Search results (35)
« Back to Making a Difference NewsDeveloping new antibiotics to safeguard modern medicine
The increasing use of antibiotics globally and has exacerbated the evolution of multidrug-resistant bacteria which can no longer be treated by many antibiotics which were previously effective. This causes multi-drug resistant infections in both humans and animals that are no longer easily treatable and can lead to death.
Understanding antimicrobial resistance to implement change
Robust and strong surveillance systems across the world, especially in low-and middle-income countries are essential to tackle Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR). At the national level, data can help inform health policies and responses to health emergencies. At the global level, this data can provide early warnings of emerging threats and help identify long–term trends.
Vaccines: From lab to licensing
The standard for testing and monitoring of vaccines is higher than it is for most other medicines because they are one of the few medical treatments given to healthy people - mainly healthy children. This means that the level of acceptable risk is much lower than it might be in some other treatments. It can take many years for a vaccine to pass through all the stages described in the animation. In the case of the MenB vaccine, for example, it took 15 years from the first publication of the genome (the complete set of genetic information in an organism) to the vaccine being licensed for use.
Infecting Minds: The Past, Present and Future of Vaccine Hesitancy
Infecting Minds: The Past, Present and Future of Vaccine Hesitancy is an interdisciplinary project exploring vaccine hesitancy in South Africa and the UK. We are interested in understanding barriers to vaccination, and learning how beliefs and behaviours around vaccines develop, persist, and spread in different settings. We explore these using perspectives from social sciences, theology, history, and community engagement. This film documents our research as well as our engagement work with schools in Durban, Somkhele, and Oxford over 2022 and 2023.
'Preventing pandemics at the source – stopping spillover' with Prof Peter Hudson
While many of those working on emerging diseases expected a pandemic like COVID, and in many ways this one could have been much worse, there is now increased concern about how to prevent the next one. Once a novel infection starts spreading in humans it is almost impossible to prevent a pandemic, so Professor Peter Hudson, a disease ecologist, will talk about our understanding of viral spillover from bats, and what we really could do, to stop the next pandemic.
Antimicrobial Resistance: A Dance with Nature
"The process of creating new antibiotics and understanding bacteria with particular mechanisms of resistance is like a dance..." Antibiotics have saved countless lives since their introduction during the Second World War. They are used to treat infections like pneumonia, and underpin most operations like knee replacements, and cancer therapies. Unfortunately, bacteria naturally evolve to become resistant to these drugs, in a phenomenon called ‘antimicrobial resistance’ (AMR). This causes antibiotics to be ineffective in routine treatments and surgeries, threatening lives across the globe. In this video, we hear from researchers at the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research (IOI), about the 'what', 'why' and 'where' of resistance, and how their research aims to help tackle the issue.
'Childhood vaccine mandates: are they tackling the right problem?' with Prof Katie Attwell
Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford working on health, society, and policy topics. ... Undervaccination results from both deliberate vaccine refusal and access or logistical problems. These barriers are commonly thought to affect very different social groups. However, popular and political discourse emphasises the vaccine refusing parent as the policy target of new vaccine mandates. Discourses around the need for strict mandatory policies may or may not acknowledge disadvantaged populations facing access problems, and the policies themselves may or may not differentiate between underserved populations and those who deliberately refuse vaccines. This talk explores how these two distinct categories of under-vaccinated populations are treated within vaccine mandates in Australia, Italy, France, and California, and why it matters.
Oxford Martin School Health Videos
Videos from the Oxford Martin School that show how different disciplines work together to advance human health and improve quality of life.
Researcher Stories: Using Big Data to advise international development
Find out how Dr Samira Barzin, Oxford Martin School and Mathematical Institute Fellow, has worked with the World Bank to use data analysis techniques to inform development interventions.
Researcher Stories: Shaping the future of international NGOs
Find out how Professor Andrew Thompson, a History academic at Oxford, has worked with international NGOs to help them identify the biggest challenges in their futures, with help from the Oxford Policy Engagement Network.
Voices from the Pandemic
Welcome to the Voices from the Pandemic exhibition. Catch a glimpse of the pandemic journey of people from all walks of life in Indonesia, Nepal and Vietnam. The creation and compilation of these digital diary stories has taken almost two years. Although deeply rewarding, the process has been challenging, and we acknowledge the contributions of all participants in their honest and inspiring accounts of resilience during an unexpected and life changing period.
Building a better future for people with epilepsy - the Oxford Martin Programme on Global Epilepsy
The Oxford Martin Programme on Global Epilepsy is trying to find solutions to improve diagnosis, understand and mitigate the social impact of the condition, and begin to build a better future for people with epilepsy – especially those in resource-poor settings.
Health Rights in a Pandemic: A Case Study of Universal Health Care in Kenya
A right to health requires that everyone have access to good quality health care regardless of their ability to pay. Prior to the pandemic, Kenya piloted universal health care. COVID has renewed the urgency of implementing universal health care. This documentary explores Kenya’s journey towards universal health care in before and during the pandemic, as well as the next steps in achieving the right to health in a post-COVID world.
From Vietnam to the World - 30 Years of OUCRU
After over 30 years of working in infectious disease in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Nepal, OUCRU has developed and established its foothold as a crucial regional research hub in infectious diseases, bridging the gap between research and treatments all over the world. What have we done? How did we do it? And what will OUCRU continue to focus on in the next 5 years?
COVID-19: How are social sciences making a difference?
Oxford’s social scientists responded rapidly as the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, working with partners in policymaking, industry, and communities around the world to find solutions to some of the greatest challenges the world has ever seen. Watch our film to discover the global impact of their work, and to learn why social sciences research will be critical to our long-term social and economic recovery.
Ethics in Mental Health Digital Innovations for Young People in Africa (EMDIYA) introduction
The Ethics in Mental Health Digital Innovations for Young People in Africa (EMDIYA) project is funded by UK Research and Innovation, it sits within the Global Initiative for Neuropsychiatric Ethics. EMDIYA puts young people at the heart of research and engagement to inform responsible and relevant digital mental health interventions for young people in African countries.
Shaping the Future: Reproductive Rights at Work
Sexual and reproductive health rights are not normally thought of as materialising in the workplace, but there are a numerous hurdles at work to women’s enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health. The final episode of Shaping the Future of Sexual and Reproductive Health at Work examines how workplaces, which have been created and designed for men, can be transformed using human rights to create working environments that are inclusive of diverse sex and gender needs.
Shaping the Future of Safe Childbirth
While maternal mortality rates have been decreasing, they have not been decreasing for all types of women. Women in poverty, women with disabilities, young women, women in rural communities and women of colour, ethnic minority and Indigenous women are still at a high risk of maternal mortality and morbidity. This episode of Shaping the Future of Safe Childbirth explores a range of maternal health issues– remoteness, data collection, obstetric violence and the impact of global technocratic policies–in US, Kenya, Mexico, India and Brazil. It talks to on-the-ground doctors, lawyers and advocates to reflect on how human rights offer tools to ensure that maternal health policies begin with where women live their everyday lives.
Shaping the Future of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights at School
Schools needs to be a place of safety for learners. Tragically, sexual and reproductive health rights can be violated at school. This episode of Shaping the Future of Reproductive Rights at School examines three issues of human rights: menstruation, sexual violence and discrimination against pregnant learners. It looks at how these issues arise and how a human rights framework can assist in tackling them.
Prof Chris Dye & Prof Salim Abdool Karim in conversation: 'The Great Health Dilemma: Is Prevention Better than Cure?'
Join Professor Chris Dye, author of The Great Health Dilemma, and Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Director of the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), as they discuss ways to invest more money and effort in health promotion and prevention around the world today.