. However, in today’s information ecosystem, it is increasingly difficult for individuals to distinguish between accurate and inaccurate health information, and to make health decisions that will protect themselves and their families from the debilitating effects of disease.
The Mercury Project, which alludes to the ancient Roman god Mercury of messages and communication, is funding a large and diverse cohort of researchers in the United States, Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean to discover new tools and interventions that support the sharing and uptake of accurate health information, reduce the spread of inaccurate health information, and increase demand for vaccinations. These solutions will be an essential resource for social media and technology companies and global policymakers as they build an information ecosystem that supports science-based health decision making.
The Mercury Project consortium is organized around a common research framework and provides a suite of research sharing and policy development activities for grantees and other invited organizations. The work of the consortium will provide a foundation for data-driven interventions, programs, and policies enabling the creation of a healthier information environment.