London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Leading misinformation experts from LSHTM and other universities, the media, NGOs, and government will share their understanding of health misinformation challenges and discuss potential solutions. 

The event will include headline keynote speakers, a series of short talks highlighting examples of work to combat health misinformation, as well as Q&As and panel discussions covering the concepts, issues, and questions involved. Guests are invited to stay on afterwards for a networking reception.

‘Health Misinformation UNPACKED’, hosted by LSHTM’s Centre for Epidemic Preparedness and Response, is aimed at health experts, communications, charity, and funding professionals.

The half-day event is part of a programme of work LSHTM has planned for 2025 to combat dangerous health misinformation in the media, on social media, and online with a focus on four key health topics vulnerable to misinformation: pandemics, climate and health, vaccines, and reproductive health. It will also launch a call for expressions of interest in an “operational” network, involving both academic experts and communications professionals, aimed at tackling dangerous health misinformation in the UK.

The talks and panels will take place from 13:00 - 17:00, followed by a reception in the Pumphandle Social at LSHTM from 17:00 - 18:30. 

To receive the latest events and updates from the Centre for Epidemic Preparedness & Response, please sign up to the mailing list.

The event is sponsored by: New Imagination Lab: exploring the societal impacts of artificial intelligence.

Speakers

Speaker line up includes:

• Professor Sander van der Linden (Cambridge University)
• Professor Sir Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer for England)
• Jane Kirby (Health Editor, PA Media)
• Professor Adam Kucharski (LSHTM)
• Professor Heidi Larson (LSHTM)

Programme

13:00-13:05: Welcome 

Professor Liam Smeeth, Director of LSHTM, will give opening remarks. 

13:05-13:25: Opening keynote 

Professor Sander van der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology in Society and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, will discuss effective counter-misinformation techniques and tactics informed by the latest research.

He is the author of Foolproof: Why We Fall for Misinformation and How to Build Immunity (2023), which was named a book of the year by Nature, the Financial Times, and Waterstones and has won several awards, including the Harvard Goldsmith Book Prize and best book prizes from the British and American Psychological Societies. He was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2025.   

13:30-14:15: Panel discussion 

A panel of experts will discuss topics and questions including who spreads misinformation and why, what are the most effective interventions, what can we do to tackle misinformation, and more. 

Chair: 

• Professor Adam Kucharski, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at LSHTM and co-director of the LSHTM Centre for Epidemic Preparedness and Response, and author of Proof: The Uncertain Science of Uncertainty.

   

Panellists:

• Nadine Beckmann, Associate Professor at LSHTM and the UK-Public Health Rapid Support Team’s senior social scientist, leading the social science team’s research and capacity strengthening portfolio and providing technical support for epidemic outbreak preparedness and response.

   

• Jane Kirby, Health Editor at PA Media, covering everything from medical breakthroughs to Government policy.

   

• Alasdair Stuart, Senior Advisor and Senior Researcher at BBC Media Action, the BBC’s international development organisation, where he leads on the organisation’s work tackling mis- and disinformation and supporting information integrity.

   

• Sander van der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology in Society and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. 

14:20-14:40: Talk 

Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, will give a short talk exploring the challenges misinformation poses when communicating vital government health advice. 

14:45-15:05: Misinformation stories from LSHTM 

LSHTM researchers working in areas from vaccines to reproductive health will talk through real-life examples and case studies related to health misinformation circulating in the UK in a series of short and dynamic presentations.

Presenters: 

• Rebecca French, Professor of Reproductive Health Research & Policy at LSHTM

   

• Ben Kasstan-Dabush, Assistant Professor at LSHTM, a medical anthropologist with a focus on vaccination in UK communities 

15:05-15:30: Break 

 

15:30-15:50: Global ideas 

Experts working around the world will bring in case studies and discuss global perspectives on health misinformation.

Presenters: 

• Diya Banerjee, Team Lead for Social Media at the World Health Organization, where she shapes the organisation’s digital voice on global health

   

• Petra Gronholm, Assistant Professor at LSHTM, researching mental health and health stigma 

15:55-16:45: Panel quickfire Q&A 

The afternoon’s discussions and talks will culminate in a panel rounding up key issues. Guests can submit questions in advance and throughout the afternoon on their phone or laptop via an app called Slido, and you’ll also be able to upvote questions submitted by others.

Chair: 

• Adam Kucharski

   

Panellists:

• Rebecca French

• Heidi Larson, Professor of Anthropology, Risk, and Decision Science and Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at LSHTM

• Simon Piatek, New Imagination Labs

• Sander van der Linden

• Chris Whitty 

16:45-17:00: Closing remarks  

Adam Kucharski 

17:00-18:30: Reception 

Please join us downstairs for refreshments, and to chat and network with fellow guests in the Pumphandle Social.  

Event notices

• Please note that you can join this event in person or you can join the session remotely.
• Please note that the recording link will be listed on this page when available.