BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Plagues &\; Medicine - Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz\, Vice- Chancellor\, University of Cambridge DTSTART:20140117T173000Z DTEND:20140117T183000Z UID:TALK46742@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Janet Gibson DESCRIPTION:Abstract\n\nMankind is subject to plagues which affect populat ion health including major demographic changes on a time scale which is un ique.\n\nHuman reactions to plagues have been many and varied and are depe ndent upon the prevalent biomedical concept of disease\, and a community c entred response. Historically this results in measures which can significa ntly constrain the rights of individuals for the wider community benefit. Increasingly\, control measures rely on individual action which in turn ra ises significant opposition\, some of which is often held to be irrational by much of expert opinion.\n\nAs we look to future threats this dependenc e on individual participation will be even more important yet opposition\, rational and irrational\, can be given disproportionate weighting through modern means of communication. However\, the balance of benefit\, risk an d individual freedom is one that transcends the biomedical and must ultima tely have society's approval if future means of control are to remain effe ctive.\n\nBiography\n\n\nProfessor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz was installed as the 345th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge on 1 October 201 0. The Vice-Chancellor is the principal academic and administrative offic er of the University.\n\nSir Leszek was previously Chief Executive of the UK’s Medical Research Council (2007-10). From 2001 to 2007 he was at Im perial College London\, as Principal of the Faculty of Medicine and later as Deputy Rector\, responsible for the overall academic and scientific dir ection of the institution. He led the development of inter-disciplinary r esearch between engineering\, physical sciences and biomedicine. \n\nIn 19 88 he was a Lecturer in Medicine at Cambridge. He went on to be Professor of Medicine at the University of Wales in Cardiff\, where he led a resear ch team that carried out pioneering work on vaccines. In particular\, his unit in Cardiff conducted clinical trials for a therapeutic vaccine for hu man papillomavirus (a cause of cervical cancer) – the first in Europe. He was knighted in 2001 for services to medical research and education.\n\ nHe was a founding Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1996 and a member of its Council from 1997 until 2002\; and he became a Fellow of th e Royal Society in 2008. LOCATION:LMH\, Lady Mitchell Hall END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR