Meaghan Kall, epidemiologist: COVID advice, Long COVID, vaccine waning, disability, HIV, social determinants of health; career advice

Ben Yeoh Chats

Meaghan Kall is an epidemiologist at what used to be known as Public Health England but is now the UK Health Security Agency. She and her colleagues have been working flat out for two years producing some of the world's best COVID data.

We speak about annoying and funny COVID myths.

She gives her view on COVID vaccine waning, Long COVID and risk in children; and how we are going to come to terms with COVID as an endemic disease (think about managing flu, although with different outcomes).

We dive into what it means to be an epidemiologist and think about the social determinants of health. With the lens of looking at HIV epidemiology, we discuss how certain populations are more adversely impacted.

We discuss what caring for disabled children as meant for us and how that insight is another facet of what it means to be human.

We think about what “expected value” means and how science can not answer matters of policy which have to be decided also by thinking of our values and other trade-offs.

Meaghan gives the advice she is currently giving family and friends and ends with some thinking on life career advice.

Transcript and video available here.

Ben's Twitter @benyeohben and Meaghan's Twitter @kallmemeg