Overview
The Wolfson Global Health Research Network, in partnership with the Wolfson College Research Networks, Cambridge Public Health (CPH), Cambridge Infectious Diseases IRC (CID), Cambridge Africa, welcomes you to this flagship conference bringing together students, early-career researchers, funders, policymakers, and thought leaders to explore the evolving challenges and emerging opportunities in global health.
Under the theme “Global Health in a Changing World,” the event will address pressing and interconnected issues such as the double burden of disease, equitable access to technology, climate change and public health, and the current landscape of funding for global health in a changing world.
The conference will feature keynote addresses, interactive breakout sessions, and students’ research pitch, encouraging dynamic engagement and the exchange of ideas. Distinguished speakers, including Dr John-Arne Røttingen (CEO, Wellcome Trust), Professor Sir Tumani Corrah (Founder, African Research Excellence Fund), and Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu (Wolfson College President) will provide insights into cutting-edge research and transformative policy solutions from both local and global perspectives.
The conference will offer a unique platform for student-led presentations, cross-disciplinary dialogue, and collaborative networking, with the aim of advancing global health equity and innovation.
A formal dinner will follow the day’s sessions, offering further opportunity for connection and discussion.
Programme
13.30 - Arrival
14.00 - 14.05 Welcome
14.05 - 14.45 Opening keynote session
- Prof Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu, President, Wolfson College, University of Cambridge
- Dr John-Arne Røttingen, Chief Executive Officer, Wellcome Trust
14.45 - 15.45 The Double Burden of Disease
Chair: Dr Jesse Rop, Wellcome Sanger Institute Panel members:
- Prof Mike Kelly, Senior Visiting Fellow in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge
- Prof Flemming Konradsen, Chief Scientific Officer, Novo Nordisk Foundation
- Prof Ann-Louise Kinmonth, Professor Emeritus of General Practice, Cambridge
15.45 - 16.15 Break for refreshments and networking
16.15 - 17.15 AI and Advances in Science and Public Health
Chair: Adrian Cazares, Wellcome Sanger Institute Panel members:
- Dr Bilal Mateen, Chief AI Officer, PATH
- Prof Nick Thomson, Head of Parasites and Microbes Programme and Group Leader, Wellcome Sanger Institute
- Dr Jeremy Wohlwend, Co-founder, Boltz
- Dr Oumie Kuyateh, Sanger Excellence Postdoctoral Fellow, Wellcome Sanger Institute
17.15 - 17.30 Student research competition (3x flash talks)
17.30 - 18.15 Closing keynote
- Prof Jane Clarke, President of Wolfson College (2017-2024)
- Prof Sir Tumani Corrah, Founder, African Research Excellence Fund
18.15 - 18.30 Closing remarks
18.30 - 19.30 Drinks reception
Keynote Speakers
- Dr John-Arne Røttingen
Dr John-Arne Røttingen is the CEO of the Wellcome Trust. He has held many international roles in health and research, including most recently as Ambassador for Global Health at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norway. Prior to this, he was founding CEO of CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), which Wellcome helped to launch, and has been the Chief Executive of the Research Council of Norway. He has also held academic positions at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Oslo. He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the US National Academy of Medicine.
- Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu
Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu is a distinguished nanoscientist and the President of Wolfson College. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a governor on the Wellcome board (one of the largest biomedical sciences research charities in the world), a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences Council and Chief Scientific Officer of Nanomerics Ltd. In 2024, Ijeoma was installed as President of Wolfson College, having been elected to the position in November 2023. She has served as Chair of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and chaired EPSRC and Science Foundation Ireland grant prioritisation panels. She served as the UCL Provost's Envoy for Race Equality, a role in which she led on race equality work at UCL. Her initiatives (e.g. Dean’s Pledges on Race Equality) were instrumental in achieving UCL's Bronze Race Charter in 2020. She has also presented to the UK House of Commons on the educational racial disparities that lead to a lack of ethnic minority representation in scientific research.
- Professor Sir Tumani Corrah
Professor Sir Tumani Corrah is the Founder of the African Research Excellence Fund and the first Emeritus Director of the UK Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia, at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. For over 30 years Professor Corrah, who is Gambian, has pursued three passions: improving outcomes of inpatient care in challenging environments, research into diseases that impact the developing world disproportionately, and building human capacity in health research in West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. Professor Corrah is an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and is a member of over twenty scientific board and committee groups worldwide.
- Professor Jane Clarke
Professor Jane Clarke is a distinguished biophysical chemist recognised internationally for her multidisciplinary studies that have advanced the understanding of protein folding and misfolding, and as Professor of Molecular Biophysics in the Chemistry Department of the University of Cambridge. Her scientific interests are in the broad field of protein folding and interactions. She retired from her Professorship at the end of September 2017, immediately prior to taking up the role of President of Wolfson College, although she still has a small research group in Chemistry.
Details
The conference is now sold out. Please join the waiting list here to receive a notification if any places become available.
Access
This event will take place in the Lee Hall which has step-free access and an accessible toilet.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact our events team - events@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
Wolfson College Research Networks
The Wolfson College Research Networks are the College’s central hub for research activity, fostering excellence in learning, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Organising and curating a diverse programme of academic events, the Research Networks support the College’s research hubs and initiatives, and facilitates knowledge exchange by connecting scholars across disciplines within Wolfson, the wider University, and industry.
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