Major new reports on pandemic preparedness draw on School of History researchers’ expertise
'The Changing Face of Pandemic Risk: 2024' & 'Expanding Pandemic Risk Assessment' call for global leaders, policy-makers, health professionals and communities to build a safer, more resilient future
Two researchers from the University of Leeds' School of History have contributed to major new reports by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), highlighting the evolving risks of pandemics in the 21st century.
The GPMB, a joint initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, was formed in response to the Ebola epidemic and plays a critical role in assessing global readiness for health crises.
The Changing Face of Pandemic Risk: 2024 is a call to action for global leaders, policy-makers, health professionals and communities to build a safer, more resilient future. It outlines the key drivers of pandemic risk, stressing the rising threats posed by increased global interconnectedness, urbanisation, and climate change, which heighten the risk of new and emerging pathogens. It also provides a roadmap for strengthening our defences, emphasising the importance of trust, equity, and international cooperation in managing pandemic response.
Expanding Pandemic Risk Assessment presents the detailed evidence and analysis underpinning The Changing Face of Pandemic Risk. As part of a comprehensive effort to understand the complex factors contributing to future pandemic threats, this technical report consolidates data from a wide range of sources to identify and evaluate key drivers of pandemic risk.
The reports draw on and reveal the expertise of University of Leeds academics Nir Arielli, Professor of International History, and Professor Sanjoy Bhattacharya, Head of the School of History, who provided valuable input on key issues of pandemic preparedness.
Professor Bhattacharya’s contributions (detailed in Expanding Pandemic Risk Assessment, pp.84-88) focused on the needs to consider and deal with administrative, social and cultural diversity in adaptable ways across disparate and complex polities, where culturally competent engagement with different levels of governance is key to successful trust building and positive impact.
Professor Bhattacharya said:
“It is a great honour to continue working with colleagues across World Health Organisation offices around the world, especially those leading the WHO Initiative on Trust and Pandemic Preparedness, housed within the Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention (EPP) Department and WHO Health Emergencies (WHE) Programme.
“My colleagues at the School of History in the University of Leeds and I are proud to contribute our time to the development of an inclusive and impactful understanding the social and cultural determinants of health, and why these need to be carefully considered in the implementation of all plans.
“Our collaboration will continue to assist the WHO and its global partners, not least the GPMB network, in considering issues of trust and developing trustworthy policy interventions.”
The role of Professors Bhattacharya and Arielli in the report underscores the University's role as a leader in pandemic history and preparedness, and the potential for further academic engagement and capacity-building in this critical area.
