How can we translate scientific research into policy? This was the question on our minds in the wake of our latest Tuesday talk at Reuben. It’s not an easy question to answer, but luckily we were hearing from an expert on the topic.
Dr Charlie Weller had joined us to talk about Wellcome, outbreaks and the interface between research and policy. This is a topic she is perfectly placed to discuss as the Head of Prevention of Infectious Disease at Wellcome, a charitable foundation that supports science to address urgent health challenges. The foundation was started using funds from the will of Sir Henry Wellcome after his death in 1936, and is concerned with both scientific discovery and practical solutions.
Before launching into the main topic of the talk, Dr Weller gave us a whistle-stop tour of her journey to Wellcome. This was welcomed by the many students in the room, who are often keen to hear about different pathways after graduate school. Our speaker talked us through her journey from a PhD and subsequent postdoc, before leaving the academic track and spending time in the pharmaceutical industry. Finally, she made an ambitious move into global health and policy at Wellcome. She raised and answered a question that many research students ask - how can you make a difference in science if you don’t want to be a PI?
Dr Weller has done just that. She has done so by tackling a vital question – how can we translate scientific research into real world impact? Throughout the talk, Dr Weller gave us examples of groundbreaking work that she has been involved in through Wellcome.
For example, how do we prepare for future disease outbreaks? Wellcome is a co-founder of CEPI – the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. This venture was launched in 2017 as a response to the earlier Ebola outbreak, when clinical trials for vaccines happened woefully late into the outbreak. The aim of CEPI is to better prepare for future epidemics, and to accelerate the development of vaccines so that we can vaccinate and treat diseases before outbreaks escalate. In the wake of the COVID pandemic, it was easy to convince us how important it is to be prepared for future epidemics.
But not all epidemics that Dr Weller discussed are confined to the future. Some are happening right now. For example: Cholera. Why do people still get sick and die from this preventable disease? Of course, this is a complex question and some of the issues are rooted in health inequity, such as the lack of vaccine supply in areas that need it most. There are also questions that science can help us to answer, like gaps in our knowledge about how the disease spreads, or how to most effectively use current vaccines. Dr Weller presented a multi-armed plan to tackle this complex problem, rooted both in scientific research and health equity.
So, did we get an answer? How can we translate science to policy? It still seems like a difficult question, but Dr Weller certainly gave us some practical examples of translating scientific research into global health impact. Of course, all of this depends on funding, and there were plenty of questions from the audience about the practical side of things. But in the current climate, where science may not seem to be valued on a global scale, it is important and inspiring to remember that there are plenty of people who are using science to make an impact.
Missed out?
The video recording can be viewed here.
