Christian Happi, Director of the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, shares firsthand insights from the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria. He recounts how timely public health measures led to controlling only 20 cases. The conversation explores innovative pathogen detection methods like CRISPR and emphasizes the critical need for community engagement in health crises. Happi and fellow expert Pardis Sabeti discuss their collaborative efforts and strategies for future pandemic preparedness, highlighting the importance of effective disease surveillance.