Leading public health expert to deliver future-focused lecture in Chester

One of the UK’s leading experts in public health will share her insights at the next in a series of annual lectures at the University of Chester.

Professor Dame Jenny Harries, who is also a Visiting Professor at the University, will deliver this year’s Haygarth Lecture on Wednesday (June 7). The event is free and open to all.

She will explore the subject of Being Prepared for Future Health Hazards, during the talk taking place from 6.30pm at the University’s Queen’s Park site, as well as online for those who are not able to attend in person.

Professor Dame Harries was a familiar face on national television during the regular COVID-19 pandemic updates. She is the Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.

The UKHSAis responsible for protecting every member of every community from the impact of infectious diseases, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, and other health threats. Professor Dame Harries will discuss its work locally, nationally and globally to ensure the UK is prepared for threats like future pandemics.

Professor Dame Harries also previously served on the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and has a wealth of public health knowledge and expertise gained from working in the NHS and government at local, regional and national levels. She played central roles in the UK’s response to COVID, Ebola, Zika, Monkeypox, MERS and the Novichok attacks. 

She was made a Dame in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to public health.

The Haygarth Public Lecture has been established to celebrate the long tradition of public health action in Cheshire and is named in honour of the 18th-century physician, John Haygarth FRS – Fellow of the Royal Society – (1740-1827), who practised Medicine at Chester Infirmary and has been described as “Clinical Investigator – Apostle of Sanitation”.

The lecture is sponsored by the University’s Faculty of Health, Medicine and Society in partnership with the Public Health Department at Cheshire West and Chester Council. 

To book a place to attend in person, please visit here.

To book to attend online, go here.

Tea and coffee will be available before the lecture at Churchill House, Queen’s Park.