Researcher in Health Economics, University of Oxford Jack is a researcher at the Health Economics Research Centre (HERC). Jack’s current research involves a programme of work aimed at modelling the mental health outcomes and economic impact of elevated child anxiety, as part of a wider multidisciplinary NIHR-funded 5-year research programme – identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools (iCATS). Prior to his current position, Jack worked as a health economist and analyst at RAND Europe on a variety of projects. His research included investigating the impact of poor indoor climate on child health and examining the associated economic burden, as well as investigating the economic burden of physical inactivity. He also worked on the outcome and economic evaluation of the national Liaison and Diversion scheme, and the economic modelling of the future cancer workforce in England. Jack was awarded a studentship from the NIHR to study for an MSc in Economics and Health Economics at the University of Sheffield, where he graduated with distinction. His master’s dissertation examined the association between well-being and the existence of a partner who is problem drinker. He also holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Sheffield.
Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Wake Forest University John Dinan's research focuses on state constitutions and federalism. He is the author of several books, including The American State Constitutional Tradition (University Press of Kansas) and State Constitutional Politics: Governing by Amendment in the American States (University of Chicago Press), and he writes an annual review of state constitutional amendments for The Book of the States. He is editor of Publius: The Journal of Federalism and received his PhD from the University of Virginia.
Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh John V. Williams, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics; Henry L. Hillman Professor of Pediatric Immunology; Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases; and Director, Institute for Infection, Inflammation, and Immunity in Children (i4Kids). Dr. Williams is an international expert on the epidemiology, immunity, and pathogenesis of respiratory viruses. The major focus of his research is the immunity and pathogenesis of human metapneumovirus (HMPV). His team described the epidemiology of HMPV, a leading cause of lower respiratory infection, and discovered that HMPV uses integrins as receptors to enter cells through endocytosis. His group discovered that HMPV and other respiratory viruses induce lung CD8+ T cell impairment via PD-1 signaling. Dr. Williams also leads CDC-funded surveillance studies of acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infections in children based at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He conducts collaborative research with clinical investigators at the University of Pittsburgh and international sites. He has participated in studies of respiratory virus epidemiology in North America, South America, the Middle East, and Africa. His group has published studies on coronaviruses, influenza virus, HMPV, parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, and rhinoviruses.
Senior Scientist, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Jim is a quantitative ecologist with expertise in conservation planning, spatial modelling and statistical analysis. He has worked on terrestrial, freshwater, and estuarine ecosystems in Australia and internationally, with a focus on integrating and synthesizing data to understand anthropogenic impacts and improve ecological management. He has developed a range of spatial products and decision support tools to inform strategic biodiversity management in Victoria, and frequently provides scientific inputs to a range of state planning and decision-making processes.
