Panel Discussion: Health, Science and Public Engagement
Medical Humanities Research Hub
Monday 26 May 2026, 3.30pm - 5pm
Seminar Room 00.056, Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford, OX2 6GG
Panel Discussion: Health, Science and Public Engagement
Monday 26 May 2026, 3.30pm - 5pm
Seminar Room 00.056, Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities
Speakers:
Dr Sally Frampton (University of Oxford)
Dr Molly Gray (Nuffield Council on Bioethics)
Discussants:
Hannah Shrader and Utsa Bose (University of Oxford)
In recent years, debates around assisted dying, preimplantation genetic (PGT) testing, vaccination, pandemic mandates, and embryo research have highlighted how deeply questions of science and health are intertwined with public values. These issues cut across the boundaries between scientific expertise and public life, revealing both the importance—and the difficulty—of meaningful engagement.
Such debates underscore the need for dialogue between scientists, medical practitioners, communication professionals, policymakers, and the wider public. Yet this engagement is far from straightforward. Balancing expertise with democratic participation, and maintaining scientific integrity while building public trust, requires careful negotiation, open discussion, and ongoing deliberation.
This workshop brings together perspectives from scientific research and public and policy engagement to explore what these processes can and should look like in practice. Our speakers will consider questions such as:
How do we communicate complex and complicated scientific ideas to the public without compromising on the complexity?
How does one navigate the relationship between democracy, public participation in science and the notion of expertise?
How do we communicate scientific uncertainty to the public without undermining trust?
How is scientific public opinion “crowdsourced” into public health and science policy?
Should research experts receive media training?
How can public engagement nuance policy decisions in science and health?
