Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, led by Professor Melinda Mills, has been at the forefront of COVID-19-related research into patterns of COVID-19 mortality and excess mortality, ‘hotspots’ of infection, support bubbles, face coverings, and the deployment of vaccines – influencing both national and international policy.
The LCDS’s research on social bubbles not only shifted public discourse on COVID-19 policies, action and protective measures, but also influenced both domestic policy and international practice in this field. The interdisciplinary team’s widely-cited research has also included the importance of demographic science and population composition on COVID mortality, the extent of children’s learning losses through school closures, and the forecasting and mapping of hospital ‘deserts’ by local authority early in the pandemic.
On 20 October 2021, the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science received the award with a video highlighting the incredible work they had done throughout the pandemic. In it, Melinda Mills emphasizes the importance of the collaborative effort when she says, 'so we stood back and looked at all the evidence, and we assessed it, we analysed it, we synthesised it, and we brought it together, and we presented that. And I think that was unique, that we could do that in a rapid way, working together as a team.'
More information here.
Check out the recording here.