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Abstract Purpose of ReviewPreparing for pandemics requires a degree of interdisciplinary work that is challenging under the current paradigm. This review summarizes the challenges faced by the field of pandemic science and proposes how to address them. Recent FindingsThe structure of current siloed systems of research organizations hinders effective interdisciplinary pandemic research. Moreover, effective pandemic preparedness requires stakeholders in public policy and health to interact and integrate new findings rapidly, relying on a robust, responsive, and productive research domain. Neither of these requirements are well supported under the current system. SummaryWe propose a new paradigm for pandemic preparedness wherein interdisciplinary research and close collaboration with public policy and health practitioners can improve our ability to prevent, detect, and treat pandemics through tighter integration among domains, rapid and accurate integration, and translation of science to public policy, outreach and education, and improved venues and incentives for sustainable and robust interdisciplinary work. 

Abstract ObjectivesRecurrent famine events during the medieval period might have contributed to excess mortality during the Black Death in London, England (c. 1349–1350). Previous research using conventional methods of age estimation revealed that adult males experienced lower risks of mortality under “normal” (attritional) but not famine mortality conditions following the Black Death. However, given the biases inherent in conventional age estimation methods, this study reassesses sex differences in risks of medieval adult famine mortality using ages estimated via transition analysis, which avoids some of the limitations of conventional age estimation methods. Materials and MethodsWe apply hazards analysis (the Gompertz model of adult mortality) to ages estimated for human skeletal remains (n= 1245) from London cemeteries dated to the pre‐Black Death (c. 1000–1250 CE) and post‐Black Death (c. 1350–1540 CE) periods. ResultsThe results reveal no sex differences in risks of mortality before the Black Death but indicate that adult males faced lower risks of mortality after the Black Death during conditions of normal and famine mortality. ConclusionsThese findings largely support those of our previous research, which suggested that selective mortality during the Black Death or sex‐biased improvements in standard of living following the epidemic reduced risk of mortality for adult males in the post‐Black Death period under normal mortality conditions. However, the use of transition analysis age estimates also revealed a reduced risk of mortality for post‐Black Death adult males under famine conditions.