Title: Two perspectives on the Government’s use of modelling during the pandemic

Abstract:

“Modelling has played a critical role in informing the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, from producing the earliest estimates of the virus’s severity to informing the development of the Roadmap for removing social distancing restrictions. In this seminar we will hear reflections on how modelling has influenced policy from Tom Irving, from the secretariat of SAGE’s modelling subcommittee SPI-M, and Ellen Brooks-Pollock, of one of SPI-M’s leading modellers”

Biography:

Tom Irving bio: “Tom Irving did a PhD in infectious disease modelling at the University of Bristol before joining the Civil Service having decided that staying in his original field was unlikely to give him much opportunity to influence policy. Despite this terrible forecast, during the Covid-19 pandemic he has led the secretariat of SAGE’s modelling subgroup SPI-M, acting as a link between policy makers and academics”

Ellen Brooks Pollock bio: Ellen is an Associate Professor in the Bristol Veterinary School (with an honorary position in Bristol Medical School). She did her PhD modelling the spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB) across a network of cattle movements in Great Britain and has since then worked on influenza, human TB, viral Hepatitis, and most recently COVID-19. During the pandemic she has contributed to the SAGE modelling subgroup SPI-M, for which she received an OBE in the Queen’s 2021 Birthday honours.

All welcome Zoom link