Amelia Jones | 14/04/2026
Public health modelling shapes some of the most important decisions in healthcare — from guiding investment in new medicines to informing how health systems and governments respond during public health emergencies. These models draw on epidemiology, biostatistics, health economics, and behavioural science to estimate how diseases spread, how interventions perform, and how resources can be allocated most effectively. Yet for many people outside the health economics and outcomes research community, the way these decisions are made can feel distant, opaque, or overly technical.
To help bridge that gap, we set out to make the principles of modelling more intuitive.
To spark curiosity and improve understanding, we created an interactive experience around an unusual but scientifically grounded scenario: a full-scale zombie outbreak. Using this fictional setting, we introduced participants to core concepts used in real-world modelling. By blending accessible storytelling with real scientific principles, we designed an activity that engaged people while illustrating how evidence informs critical health decisions in real-world practice.
Exploring disease transmission during a zombie epidemic
The zombie scenario provides a light-hearted, low-stakes way to explore serious epidemiological questions. Participants observe how an outbreak unfolds across regions and how factors like human behaviour, public preparedness, transmission dynamics, and targeted interventions influence the spread of infection over time.
Behind the scenes, the experience is powered by the same principles that underpin a real public health model, including compartmental structures, assumptions about contact patterns, and the effects of different intervention strategies. These mechanisms are wrapped in an intuitive, narrative-driven format that allows participants to engage with complex concepts in a more accessible way.
The impact of decisions
Participants assume the role of one of four stakeholders, each with distinct objectives:
Government: minimise expenditure
Military: eliminate the most zombies
Healthcare: save the most lives
Politicians: increase public approval
The simulation begins with an unexplained disruption at Heathrow airport. Participants respond to a sequence of decision points that determine how authorities react to the emerging outbreak. Each response feeds instantly into a live simulation, reshaping disease progression, survivor numbers, resource use, and the trade-offs faced by each stakeholder group. Bad decisions can accelerate the outbreak. Smart choices can slow the epidemic, preserve resources, and improve outcomes.
No matter the outcome, we hit replay, encouraging the audience to adopt new strategies and observe how different decisions can lead to dramatically different results, just as they do in real-world health policy.
Enough scrolling. Start surviving. Play the game.
Back to reality: why modelling matters for public health
While the zombie framing keeps the activity engaging, the underlying message is grounded in real science. Public health modelling supports real public health challenges — from COVID-19 and influenza to obesity and diabetes. These models help shape drug development, support resource allocation, and guide policies that impact millions.
By translating complex modelling concepts into an engaging, interactive experience, we help participants better understand evidence-based decision-making and why modelling is essential for navigating real-world public health challenges.
We’ve already delivered this session at the Oxford Science and Ideas Festival and to sixth-form students, and we’re excited to bring it to even more audiences.
Interested in hosting the session? Contact us at enquiries@heor.co.uk.