Chair: Dr Erica Bickerton (The Pirbright Institute)

Title theme:- Horizon scanning for infectious disease threats to the UK: Respiratory

3 speakers

Angie Lackenby, PhD, is an HCPC registered clinical scientist in UKHSA. After completing her PhD on host range restriction of avian influenza, Angie joined the Health Protection Agency as was (now UKHSA) Respiratory Virus Unit (a WHO designated Influenza reference laboratory) establishing the influenza antiviral susceptibility surveillance programme in the UK, and leading research in the Health Protection Research Unit with Imperial Collage London characterising resistance mechanisms and compensatory mutations.  In 2019, Angie took on leading the sequencing team in the unit, with responsibility for genetic characterisation of influenza viruses, and lead the sequencing service for COVID-19 for the Virus Reference Department. Now in the TARZET Division (TB, Acute Respiratory Infections, Zoonosis, Emerging Infections and Travel Health), she works on surveillance for zoonotic and emerging respiratory pathogens, primarily avian and swine influenzas and MERS CoV, and COVID therapeutics resistance. Angie is a member of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) expert working group on influenza antiviral surveillance, providing analysis and advice on testing strategies and characterisation of resistance.

Dr Anna Aryee, MBBS MRCP DTMH FRCP PhD is a Consultant in Infectious Diseases & Microbiology in the Acute Respiratory Infections Unit in the TARZET Division (TB, Acute Respiratory Infections, Zoonosis, Emerging Infections and Travel Health), UKHSA. She is also an honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases & Microbiology at Barts Health NHS Trust. 

Katy Davidson, PhD, works within the technical secretariat team within the TARZET Division, (TB, Acute Respiratory Infections, Zoonosis, Emerging Infections and Travel Health) at UKHSA. Following a PhD and two post-doctoral projects in Cancer Research, Katy joined UKHSA in 2023, supporting the organisation of technical groups and the production of technical briefings, as well as horizon scanning work for emerging and novel pathogens.