Jeremy Farrar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Jeremy Farrar
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Farrar at 2024 Nobel Week
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| Born |
Jeremy James Farrar
1 September 1961 Singapore
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| Nationality | British |
| Education | Churcher's College |
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| Spouse(s) |
Christiane Dolecek
(m. 1998) |
| Awards | Order of Ho Chi Minh |
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| Thesis | Analysis of combinatorial immunoglobin libraries from a myasthenia gravis patient (1997) |
Sir Jeremy James Farrar (born 1 September 1961) is a British medical scientist. He works to understand and fight diseases that spread easily. Since 2023, he has been the Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO). Before this, he led The Wellcome Trust from 2013 to 2023. He was also a professor at the University of Oxford.
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Early Life and Education
Jeremy Farrar was born in Singapore on September 1, 1961. He is the youngest of six children. His father was an English teacher. His mother was a writer and artist. Because of his father's job, Jeremy lived in different countries. These included New Zealand, Cyprus, and Libya.
He went to Churcher's College for his early schooling. He later studied medicine at UCL Medical School. There, he earned a science degree in 1983. He also got a medical degree in 1986. In 1998, he completed his PhD at the University of Oxford. His research focused on a muscle disease called myasthenia gravis.
Career and Research Focus
Sir Jeremy Farrar is very interested in infectious diseases. These are illnesses that can spread from person to person. His research has focused on many serious diseases. These include tuberculosis, dengue fever, typhoid fever, malaria, and H5N1 influenza (bird flu).
Working in Academia
From 1996 to 2013, Farrar worked in Vietnam. He was the Director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2004, he and his Vietnamese colleague, Tran Tinh Hien, made an important discovery. They found that the deadly bird flu, H5N1, was reappearing in humans. From 2000 to 2013, he was a professor at the University of Oxford. He taught about tropical medicine and global health.
Leading the Wellcome Trust
In 2013, Jeremy Farrar became the Director of the Wellcome Trust. This is a large charity that supports health research. During his time there, he worked on many important projects.
He helped explain the UK's response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. He suggested building special centers. These centers would help people self-isolate if they thought they had the disease.
In 2015, he helped write a paper about creating a global fund for vaccines. This idea led to the start of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in 2017. CEPI helps develop vaccines for new diseases. In 2016, he also suggested creating a World Serum Bank. This bank would store blood samples to help fight future epidemics.
Farrar also advised governments and global groups. He was part of many important health committees. For example, he helped choose the director of the Institut Pasteur. He also served on the German Ministry of Health’s advisory board. He was part of The Lancet Commission on Tuberculosis.
Fighting COVID-19
In 2020, Sir Jeremy Farrar joined the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance. This group works to stop germs from becoming resistant to medicines. He also helped prepare for the Global Health Summit in 2021.
He served on several World Health Organization (WHO) committees. He co-chaired the WHO’s group on dengue vaccines. He also chaired the Scientific Advisory Group of the WHO R&D Blueprint. This plan helps start research quickly during epidemics. He was also part of the World Bank/WHO Global Preparedness Monitoring Board. This board checks how ready the world is for health crises.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he advised the UK government. He was part of the UK Government’s Vaccine Task Force. He also served on the UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). He later resigned from SAGE in 2021. This was due to disagreements with the government's approach to the pandemic.
In 2021, he published a book called Spike: The Virus vs The People. He wrote it with journalist Anjana Ahuja. The book shares his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Views on Global Health
Sir Jeremy Farrar believes in working together to fight diseases. In 2020, he and other scientists published a letter. They said that COVID-19 came from nature. They spoke out against conspiracy theories.
He also strongly believes that vaccines should be available to everyone. In 2021, he wrote that not enough was being done to vaccinate people in poorer countries. He warned that if the virus keeps spreading, new variants could appear. These new variants might be able to overcome our current vaccines. He said that a lack of leadership was making the pandemic last longer. He called for fair access to vaccines, tests, and treatments for all.
Awards and Honours
Sir Jeremy Farrar has received many awards for his work. He is a member of the Royal College of Physicians. He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
In 2005, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This was for his services to healthcare, especially in preventing tropical diseases in Vietnam.
In 2015, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists. In 2019, he was made a Knight Bachelor. This means he can use the title "Sir." This award was for his important work in global health.
Personal Life
Sir Jeremy Farrar is married to Christiane Dolecek. She is also a researcher who studies typhoid. They got married in 1998. They have three children and live in Oxford, England. Since 2011, their family has helped young people from Vietnam and Nepal with their education.
