Former Action Research Training Fellow at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19

The start of 2021 saw the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – a hugely significant step in the early fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The development of this vaccine, and others, was phenomenal. And we are incredibly proud that one of the expert scientists who helped develop and test the Oxford vaccine is a former Action Research Training Fellow, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard.

As Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard led the trial to test the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in the fight against COVID-19 and in recognition of his services to public health during this time, was awarded a Knighthood in June 2021.

We’re delighted to have supported Professor Sir Andrew Pollard early on in his career, funding a Research Training Fellowship back in 1995, when he was at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London. This supported his early work studying meningitis in young children.

And in 2010 we funded further research, supporting him and his team’s work to develop new vaccines for meningitis.

Professor Sir Andrew Pollard also helped guide the charity, as part of an advisory group, on how best to fund new research to better understand how COVID-19 affects children. We now have seven projects underway to help better understand the impact COVID-19 and long COVID have on children.

Congratulations to Professor Sir Andrew Pollard and all of his amazing team.