DNA, Disease, and Doing What's Right

Patient A has diabetes- but is it Type 1 or Type 2? The symptoms look the same, but the treatment is completely different. How much of the answer is hidden in their DNA? This talk follows the journey of how big data discoveries can be turned into practical diagnostic kits. Learn how "cracking the genetic code" is enabling personalised medicine, accurate classification, and a future of earlier intervention.

As a new member of Isca Evidence, an evidence synthesis team that produces systematic reviews for the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) I helped create an Evidence and gap map on two complex conditions characterised by the sudden onset of OCD symptoms and tics that often follow an infection.

This experience got me thinking about the long history of physical infections with a neuropsychiatric link -however, there is an equally, if not longer, history of scepticism and doubt when it comes to this connection.

In this talk, I will discuss the pervasive cultural assumption of the separation of mind and body, how that may impact medicine, and discuss why it’s important to systematically examine the evidence of the connection between infectious diseases and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Health has been recognised as a universal human right since the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights, yet many migrants continue to face significant barriers to achieving good health. Complex health-care systems, differing entitlements based on migration status, and wider social inequalities all influence who can access care—and who is left behind. This talk explores how migrant healthcare reflects our shared social values, why these inequalities matter to all of us, and what it means for creating fairer, healthier communities.