Join us to hear Professor Stephen Holgate FMedSci, Medical Research Council Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology and Honorary Consultant Physician in the Faculty of Medicine at the University to deliver his Distinguished Lecture on “Understanding and living with COVID-19 - past present and future".

Since joining Southampton in 1980, Stephen has transformed our understanding of respiratory diseases, with a focus on asthma. His research has informed guidelines at the highest level on asthma management. His current research focuses on stratified medicine, the role of the epithelium in orchestrating asthma and the evolution of asthma across the lifecourse.

Stephen is past president of the British Society of Allergy and Cliniclal Immunolgoy, was Chair of the MRC Population and Systems Medicine Board. In 2003 he cofounded Synairgen, a publically quoted respiratory drug development company which is currently undergoing ground-breaking COVID-19 trails to search for effective treatments to the pandemic.

Professor Holgate will give insight from a recent Government report created by 37 experts by the request of the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor on a potential new wave of the virus this winter. The report was guided by a patient and carer reference group that provided information and advice on the key issues for those who would be most affected by a bad winter.

Professor Holgate said "COVID-19 has caught us all by surprise. From the experience being gained both personally and in the wider environment there are important lessons to be learnt not only about this virus, but about how society ensures we are best prepared to cope now and into the future."

The event will be hosted by Professor Mark Spearing, Vice-President (Research & Enterprise) at the University. After Professor Holgate's lecture there will be an opportunity to ask questions. Details on how to do this will be included in Joining Instructions which will be sent a week before the event.

Professor Stephen Holgate - Distinguished Lecture