Sir Andrew John Pollard (born 29 August 1965) is the Ashall Professor of Infection & Immunity at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and a Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford. He is an honorary consultant paediatrician at

John Radcliffe Hospital John Radcliffe Hospital (informally known as the JR or the John Radcliffe) is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It forms part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is named after John Radcliffe (physician) ...

and the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group. He is the chief investigator on the University of Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine (ChAdOx-1 n-CoV-19) trials and has led research on vaccines for many life-threatening infectious diseases, including

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

Neisseria meningitidis ''Neisseria meningitidis'', often referred to as the meningococcus, is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause meningitis and other forms of meningococcal disease such as meningococcemia, a life-threatening sepsis. The bacterium is referred to a ...

, ''Haemophilus influenzae'' type b,

streptococcus pneumoniae ''Streptococcus pneumoniae'', or pneumococcus, is a Gram-positive, spherical bacteria, hemolysis (microbiology), alpha-hemolytic member of the genus ''Streptococcus''. ''S. pneumoniae'' cells are usually found in pairs (diplococci) and do not f ...

pertussis Whooping cough ( or ), also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, bu ...

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

, and

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after in ...

. Because "In order to prevent any perceived conflict of interest it was agreed that the

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent expert advisory committee that advises United Kingdom health departments on immunisation, making recommendations concerning vaccination schedules and vaccine safety. ...

(JCVI) Chair (Professor Andrew Pollard), who is involved in the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine at Oxford, would recuse himself from all JCVI COVID-19 meetings", JCVI Deputy Chair Professor Anthony Harnden acts in his stead on these matters. Pollard was awarded the coveted James Spence Medal by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in 2022.

Education

Pollard attended St Peter's Catholic School, Bournemouth, where he was head boy. He attended

Guy's Hospital Medical School King's College London GKT School of Medical Education (often referred to simply as GKT) is the medical school of King's College London. The school has campuses at three institutions, Guy's Hospital (Southwark), King's College Hospital ( Denma ...

graduating with a BSc in 1986, and subsequently obtained an

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

from the University of London (1989) at St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical School, where he was awarded the Wheelwright's Prize in Paediatrics (1988) and Honours Colours. After house jobs at Barts and Whipps Cross Hospital and working as an A&E senior house officer at the

Whittington Hospital Whittington Hospital is a district general hospital, district general and teaching hospital of UCL Medical School and Middlesex University School of Health and Social Sciences. Located in Archway, London, it is managed by Whittington Health NH ...

, London, he trained in Paediatrics at Birmingham Children's Hospital, UK, specialising in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at

St Mary's Hospital, London St Mary's Hospital is a teaching hospital in Paddington, in the City of Westminster, London, founded in 1845. Since the UK's first academic health science centre was created in 2008, it has been operated by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust ...

, and at British Columbia Children's Hospital,

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

. He obtained his PhD at St Mary's Hospital, from the University of London in 1999.

Career

He chaired the scientific panel of the Spencer Dayman Meningitis Laboratories Charitable Trust (2002–2006) and was a member of the scientific committee of the Meningitis Research Foundation (2009–2014). He is currently chair of trustees of the Knoop Trust and a trustee of the Jenner Vaccine Foundation. Pollard has been the chair of the UK's JCVI since 2013, but does not participate in the COVID-19 vaccine Committee. Pollard has been a member of the

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization since 2016. He was Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Oxford 2012-2020 and was Vice-Master of the University of Oxford's St Cross College, Oxford 2017–2021 and remains a Fellow of the college. He has been a member of the British

Commission on Human Medicines The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) is a committee of the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. It was formed in October 2005, and assumed the responsibilities of the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Med ...

' Clinical Trials, Biologicals and Vaccines expert advisory group since 2013, and chaired the

European Medicines Agency The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) in charge of the evaluation and supervision of pharmaceutical products. Prior to 2004, it was known as the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products ...

Scientific Advisory Group on Vaccines over the years between 2012 and 2020.

Honours and awards

Pollard has received multiple awards throughout his career. For example, he received the “Science Honor and Truth Award” of the Instituto de Patologia en la Altura in La Paz, Bolivia in 2002. In 2020, Pollard received the Oxford University Vice Chancellor's Innovation Award for his work on

typhoid vaccine Typhoid vaccines are vaccines that prevent typhoid fever. Several types are widely available: typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), Ty21a (a live oral vaccine) and Vi capsular polysaccharide vaccine (ViPS) (an injectable subunit vaccine). Dep ...

s. In 2021, Pollard was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

for services to public health, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Brazil awarded him the Order of Medical Merit. He was elected as a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

(FRS) in 2024.

Publications

, Pollard has published five books (including one on mountaineering), six book chapters, 12 conference papers, and 647 journal articles. His most cited works are: * * * * *

Personal life

Pollard is an avid runner, cyclist, and mountaineer.

References

External links

PubMed search for Andrew J. Pollard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Andrew 1965 births Living people People educated at St Peter's Catholic School, Bournemouth Alumni of King's College London Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital Alumni of Imperial College London Vaccinologists British immunologists Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Academics of the University of Oxford Fellows of the Higher Education Academy Fellows of St Cross College, Oxford Knights Bachelor Vaccination advocates Fellows of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Fellows of the Royal Society