Jake Dunning

WORK AND INTERESTS

My research focusses on emerging and high consequence infectious diseases, covering mechanisms of pathogenesis and transmission, diagnostics , characterisation of disease, and clinical trials of potential treatments. Between 2009 and 2013, I worked on the Mechanisms of Severe Acute Influenza Consortium (MOSAIC) study, completing a PhD in viral immunology under the supervision of Prof Peter Openshaw CBE.  In 2014-2015, I was the clinical lead for Ebola treatment trials in West Africa, working with Prof Sir Peter Horby. Between 2015 and 2021 I was a consultant at Public Health England, with responsibility for respiratory and enteric viruses, and latterly as the Head of Emerging Infections and Zoonoses and a National Incident Director for the COVID-19 pandemic. I retained honorary research positions at Oxford and Imperial during this time.

I re-joined Peter Horby's Group full-time in April 2021, where I lead on the group's contributions to the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST), the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections (HPRU-EZI), and the European Clinical Research Alliance for Infectious Diseases (ECRAID). I’ve been involved in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) and the Clinical Characterisation Protocol since their inception, and I continue to support ISARIC projects including COVID-19, plague, Lassa fever and monkeypox. I am also a core investigator within the UK CCP and ISARIC 4C.

My clinical practice is at the Royal Free Hospital, London, where I am a Consultant in Infectious Diseases and, since April 2022, Lead for High Consequence Infectious Diseases. My department houses a nationally commissioned Airborne HCID Treatment Centre, and a National High Level Isolation Unit for treating patients with Contact HCIDs, including Lassa Fever, Ebola virus disease and Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever. 

I’ve been involved in clinical, public health and research responses to viral haemorrhagic fevers, novel coronavirus infections, influenza (seasonal, avian and pandemic), enterovirus infections, acute flaccid paralysis, orthopox infections, and Zika virus. I co-lead projects and co-supervise PhD students in the NIHR Health Protection Research Units in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections. I was co-lead the NIHR-funded Assessment of Transmission and Contagiousness of COVID-19 in Contacts (ATACCC) Study. My time now is split equally between clinical practice and HCID work at the Royal Free and research at Oxford.

My research reflects the common goal of the Horby group, within the Pandemic Sciences Institute: conducting and enabling meaningful clinical research, with a focus on patient-centred projects and an aim to reduce the impact of emerging infections, epidemics and pandemics. In addition to working on current and persistent challenges, I work with the team and international partners on a process of continuous improvement, research-readiness and collaborative working, so that we are even better prepared to study and mitigate future outbreaks, wherever they occur.