Inaugural Lecture – Professor Tom Fletcher

Professor Tom Fletcher has spent two decades working on the frontline of outbreaks where the stakes could not be higher, from Ebola and Lassa fever to COVID-19. In his inaugural lecture, he reflected on what those moments have taught him, not only about science and clinical breakthroughs, but about the human side of outbreak response. He spoke about the teams, the trust, the decisions made under pressure, and what it means to care for patients in the most challenging settings.

He also showed how discoveries made in crisis can shape what comes next. From field hospitals to high-containment laboratories, the work he described is helping to transform how we understand epidemic diseases, and speeding up the development of diagnostics and treatments that can save lives.