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 researcher. He has been the Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2023. Before this, he was the director of The Wellcome Trust from 2013 to 2023. He also worked as a professor of tropical medicine at the University of Oxford.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jeremy Farrar was born in Singapore. He is the youngest of six children. His father was an English teacher, and his mother was a writer and artist. Because of his father's job, Jeremy lived in different countries as a child. These included New Zealand, Cyprus, and Libya.
He went to Churcher's College for his schooling. Later, he studied at UCL Medical School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in immunology in 1983. In 1986, he received a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of Oxford in 1998.
Career and Research in Medicine
Sir Jeremy Farrar is very interested in studying infectious diseases. These are illnesses that can spread from person to person. Some of the diseases he has researched include tuberculosis, dengue fever, typhoid fever, malaria, and H5N1 influenza (bird flu).
Working in Academia
From 1996 to 2013, Farrar was the Director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit. This unit is located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In 2004, he and his Vietnamese colleague, Tran Tinh Hien, found that the dangerous bird flu, H5N1, was reappearing in humans. He was also a Professor of Tropical Medicine and Global Health at the University of Oxford from 2000 to 2013.
Leading the Wellcome Trust (2013–2023)
In 2013, Farrar became the Director of the Wellcome Trust. This is a large charity that supports health research. During his time there, he worked on important global health issues.
He co-wrote an article in the journal Nature about the Ebola outbreak. This article explained how the UK government helped Sierra Leone. They suggested building centers where people could go if they thought they had Ebola.
In 2015, he also helped write a paper that led to the creation of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). CEPI was founded in 2017. It helps develop vaccines quickly when new epidemics happen. He also suggested creating a World Serum Bank in 2016. This would help fight epidemics by storing important medical samples.
Farrar also advised governments and global groups. He was part of a group that chose the director for the Institut Pasteur. He also served on the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance. This group works to stop germs from becoming resistant to medicines.
Work with the World Health Organization (WHO)
Sir Jeremy Farrar has been involved with many WHO committees. He co-chaired a group on dengue vaccines from 2015 to 2016. Since 2017, he has led the Scientific Advisory Group of the WHO R&D Blueprint. This plan helps start research quickly during epidemics. He also served on the joint World Bank/WHO Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB). This board checks how ready the world is for health emergencies. In 2019, he co-chaired a WHO committee that looked at treatments for Ebola.
COVID-19 Pandemic Response
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Farrar played a key role. In May 2020, he joined an expert group for the UK Government’s Vaccine Task Force. He was also a member of the UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). This group advised the government on the pandemic. He left SAGE in November 2021 because he disagreed with the government's approach.
In July 2021, he published a book called Spike: The Virus vs The People. He wrote it with journalist Anjana Ahuja. The book shares his experiences and views on the UK government's response to the pandemic.
Views on Global Health
In February 2020, Farrar and other scientists wrote a letter in The Lancet. They strongly stated that COVID-19 had a natural origin. They condemned ideas that suggested otherwise.
In December 2021, Farrar wrote an opinion piece in The Guardian. He expressed concern that not enough was being done to vaccinate people in poorer countries against COVID-19. He explained that if the virus keeps spreading in unvaccinated areas, new variants could appear. These new variants might be able to overcome current vaccines and treatments. He felt that a lack of leadership was making the pandemic last longer for everyone.
Other Activities and Boards
Sir Jeremy Farrar is involved with many organizations. He is a member of the International Panel for Temasek Holdings. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA). He is the Chairman of the Board for Genome Research Limited.
He is a co-founder and board member of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). He is also a member of the Council for the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund. He advises the Forward Institute and is Vice-Chair of the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R).
He is a member of the Board for the Francis Crick Institute. He also serves on the Editorial Board of The New England Journal of Medicine. Since 2020, he has been a member of the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Awards and Honours
Farrar is a member of the Royal College of Physicians. He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 2005. This was for his work in healthcare, especially preventing tropical diseases in Vietnam.
When he was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences, they praised his work. They noted that he created a great research institute in Vietnam. His research on diseases like malaria, dengue, and bird flu was very important. He helped identify how bird flu causes severe illness. He also did key research on Dengue shock syndrome. His dedication to fighting diseases in developing countries and building health capacity in places like Vietnam was highly commended.
In 2015, Farrar was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 2019 for his contributions to Global Health. This means he can use the title "Sir."
Personal Life
Sir Jeremy Farrar has been married to Christiane Dolecek since 1998. Christiane is an Austrian-born researcher who studies typhoid. They have three children and live in Oxford, England. Since 2011, their family has focused on helping young people from Vietnam and Nepal with their education.
