The RSS has opened a callout for short, two-minute contributions to our third Covid evidence session which will be looking at the role of evidence in policy-making.
Statistical evidence – such as the evidence produced by models and projections – was key to informing the governments' Covid-19 response, including decisions around social distancing, lockdown and lockdown-easing measures. This event will examine the role that evidence played and scrutinise the data that underpinned decision making.
The event will take place on Tuesday 21 June, 4-6pm both online and in-person.
It is organised by RSS president and co-chair of our Covid-19 Task Force, Sylvia Richardson, along with fellow task force member, Daniela De Angelis and Harding Professor of Statistics in Public Life, John Aston.
The speakers are:
- Nick Jewell - Chair of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, LSHTM and Professor of Biostatistics and Statistics at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley
- Graham Medley - Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling, LSHTM
- Sarah Walker – Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Nuffield Department of Medicine
- Emma Rourke - Director of Health Analysis and Pandemic Insight, ONS
The event will focus on the following five questions:
- What is the value of statistical thinking in a national emergency? Are there both positive and negative examples from the pandemic of times when a statistical perspective improved or could have improved evidence?
- How can statistical modelling be used in epidemics? How should such modelling be best communicated to policy-makers?
- How should statisticians be involved as experts when there is an emergency? How should statisticians prepare and train for this situation?
- How can statisticians give balanced advice to policy makers and be trusted as an intermediary?
- How did global data feed into the UK's decision-making process? What lessons should we learn on international data sharing going forward?
If you have views on any of these questions and would like to make a short, two-minute contribution to the event, either in-person or remotely, please give some details of what you would like to say via the link below.
The call for contributions will close at 9am BST Thursday 9 June.
Answer the call for contributions
Register to attend online