London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The COVID-19 pandemic raises huge challenges for governments around the world. 

This one-day, two-part symposium will assess the role of modelling and big data in preparing for pandemics and will feature distinguished speakers, including Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Honorary Professor of Public and International Health, LSHTM and Chief Medical Officer for England, and Professor Dame Angela McLean, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence. 

The event will also include statistical and mathematical modellers, and leading policy advisors, who will discuss the major research priorities that can help governments plan for the next pandemic.  

Programme

15.30-17.00: Session 1 - Statistics and maths models, big data and policy  

Chairs: Professor Martin Antonio, Professor of Molecular Microbiology & Global Health, Co-Director of Centre for Epidemic Preparedness and Response, LSHTM and Dr Adam Kucharski, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Co-Director for Centre for Epidemic Preparedness and Response, LSHTM 

• 15.30-15.35: Welcome and introduction
  • Speakers: Professor Richard Grieve, Professor of Health Economics Methodology, LSHTM
• 15.35-15.50: Talk 1 and Q&A - Statistics, Open Safely and the challenges of informing covid-policy 
  • Speaker: Dr Elizabeth Williamson, Professor of Medical Statistics, LSHTM   
• 15.50-16.05: Talk 2 and Q&A - Challenges (and successes) in evaluating vaccines during a pandemic 
  • Speaker: Dr Natalie Dean, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Emory University   
• 16.05-16.20: Talk 3 and Q&A - Real-time modelling and vaccine waning 
  • Speaker: Dr Marc Baguelin, Lecturer in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Imperial College London
• 16.20-16.35: Talk 4 and Q&A - Real-time analysis case studies 
  • Speaker: Dr Sam Abbott, Research Fellow in Epidemiology and Population Health, LSHTM 
• 16.35-17.00: Panel discussion
• 17.00-17.30: Break

17.30-19.00: Session 2 - Preparing for the next pandemic 

Chair: Professor Liam Smeeth, LSHTM Director and Professor Sinead Langan, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, LSHTM

• 17.30-17.35: Welcome and introduction to Session 2 
  • Speaker: Professor Sinead Langan, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, LSHTM and Senior Clinical Fellow, Wellcome
• 17.35-17.45: Talk 1 - Building a data-driven framework for pandemic resilience  
  • Speaker: Professor Bhramar Mukherjee, Professor of Biostatistics, University of Michigan   
• 17.45-17.55: Talk 2 - Science at the pace of policy making 
  • Speaker: Professor Dame Angela McLean, Chief Scientific Advisor, Ministry of Defence and Director, The Institute for Emerging Infections of Humans 
• 17.55-18.05: Talk 3 - Before, during and transitions from a pandemic 
  • Speaker: Sir Jeremy Farrar OBE FMedSci FRS, Director, Wellcome 
• 18.05-18.15: Talk 4 - The power and limitations of models for policy and practice 
  • Speaker: Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Honorary Professor of Public and International Health, LSHTM and Chief Medical Officer for England
• 18.15-18.55: Panel discussion 
• 18.55-19.00: Final words from Professor Liam Smeeth, LSHTM Director