King's College London

From climate change to inequality and mental health, the WORLD: we got this podcast aims to explore the social, scientific and policy implications of our shared global challenges. Hosted by the School of Global Affairs, our experts explore these issues from a range of disciplines and perspectives.

Our first season looks at pandemics, in particular the current COVID-19 global health crisis. This includes what we can learn from previous epidemics, the global response and policy measures.

The first episode (WHO got this) features Dr Ann Kelly and Professor Mauricio Pabon Avendano and focuses on the role of the WHO and global policy responses to health crises, referring to previous research on Ebola, SARS and ageing populations.

“One issue to think about is – if and when this epidemic hits low and medium income populations, what kind of response will be needed. They may be younger populations but there is also high propensity for inter-generational living,” Professor Pabon Avendano discusses.

“When responding to a crisis, we need a combination of understanding a national context while at the same time drawing lessons from international experiences.”

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this podcast is being recorded from the homes of each speaker. Despite the shift to working from work, the key thing is that our researchers are still working, researching and teaching – and they’re still trying to understand how we can wrestle with this global pandemic.

Head of the School of Global Affairs, Professor Bronwyn Parry said:

“I’m delighted that our School is launching a new podcast series. We are uniquely equipped to undertake core research on global challenges, including the response to COVID-19.

Our researchers are already active in collaborative research on COVID-19 to ensure we connect with our wider communities and networks, whether in the UK or abroad, in developing innovative solutions to this truly global public health crisis.”