New diseases fuel our collective fears – just as historic plagues once did. But how do we come by our ideas about infectious diseases? Leading cultural and literary historian Sander Gilman and distinguished virologist John Oxford will share their different perspectives on efforts to understand the impact of infectious diseases. Is there a history of story – telling that allows us to understand how we deal with infectious diseases? How can studying epidemics of the past tell us about our future? Without the proper attention we may find ourselves retelling old, sad stories.

Sander Gilman is Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts and Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago. John Oxford is Professor of Virology at Barts and The London Hospital, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry.

This event was a partnership between the Ri and the Dennis Rosen Memorial Trust.