Science and Society lecture:The role of society and the State in preventing disease
6:00pm - 7:00pm /
Thursday 16th May 2024
/ Venue: The Tung Auditorium, Yoko Ono Lennon Centre Yoko Ono Lennon Centre
Type: Lecture /
Category: Public
- Amelia Dessington
- Admission: Free
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The Science and Society lecture series returns in 2024, with Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty delivering his lecture; The role of society and the State in preventing disease.
Scientific advances mean the State has the capacity to take multiple decisions which will prevent disease in citizens. The question often is - when does society want the State to act in this way?
The relative role of the State and the individual is a recurring theme of political theory. It is also a practical question in public health – what are the respective responsibilities of government, individuals and healthcare professionals to protect health?
This lecture will explore the areas government has historically been perceived to be responsible for, ones where government should have no role, alongside with the actions of health professionals and individuals to prevent disease.
Professor Chris Whitty is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, the UK government’s Chief Medical Adviser and head of the public health profession.
Chris is a practising NHS Consultant Physician at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, and a visiting professor at Gresham College.
Chris is an epidemiologist and has undertaken research and worked as a doctor in the UK, Africa and Asia, including in Malawi alongside the Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome unit. He was Professor of Public and International Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) before becoming CMO and remains an honorary professor there.
Chris was the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care from January 2016 to August 2021, with overall responsibility for the department’s research and development, including being head of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the government’s major funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research.
Scientific advances mean the State has the capacity to take multiple decisions which will prevent disease in citizens. The question often is - when does society want the State to act in this way?
The relative role of the State and the individual is a recurring theme of political theory. It is also a practical question in public health – what are the respective responsibilities of government, individuals and healthcare professionals to protect health?
This lecture will explore the areas government has historically been perceived to be responsible for, ones where government should have no role, alongside with the actions of health professionals and individuals to prevent disease.
Professor Chris Whitty is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, the UK government’s Chief Medical Adviser and head of the public health profession.
Chris is a practising NHS Consultant Physician at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, and a visiting professor at Gresham College.
Chris is an epidemiologist and has undertaken research and worked as a doctor in the UK, Africa and Asia, including in Malawi alongside the Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome unit. He was Professor of Public and International Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) before becoming CMO and remains an honorary professor there.
Chris was the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care from January 2016 to August 2021, with overall responsibility for the department’s research and development, including being head of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the government’s major funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research.