A conversation with Sir Jeremy Farrar, WHOs new Chief Scientist

Published: Aug. 22, 2023, 2 a.m.

Our guest this week is Sir Jeremy Farrar, the World Health Organization\u2019s new Chief Scientist, who took up the role earlier this year. \xa0

As Chief Scientist, Dr Farrar oversees WHO\u2019s science division, bringing together the best brains in science and innovation from around the world.\xa0

Prior to joining WHO, Dr Farrar was the director of the Wellcome Trust, and prior to that he served as the director of the Oxford Clinical Research Unit at the hospital for tropical diseases in Vietnam for 17 years.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Dr Farrar\u2019s priorities for the science division at WHO over the next couple of years.
  • What he sees as key innovation and research challenges and opportunities for WHO.
  • His views on the governance of public good R&D for global health products, how the system could be improved, and the opportunities for WHO to influence that space.

You can read more about WHO\u2019s science division here: https://www.who.int/our-work/science-division

We encourage you to join the conversation at @CentreHealthSec. You can follow Australia's Ambassador for Regional Health Security Dr Stephanie Williams at @AusAmbRHS and Dr Jeremy Farrar at @JeremyFarrar.