The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose public policy and societal challenges for countries around the world. Scientists have developed COVID-19 vaccines in record time, and now governments must determine the fastest and most ethical way to distribute them.
With vaccination strategies in various stages of implementation, this event will look at the current status of vaccinations in Europe with a focus on Germany.
Join Hertie School Professor of Health Governance Mujaheed Shaikh for an event that compares different vaccination approaches and policy responses. We are pleased to welcome the Director of the Robert Koch Institute, Prof. Dr. Lothar Wieler, for a keynote address. Professor Dr. Nikola Biller-Andorno, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (IBME) at the University of Zurich, alongside Prof. Dr. Katharina Hauck, Reader in Health Economics and Deputy Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA) at the Imperial College London, will also join our discussion and an open Q&A.
Keynote speaker
Prof. Dr. Lothar H. Wieler is President of the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin. His research focuses on zoonotic diseases in a One Health context with a particular interest in molecular mechanisms that enable zoonotic pathogens to adapt to different hosts and develop resistance to antibiotics. A former Professor of Microbiology and Epizootics at the Freie Universität in Berlin, Prof. Wieler is also co-founder of the German National Research platform for Zoonoses and a member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards of the WHO, among others. Since September 2020 he has been chair of the International Health Regulations Review Committee (IHR-RC). Prof. Wieler is a veterinarian and microbiologist, and received his received his doctorate from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Comment and discussion
Prof. Dr. Nikola Biller-Andorno directs the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland, which serves as WHO Collaborating Centre for Bioethics. She co-leads the PhD program “Biomedical Ethics and Law” and serves as Vice-President of the Clinical Ethics Committee of the University Hospital Zurich. She is a member of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences, the Swiss National Research Foundation and the expert council of the Swiss Medical Board, an HTA agency providing clinical and cost effectiveness analyses of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
Prof. Dr. Katharina Hauck is a Reader in Health Economics and Deputy Director of the Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London. She is specialised in the economics of infectious diseases and the economic evaluation of complex public health interventions. Katharina is a member of several senior expert advisory groups, including to the UK cabinet office. She and her team are modelling the health and economic impact of COVID-19 vaccine allocations, and the health and economic benefits of pandemic preparedness for the G20 High Level Independent Panel.
Moderator
Mujaheed Shaikh is Professor of Health Governance at the Hertie School. His research concentrates broadly on the field of health economics and management with a focus on health expenditures, hospital efficiency and competition, and health insurance. Prior to joining the Hertie School, Prof. Shaikh was employed at the Health Economics and Policy Division of Vienna University of Economics and Business. He holds a Doctorate in Economics from Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, and a Master in International health management from Imperial College, London.