Georgina Ferry interviews Marion Watson, Head of Operations, Clinical Trials (Jenner Institute), 14 November 2022.
Topics discussed include (00:00:30) early interest in biomedical science, including degree in Biochemistry at Imperial College London, PhD at St Mary's Hospital; (00:04:02) life after PhD including work at G. D. Searle on the molecular biology of yeast; (00:05:45) work for Glaxo Group Research and Sernova; (00:07:30) work in academia at Oxford, including at Oxford Brookes and Oxford University; (00:08:44) experience of working in clinical trials; (00:12:10) viral disease and vaccine work at the Jenner Institute; (00:13:30) role of Head of Operations; (00:14:34) emergence of COVID-19; (00:16:00) ChAdOx platform; (00:17:40) changes to role as a result of COVID work, patient safety, suspension of non-COVID related trials; (00:20:00) work with quality assurance team relating to clinical trials, MHRA inspections; (00:22:20) involvement in COVID trials, particularly relating to safety; (00:23:40) reporting of serious adverse events; (00:27:46) vaccine confidence and hesitancy, including webinars and Zoom Q&A's to address concerns of the public, both nationally and internationally; (00:32:09) involvement in Ebola vaccine work and COVID nasal spray; (00:35:06) COVID-19 challenge trials, including research ethics and committees; (00:39:15) trial volunteers, including mobile units; (00:42:25) day-to-day work during the pandemic and impact of COVID on ability to perform duties, threat of COVID-19 to personal health and the health of friends and family; (00:47:10) life working from home and wellbeing, including knitting for charity; (00:54:30) creativity in science, including technological advancements; (00:58:25) collaborative nature of the work on COVID-19; (01:01:00) changes to working practices as a result of the pandemic, including hybrid working; (01:03:00) the future of clinical trials and speed of approval for new trials; (01:06:00) changes in approach to work and life as a result of the pandemic; (01:08:02) vaccine confidence work and speech at the Lambeth Conference, including the church as a medium of communication in Africa.
