Georgina Ferry interviews Samantha Vanderslott, University Research Lecturer (Oxford Vaccine Group), 18 March 2022.
Topics discussed include (00:00:35) SV's early studies, undergraduate degree in Economics and International Development, interest in politics and governance with a Masters undertaken at Oxford, work for two years with the UK Government (Business, Innovation and Skills), interest in research and PhD at UCL (University College London) particularly Sociology of Science with research topic of 'Neglected Tropical Diseases,' and later work at Oxford with the Oxford Vaccine Group; (00:05:30) pre-pandemic work including the Collective Responsibility for Infectious Disease programme, including interdisciplinary research, individual and collective responsibility, work on typhoid; (00:11:20) research into attitudes to vaccination, including particular groups in the USA and Australia; (00:16:15) SV's first memory of COVID-19 in December 2019 and early 2020, conversations with Claas Kirchhelle and launch of exhibition 'Alice in Typhoidland'; (00:20:36) changes to research focus as a result of COVID-19, including work relating to views around vaccines, other health society issues including misinformation, qualitative work with trial participants; (00:23:35) data gathering methods, including interviews and focus groups; (00:25:20) research into trial participants, including survey questions asked relating to motivations, attitudes to risk, reaction of friends and family, wider views about vaccines; (00:28:40) trial participant interviews, including the varying experiences of participants; (00:30:40) questions asked of participants, including relating to vaccine equity, views on whether they had received the vaccine or placebo, behavioural changes after vaccination; (00:34:48) use of social media for data analysis, including research based on Twitter usage relating to pro and anti-mask and vaccine views; (00:40:41) conclusions drawn from the study on masks and vaccines, including findings relating to a response to political events, unifying concepts connecting groups together; (00:42:57) direct impact of these studies, including on minority ethnic communities, advice to policy-makers after working at a grass-roots level with these communities; (00:45:38) hesitancy amongst minorities, particularly due to past experiences and historical abuses, the importance of community groups having their voices heard; (00:48:14) new insights relating to vaccination views amongst the wider public, including controversies around side effects, high adoption of vaccines, COVAX and issues relating to manufacture and supply to low and middle-income countries; (00:51:32) the impact of vaccinations on global health, including lower mortality for infectious diseases; (00:53:36) the concept of lockdown fatigue; (00:55:54) the role of social sciences and humanities research towards the pandemic response; (00:56:43) future research interests, including the profile and portrayal of clinical trials in the media and public domain and how the structure and interest in trials have changed since COVID-19; (01:00:00) trial participants and other voluntary work within the community during the pandemic; (01:01:30) future trials and direct feedback from participant surveys; (01:02:28) SV's reaction to the threat of infection, particularly in relation to family members, personal experience of contracting COVID-19 and long COVID; (01:07:00) impact of COVID-19 on work, including remote work and working intensively; (01:07:47) involvement in teaching during the pandemic; (01:10:22) precautions within the Oxford Vaccine Group building; (01:14:55) research on COVID-19 and impact on SV's well-being; (01:17:21) changes to approach to work as a result of COVID-19.
