Collecting COVID: Oral Histories

Georgina Ferry interviews Kristin van Zwieten, Professor of Law and Finance, 23 February 2022. Topics discussed include (00:00:27) KVZ's studies at Oxford, Bachelor's in Civil Law, MPhil in Law, DPhil in Corporate Insolvency Law in India, research posts in Cambridge and Oxford; (00:03:07) overarching research interest; (00:04:58) methodology for research, including working with primary sources, co...

Georgina Ferry interviews Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine, 22 February 2022. Topics discussed include (00:00:18) JB's early interest and training in medicine, work with Sir David Weatherall, studies as Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and Stanford and later work at Oxford including as Nuffield Chair of Medicine and Regius Professor of Medicine; (00:01:10) interest in the mechanisms of differen...

Georgina Ferry interviews Richard Fletcher, Director of Research (Reuters Institute), 28 January 2022. Topics discussed include (00:00:29) RF's early studies in computer science, Masters in Science, Technology and Society, and PhD in Sociology, research in Journalism in London and Oxford; (00:03:40) the decline of traditional print and television news media and growth of smart phone internet use f...

Georgina Ferry interviews E. J. Milner-Gulland, Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity, 26 January 2022. Topics discussed include (00:00:24) E. J. M-G's early interest in science and conservation, undergraduate studies at Oxford, PhD in the wildlife trade; (00:02:30) work in Cambodia in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society; (00:04:23) work on wild meat sustainability; (00:05:46)...

Georgina Ferry interviews Patrick Grant, Vesuvius Chair of Materials and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research), 25 January 2022. Topics discussed include (00:00:30) PG's early studies in Materials Engineering in Nottingham, PhD at Oxford in the Materials Department, various posts at Oxford; (00:01:25) PG's motivations and big questions behind research; (00:02:06) scientific approaches taken during resear...

Georgina Ferry interviews Anna Petherick, Associate Professor in Public Policy, 20 December 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:30) AP's early studies in Natural Sciences at Cambridge including population modelling and evolutionary genetics, role as a journalist in San Francisco working at the Economist in South America, MPhil and DPhil in Comparative Government at Oxford with Tim Power as super...

Georgina Ferry interviews Sir Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases, 6 December 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:45) PH's early training in medicine, interest in biology and infectious diseases; (00:02:38) PH's first job working on a HIV ward at Middlesex Hospital and later the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, work in Vietnam on SARS-1 in 2003 and in Hanoi for the Wo...

Georgina Ferry interviews Erica Charters, Professor of the Global History of Medicine, 6 December 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:30) EC's early studies in the history of disease, doctorate at Oxford on the history of medicine (under Professor Mark Harrison, with particular interest in disease during the Seven Years' War), lecture post at Oxford from 2009; (00:01:40) interest in disease and...

Georgina Ferry interviews Sir Andrew Pollard, Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity and Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, 3 December 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:39) AP's early studies in medicine and route into the profession; (00:01:44) post-qualification work in A&E and training in paediatrics, PhD studies at St. Mary's, London and work in intensive care dealing with a...

Georgina Ferry interviews Catherine Green OBE, Head of the Clinical BioManufacturing Facility and Associate Professor in Chromosome Dynamics, 1 December 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:34) CG's early interest in science and studies in Cambridge, London and Paris and work in cancer research; (00:02:08) Clinical BioManufacturing Facility [CBF]; (00:04:45) CG's first memory of the emergence of...

Georgina Ferry interviews Richard Hobbs, Head of Department at the Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences and Nuffield Professor of Primary Care, 29 November 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:30) RH's early training as a GP and interest in cardiology, academic posts in Birmingham and Oxford; (00:02:32) RH's passion for primary care and general practice; (00:03:48) methods to explo...

Georgina Ferry interviews Betty Raman, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, 16 November 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:53) an overview of BR's early interest in medicine, medical training whilst based in Adelaide, Australia and specialism in cardiology; (00:03:46) MRI technology; (00:05:28) BR's first awareness of the emergence of COVID-19 and meetings with mentor Professor Stefa...

Georgina Ferry interviews Sarah Walker, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, 15 November 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:30) SW's studies in Medical Statistics and work in infectious diseases, HIV and bacterial infections; (00:02:44) SW's first awareness of COVID-19, work on a project in Vietnam and the implications of the disease for South East Asia; (00:05:01) the continuance...

Georgina Ferry interviews Paul Harrison, Professor of Psychiatry, 11 November 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:20) medical training, research interests; (00:01:10) techniques used to explore the question of the biological basis of serious mental illness; (00:02:10) PH's initial awareness of COVID-19; (00:02:51) practicalities of working during early COVID-19 restrictions; (00:03:44) repositio...

Georgina Ferry interviews Derrick Crook, Professor of Microbiology, 9 November 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:30) an overview of Professor Crook's early medical training and route into clinical microbiology; (00:03:41) DC's first awareness of COVID-19 and its emergence in early 2020, references to the disease in the media and its initial perceived connection to SARS and other infectious dis...

Georgina Ferry interviews Trisha Greenhalgh, Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences, 5 November 2021. Topics discussed include (00:00:25) TG's early career training in diabetes and general practice, background in social sciences and public health, current work at Oxford since 2015, particularly co-leadership of a research team called IRIHS (Interdisciplinary Research in Health Sciences) with Sa...