In early 2020, it seemed like people with diabetes were disproportionately dying with COVID-19, but the data provided more questions than answers. What type of diabetes did people have? Were people dying because the condition itself put them at greater risk, or because those with it tend to be older and have other illnesses? And what should people with diabetes do to protect themselves?

Many countries are moving to exit a lockdown triggered by COVID-19, but the virus has not gone away and there are real concerns that a second wave of infection could happen. We urgently need to understand more about how the body deals with this infection and what we can do to tackle it. Immunology has taken centre stage here in revealing what happens when our body fights this virus, and brings us the possibility of treatments and vaccines.

Some people question why the current coronavirus has brought the world to standstill while a previous deadly coronavirus, SARS, did not. Others have questioned why a vaccine is so urgently needed now to stop the spread of the current coronavirus when a vaccine was never developed for SARS.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce University of Oxford Departmental Lecturer and Deputy Director of Evidence-Based Healthcare DPhil programme I work in the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, where I am involved in research and teaching, and serve as the deputy director of the part-time Evidence-Based Healthcare DPhil programme. My particular interests lie in evidence synthesis (both quantitative and qualitative) and the communication of complex information and data to inform policy and public action. I am

Sheena Cruickshank University of Manchester Professor in Biomedical Sciences Immunology is the science of the immune system, the body’s defence against infection. From birth to death, we are bombarded with potential infectious threats that are immune system must recognise and respond to by killing or containing the threat. Yet, the immune system can be harmful too to us too when it isn’t properly controlled as is seen in allergies

Daniel M Davis University of Manchester Professor of Immunology Daniel M Davis is a Professor of Immunology at the University of Manchester, UK. He helped pioneer the use of microscopy to show how immune cells communicate with each other and detect disease in other cells. He co-discovered the Natural Killer cell immune synapse and membrane nanotubes. He is also the author of ‘The Compatibility Gene’ and ‘The Beautiful Cure’,

Scientists are constantly revealing newly discovered benefits of exercise. In experiments over the past 10 years, my research has found that exercise can help with a respiratory problem known as ARDS.

Zhen Yan University of Virginia Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine Non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, cause > 60% of the death in the USA and account for > 75% of health care costs. Regular exercise has profound health benefits and is the most powerful intervention in disease prevention and treatment. We employ the state-of-the-art molecular genetics and imaging technologies in a variety of animal

Wladislaw Rivkin Aston University Senior Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology Dr Wladislaw Rivkin is a Senior Lecturer in the Work and Organisational Psychology Department at Aston Business School. His research focuses on the interplay of stressors, leadership and other resources in predicting employees’ health well-being and performance in organisations, which has been published in high impact academic journals. Wladislaw works as a practitioner with businesses and organisations in

Marilyn J. Roossinck Pennsylvania State University Professor of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology Our focus in the Roossinck lab is on virus-plant and virus-fungus-plant interactions in virus evolution and ecology. We use Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) as a model virus for experimental evolution studies, including generation and maintenance of quasispecies, rates of recombination, and polymerase fidelity. We are interested in how plants use viruses in adaptation to extreme environments. Fungal viruses

As an academic who regularly worked from home in the days before coronavirus, my friends often joked about what they imagined my daily routine might be (such as enjoying a morning gin and not changing out of my pyjamas). But as many people now realise, the reality is quite different. Working from home can be quite a challenge.

Taking a holistic view in managing their global employee benefit programs is the chosen way forward for an increasing number of multinationals that want a better overview and cost control of these programs. Many companies find that outsourcing the day-to-day handling and reporting of the insured benefits to local experts coordinated by a central team with one of the global consulting / brokerage firms is the preferred approach.

Jimmy Johansen jimmy.johansen@mercer.com Mercer Partner Jimmy Johansen is a Partner in Mercer’s Career and Global Benefit Management (GBM) business. He combines the role of Norway Lead for Career and GBM Account Director being the strategic benefit advisor for some of Mercer’s largest European clients. He has worked with Mercer since 2003 including 2 years in the Singapore office. During the last 10 years Jimmy has worked with Mercer Marsh Benefits’ GBM