Georgina Ferry interviews Janelle Winters, Postdoctoral Research Associate (Faculty of History), 2 December 2022.
Topics discussed include (00:00:23) early interest in population health, including bachelor's in history of science and biology, master's in epidemiology, teaching experience in Bangladesh, master's at University of Newcastle in history of medicine, PhD studies, work at the National Academy of Sciences and Medicine in Washington DC, and work at the University of Oxford as the COPCOV trial historian; (00:04:55) first awareness of COVID-19; (00:08:05) origin of the role of COPCOV historian, involvement of Nick White, William Schilling and Mark Harrison; (00:11:43) background of the COPCOV trial; (00:14:46) design of the COPCOV trial; (00:16:09) recruitment of healthcare workers for the trial; (00:21:00) impact on the trial owing to the profile owing to the politics around the drug hydroxychloroquine; (00:26:25) results of the RECOVERY trial and findings relating to hydroxychloroquine; (00:28:00) World Health Organisation guidance in March 2021; (00:30:10) global impact of decisions made by organisations such as the MHRA, including issues of transparency; (00:32:19) travel to Thailand to sit on the COPCOV investigator's meeting; (00:34:47) 'vampire research' and use of samples, material transfer agreements; (00:38:31) major research questions as a result of the trial; (00:41:04) methods for collecting information and research, including Freedom of Information requests and oral histories, interviews with stakeholders; (00:48:53) issues with sources and themes in contemporary history, creation of archives including oral histories, news sources, advisory groups; (00:51:42) study of the clinical trial as an object, including issues of bureaucracy and risk aversion; (00:55:59) impact of COVID-19 on career, particularly relating to opportunities in global health and pandemic preparedness; (00:58:15) personal impact of COVID-19, including life in Washington DC in March 2020, impact on family; (01:02:58) personal threat from COVID-19; (01:05:10) changes in approach to work as a result of the pandemic, including issues around early career roles and women in STEM.
