The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is a
British Government
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, image = HM Government logo.svg
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, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
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, caption = Royal Arms
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body that advises central government in emergencies. It is usually chaired by the United Kingdom's
Chief Scientific Adviser, currently
Sir Patrick Vallance.
Specialists from academia and industry, along with experts from within government, make up the participation, which will vary depending on the emergency.
SAGE gained public prominence for its role in the 2020
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confir ...
.
History
In the aftermath of the
United Kingdom BSE outbreak
The United Kingdom was afflicted with an outbreak of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as "mad cow disease"), and its human equivalent variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD), in the 1980s and 1990s. Over four million head of ca ...
, "the then Government Chief Scientific Adviser (
Lord May) published ''Guidelines on the Use of Scientific Advice in Policy-Making''; these have subsequently been revised, most recently in June 2010... The Government
ater Ater (Hebrew אֲתַר) is an Old Testament male name.
#A descendant of Hezekiah, who returned from Babylon ;
#An Israelite, who subscribed to Nehemiah
Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in r ...
developed the ''Principles of Scientific Advice to Government'',
which 'set out the rules of engagement between Government and those who provide independent scientific and engineering advice.' The Principles apply to 'Ministers and Government departments, all members of Scientific Advisory Committees and Councils
..and other independent scientific and engineering advice to Government.' They detail principles related to roles and responsibilities, independence and transparency and openness."
[ The May advice was updated in May 2011 in a document entitled ''Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees'' (CoPSAC 2011).]
"In an emergency where scientific or technical advice is required to aid the emergency response, the Government may decide that a" SAGE "is required; this decision can either be made by the Lead Government Department (LGD) or the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...
in consultation with the Government Office for Science
The Government Office for Science is an science advisory group that is part of the British government. The organisation advises the UK Government on policy and decision-making based on science and long-term thinking. It is led by the Government C ...
. SAGE is usually chaired by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser
The UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) is the personal adviser on science and technology-related activities and policies to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet; and head of the Government Office for Science.
The Chief Scientific Advi ...
... Each SAGE is emergency-specific. The swine flu pandemic was the first emergency where the SAGE mechanism was used; volcanic ash
Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcano, volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used t ...
was the second."
SAGE has advised the government on a number of events, including:[
* the 2009 flu pandemic
* the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull
* the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident
* the ]2013–14 United Kingdom winter floods
The 2013–2014 United Kingdom winter floods saw areas of Ireland and the United Kingdom inundated following severe storms. The south of England saw heavy rainfalls associated with these storms which caused widespread flooding, power cuts and m ...
(3 meetings)
* the 2014 Ebola outbreak (3 meetings)
* the 2015 Nepal earthquake (1 meeting)
* the 2015–16 Zika virus epidemic (5 meetings)
* the 2018-9 Ebola outbreak (3 meetings)
* the potential catastrophic breach of Toddbrook Reservoir
Toddbrook Reservoir, a feeder for the Peak Forest Canal, opened in 1838. It is sited above the town of Whaley Bridge in the Derbyshire High Peak area of England. The reservoir is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) providing habitats f ...
in 2019 (1 meeting)
* the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
(at least 105 meetings)
Structure and function
SAGE was reported in July 2020 to consist of around 20 participants at any one given time. Participants are drawn from both academia and practice, and the participants of a particular meeting are decided upon by the British Government Chief Scientific Adviser
The UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) is the personal adviser on science and technology-related activities and policies to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet; and head of the Government Office for Science.
The Chief Scientific Advi ...
and the Chief Medical Officer for England
In the United Kingdom, a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is the most senior government advisor on matter relating to health. There are four CMOs in the United Kingdom who are appointed to advise their respective governments:
* His Majesty's Governm ...
, depending on the expertise required. They are not generally employed by government. They do not operate under government instruction. In addition to these participants, SAGE is also attended by officials from relevant parts of government and arm's-length bodies who may contribute to discussions with relevant expertise, for instance, the UK Health Security Agency
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a government agency in the United Kingdom, responsible since April 2021 for England-wide public health protection and infectious disease capability, and replacing Public Health England. It is an executiv ...
and the Chief Scientific Advisers to government departments.
The government does not have to act upon the conclusions of SAGE, and other bodies, including other sources of scientific advice, feed in to government's decisions. Only the Chief Scientific Adviser and Chief Medical Officer may speak on behalf of SAGE.
In 2020, the UK Government carried out a review of SAGE's structure in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Sub-committees can be delegated by SAGE to study particular issues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these were:
*Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B)
*Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) and its the Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O); the sub-group was awarded the Weldon Memorial Prize
The Weldon Memorial Prize, also known as the Weldon Memorial Prize and Medal, is given yearly by the University of Oxford. The prize is to be awarded
without regard to nationality or membership of any University to the person who, in the judgeme ...
in 2022 for its work in the COVID-19 pandemic
*PHE Serology Working Group
*COVID-19 Clinical Information Network (CO-CIN)
*Environmental Modelling Group (EMG)
*Children’s Task and Finish Working Group (TFC)
*Hospital Onset COVID-19 Working Group (HOCI)
*Ethnicity Subgroup
*Social Care Working Group (SCWG)
COVID-19
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has seen an expanded role for and greater attention paid to SAGE.
Although not prohibited, until the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, it is believed that political advisors had never attended SAGE meetings in any capacity nor is there evidence for 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
officials attending these meetings too. It was reported that Dominic Cummings
Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist who served as Chief Adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 24 July 2019 until Cummings resigned on 13 November 2020.
From 2007 to 2014, he was a ...
and Ben Warner
Ben Warner is a British data scientist.
Education
Warner earned a PhD at University College London for research investigating single molecule spintronics. The research was supervised by Cyrus Hirjibehedin and was awarded the Marshall Stoneham ...
had attended COVID-19 meetings. Their attendance and participation was widely criticised, in particular by other attendees "shocked, concerned and worried for the impartiality of advice".
Early in the pandemic, in April 2020, SAGE was criticised for a lack of transparency. For their security and safety, and on advice from the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure
The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) is the United Kingdom government authority which provides protective security advice to businesses and organisations across the national infrastructure.
Their advice aims to reduc ...
, the list of current members was not disclosed, although members could, and many did, reveal their own membership. Chris Whitty
Sir Christopher John MacRae Whitty (born 21 April 1966) is a British epidemiologist serving as Chief Medical Officer for England (CMO) and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government since 2019. He has also been Gresham Professor of Physic si ...
, speaking to the Health and Social Care Select Committee
The Health and Social Care Select Committee (abbreviated to HSC, HSCC and HSCSC) is a Departmental Select Committee of the British House of Commons, the lower house of the United Kingdom Parliament. Its remit is to examine the policy, administra ...
regarding the COVID-19 meetings of SAGE and the anonymity of its members, said that SAGE was "given quite clear advice from the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, basically based on the fact that SAGE is a sub-committee of COBRA". Patrick Vallance
Sir Patrick John Thompson Vallance (born 17 March 1960) is a British physician, scientist, and clinical pharmacologist who has worked in both academia and industry. He has served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of the United ...
argued in a letter to Parliament that scientists were protected by the anonymity from "lobbying and other forms of unwanted influence".
Membership of SAGE and its subcommittees was published on 4 May 2020. A register of participants' interests was first published in December 2020.
Participants
April 2020
A report in ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' stated that attendees at an April 2020 meeting of the group included:
Senior advisers:
* Sir Patrick Vallance
Sir Patrick John Thompson Vallance (born 17 March 1960) is a British physician, scientist, and clinical pharmacologist who has worked in both academia and industry. He has served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of the United ...
, Chief Scientific Adviser (chair)
* Professor Chris Whitty
Sir Christopher John MacRae Whitty (born 21 April 1966) is a British epidemiologist serving as Chief Medical Officer for England (CMO) and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government since 2019. He has also been Gresham Professor of Physic si ...
, Chief Medical Adviser
Medical and scientific experts:
* Professor John Aston, statistician, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Home Office
* Dr Meera Chand
Meera A. Chand is a British microbiologist, working at Public Health England (PHE) and as a consultant with the Department of Infectious Diseases, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
She is also a clinical research fellow into severe ...
, microbiologist
* Sir Ian Diamond
Sir Ian David Diamond (born 14 March 1954) is a British statistician, academic, and administrator, who served as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen until 2018. He became the UK's National Statistician in October 2019.
...
, National Statistician The National Statistician is the Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, and the Head of the UK Government Statistical Service. The office was created by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. The UK Statistics Authority announce ...
* Professor John Edmunds, epidemiologist
* Sir Jeremy Farrar
Sir Jeremy James Farrar (born 1 September 1961) is a British medical researcher who has served as director of the Wellcome Trust since 2013 and will serve as chief scientist at the World Health Organization in 2023. He was previously a profess ...
, medical researcher
* Professor Neil Ferguson, epidemiologist
* Professor Peter Horby
Sir Peter William Horby is a British physician, epidemiologist, Moh Family Foundation Professor of Emerging Infections and Global Health, and Director of the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford. He is the founder, and former ...
, epidemiologist
* Professor Angela McLean
Angela McLean (born August 19, 1970) is an American politician and educator who served as the 35th Lieutenant Governor of Montana from February 10, 2014, to January 3, 2016. Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat, selected McLean in 2014 to replace ...
, mathematical biologist
* Professor Graham Medley, epidemiologist
* Dr Edward Mullins, clinical adviser
* Professor Sharon Peacock
Sharon Jayne Peacock (born 24 March 1959) is a British microbiologist who is Professor of Public Health and Microbiology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge. Peacock also sits on Cambridge University Council.
Peacock ...
, microbiologist
* Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for England
* Professor Andrew Rambaut, molecular biologist
* Emma Reed, emergency planner
* Professor Brooke Rogers, social psychologist
* Dr James Rubin, psychologist
* Professor Jonathan Van-Tam
Sir Jonathan Stafford Nguyen-Van-Tam (born 2 February 1964) is a British healthcare professional specialising in influenza, including its epidemiology, transmission, vaccinology, antiviral drugs and pandemic preparedness.
After hospital wor ...
, influenza specialist, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England
* Professor Charlotte Watts, epidemiologist, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department for International Development
* Professor Maria Zambon, virologist
Political advisers:
* Dominic Cummings
Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist who served as Chief Adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 24 July 2019 until Cummings resigned on 13 November 2020.
From 2007 to 2014, he was a ...
* Dr Ben Warner
Ben Warner is a British data scientist.
Education
Warner earned a PhD at University College London for research investigating single molecule spintronics. The research was supervised by Cyrus Hirjibehedin and was awarded the Marshall Stoneham ...
, data scientist
Vallance has written that SAGE includes scientists and experts from more than twenty separate institutions. SAGE also contains four expert groups which may each have as low as five and as many as over forty members.
Dominic Cummings was confirmed by 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
to have attended a 23 March meeting, but the government said Cummings was not a member of SAGE. The attendance and participation by Prime Ministerial advisors caused much criticism. It was reported that one participant considered that Cummings' interventions had sometimes inappropriately influenced what is supposed to be an impartial scientific process; another expressed shock when Cummings first began participating in SAGE discussions, in February, viewing this as unwanted political influence on what should be "unadulterated scientific data".[
]
May 2020
In May 2020, Professor Neil Ferguson resigned from SAGE after The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
revealed he had violated lockdown rules to meet with a partner. The same day of his resignation, a list of SAGE participants was published by the UK Government, 4 May 2020. However, it notes that: "Permission to publish names was requested from all participants. Those who did not give permission have not been named." In addition: "These meetings are also regularly attended by officials from Her Majesty’s Government. These attendees have not been named." No reason for the secrecy is provided. Two attendees did not give permission to be named. Attendees as of May 2020 included:
* Sir Patrick Vallance
Sir Patrick John Thompson Vallance (born 17 March 1960) is a British physician, scientist, and clinical pharmacologist who has worked in both academia and industry. He has served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of the United ...
, Government Chief Scientific Adviser
* Professor Chris Whitty
Sir Christopher John MacRae Whitty (born 21 April 1966) is a British epidemiologist serving as Chief Medical Officer for England (CMO) and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government since 2019. He has also been Gresham Professor of Physic si ...
, Chief Medical Officer (England) and Chief Scientific Adviser, Department of Health and Social Care
* Professor John Aston, Chief Scientific Adviser, Home Office
* Professor Wendy Barclay
Wendy Sue Fox (née Barclay) is a British virologist. She is currently head of Department of Infectious Disease and Chair in Influenza Virology at Imperial College London. She leads a team of scientists studying the influenza virus and its phy ...
, Imperial College London
* Professor Phil Blythe, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Transport
* Professor Sir Ian Boyd, University of St Andrews
* Professor Andrew Curran, Chief Scientific Adviser, Health and Safety Executive
* Dr Gavin Debrera, Public Health England
* Professor Sir Ian Diamond, National Statistician, Office for National Statistics
* Professor Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director, Public Health England
* Professor John Edmunds, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
* Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar
Sir Jeremy James Farrar (born 1 September 1961) is a British medical researcher who has served as director of the Wellcome Trust since 2013 and will serve as chief scientist at the World Health Organization in 2023. He was previously a profess ...
, Director, Wellcome Trust
* Dr Aidan Fowler, National Health Service England
* Professor Julia Gog
Julia Rose Gog is a British mathematician and professor of mathematical biology in the faculty of mathematics at the University of Cambridge. She is also a David N. Moore fellow, director of studies in mathematics at Queens' College, Cambridge ...
, University of Cambridge
* Dr David Halpern, Behavioural Insights Team, Cabinet Office
* Dr Jenny Harries
Dame Jennifer Margaret Harries is a British public health physician who has been the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency and head of NHS Test and Trace since April 2021. She was previously a regional director at Public Health Engl ...
, Deputy Chief Medical Officer
* Dr Demis Hassabis
Demis Hassabis (born 27 July 1976) is a British artificial intelligence researcher and entrepreneur. In his early career he was a video game AI programmer and designer, and an expert player of board games. He is the chief executive officer and ...
, Personal capacity as a data scientist
* Professor Peter Horby
Sir Peter William Horby is a British physician, epidemiologist, Moh Family Foundation Professor of Emerging Infections and Global Health, and Director of the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford. He is the founder, and former ...
, University of Oxford
* Dr Indra Joshi, NHSX
* Professor Dame Theresa Marteau
Dame Theresa Mary Marteau, (born 7 March 1953) is a British health psychologist, professor, and director of the Behaviour and Health Research Unit at the University of Cambridge, Fellow and director of studies for Psychological and Behavioural ...
, University of Cambridge
* Professor Dame Angela McLean
Angela McLean (born August 19, 1970) is an American politician and educator who served as the 35th Lieutenant Governor of Montana from February 10, 2014, to January 3, 2016. Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat, selected McLean in 2014 to replace ...
, Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Defence
* Professor Graham Medley, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
* Professor Andrew Morris, University of Edinburgh
* Professor Carole Mundell
Carole Mundell is Professor of Extragalactic Astronomy at the University of Bath. She is an observational astrophysicist who researches cosmic black holes and gamma ray bursts.
Education
Mundell graduated from the University of Glasgow with a ...
, Chief Scientific Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
* Professor Catherine Noakes
Catherine Jane Noakes is a British mechanical engineer who is Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings at the University of Leeds. Noakes specialises in airborne infections and the transport of airborne pathogens. During the COVID-1 ...
, University of Leeds
* Dr Rob Orford, Welsh Government
* Professor Michael Parker, University of Oxford
* Professor Sharon Peacock
Sharon Jayne Peacock (born 24 March 1959) is a British microbiologist who is Professor of Public Health and Microbiology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge. Peacock also sits on Cambridge University Council.
Peacock ...
, Public Health England
* Professor Alan Penn, Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
* Professor Stephen Powis, National Health Service England
* Dr Mike Prentice, National Health Service England
* Mr Osama Rahman, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Education
* Professor Venki Ramakrishnan
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (born 1952) is an Indian-born British and American structural biologist who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada Yonath, "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome" ...
, ex-officio as Chair of DELVE, convened by the Royal Society
* Professor Andrew Rambaut, University of Edinburgh
* Professor Tom Rodden, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
* Professor Brooke Rogers, King's College London
* Dr James Rubin, King's College London
* Professor Calum Semple, University of Liverpool
* Dr Mike Short, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for International Trade
* Dr Gregor Smith, Scottish Government, Chief Medical Officer
* Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter
Sir David John Spiegelhalter (born 16 August 1953) is a British statistician and a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge. From 2007 to 2018 he was Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the Un ...
, University of Cambridge
* Professor Jonathan Van-Tam
Sir Jonathan Stafford Nguyen-Van-Tam (born 2 February 1964) is a British healthcare professional specialising in influenza, including its epidemiology, transmission, vaccinology, antiviral drugs and pandemic preparedness.
After hospital wor ...
, Deputy Chief Medical Officer
* Professor Russell Viner, University College London
* Professor Charlotte Watts, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for International Development
* Professor Mark Walport, UK Research and Innovation
* Professor Mark Woolhouse, University of Edinburgh
* Professor Lucy Yardley
Lucy Yardley (born 2 February 1961) is a British psychologist and professor of health psychology based at both the University of Bristol (since 2018) and University of Southampton (since 1999). She is a senior investigator at the National Insti ...
, University of Bristol
* Professor Ian Young, Northern Ireland Executive
* Professor Maria Zambon, Public Health England
July 2020
In July 2020, the participants list was updated to reflect recent meetings. Professor Neil Ferguson was featured on the list. As of 19 November, the list remains unchanged and includes:
* Sir Patrick Vallance
Sir Patrick John Thompson Vallance (born 17 March 1960) is a British physician, scientist, and clinical pharmacologist who has worked in both academia and industry. He has served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of the United ...
FMedSci FRS, Government Chief Scientific Adviser
* Professor Chris Whitty
Sir Christopher John MacRae Whitty (born 21 April 1966) is a British epidemiologist serving as Chief Medical Officer for England (CMO) and Chief Medical Adviser to the UK Government since 2019. He has also been Gresham Professor of Physic si ...
CB FMedSci, Chief Medical Officer (England) and Chief Scientific Adviser, Department of Health and Social Care
* Professor Rebecca Allen, University of Oxford
* Professor John Aston, Chief Scientific Adviser, Home Office
* Professor Charles Bangham Imperial College London
* Professor Wendy Barclay
Wendy Sue Fox (née Barclay) is a British virologist. She is currently head of Department of Infectious Disease and Chair in Influenza Virology at Imperial College London. She leads a team of scientists studying the influenza virus and its phy ...
FMedSci Imperial College London
* Professor Jonathan Benger UWE Bristol
* Fliss Bennee, Welsh Government
* Mr Allan Bennett, Public Health England
* Professor Phil Blythe, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Transport
* Professor Chris Bonnell, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
* Professor Sir Ian Boyd FRSE, University of St Andrews
* Professor Peter Bruce, University of Oxford
* Caroline Cake, HDR-UK
* Professor Andrew Curran, Chief Scientific Adviser, Health and Safety Executive
* Professor Paul Cosford, Public Health England
* Dr Gavin Dabrera, Public Health England
* Professor Sir Ian Diamond FRSE FBA, National Statistician, Office for National Statistics
* Professor Yvonne Doyle CB, Medical Director, Public Health England
* Professor Deborah Dunn-Walters, University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institut ...
* Professor John Edmunds OBE FMedSci, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
* Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar
Sir Jeremy James Farrar (born 1 September 1961) is a British medical researcher who has served as director of the Wellcome Trust since 2013 and will serve as chief scientist at the World Health Organization in 2023. He was previously a profess ...
FMedSci FRS, Director, Wellcome Trust
* Professor Michael Ferguson, University of Dundee
* Professor Neil Ferguson OBE FMedSci, Imperial College London
* Professor Kevin Fenton, Public Health England
* Dr Aidan Fowler FRCS, National Health Service England
* Professor Julia Gog
Julia Rose Gog is a British mathematician and professor of mathematical biology in the faculty of mathematics at the University of Cambridge. She is also a David N. Moore fellow, director of studies in mathematics at Queens' College, Cambridge ...
, University of Cambridge
* Professor Robin Grimes, Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Defence
* Dr Ian Hall, University of Manchester
* Dr David Halpern, Behavioural Insights Team, Cabinet Office
* Dido Harding, NHSI
* Dr Jenny Harries OBE, Deputy Chief Medical Officer
* Dr Demis Hassabis
Demis Hassabis (born 27 July 1976) is a British artificial intelligence researcher and entrepreneur. In his early career he was a video game AI programmer and designer, and an expert player of board games. He is the chief executive officer and ...
FRS, Personal capacity as a data scientist
* Professor Andrew Hayward, UCL
* Professor Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser, Defra
* Professor Peter Horby, University of Oxford
* Professor Anne Johnson, UCL
* Dr Indra Joshi, NHSx
* Dr Vittal Katikireddi, University of Glasgow
* Dr Ben Killingley, UCLH
* Professor David Lalloo, Liverpool School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
* Professor Janet Lord, University of Birmingham
* Professor Dame Theresa Marteau
Dame Theresa Mary Marteau, (born 7 March 1953) is a British health psychologist, professor, and director of the Behaviour and Health Research Unit at the University of Cambridge, Fellow and director of studies for Psychological and Behavioural ...
FMedSci, University of Cambridge
* Professor Dame Angela McLean
Angela McLean (born August 19, 1970) is an American politician and educator who served as the 35th Lieutenant Governor of Montana from February 10, 2014, to January 3, 2016. Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat, selected McLean in 2014 to replace ...
FRS, Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Defence
* Dr Jim McMenamin, Health Protection Scotland
* Professor Graham Medley, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
* Dr Laura Merson, University of Oxford
* Professor Susan Michie FAcSS FMedSci, University College London
* Professor Christine Middlemiss, Chief Veterinary Officer
* Professor Andrew Morris FMedSci FRSE, University of Edinburgh
* Professor Paul Moss, University of Birmingham
* Professor Carole Mundell
Carole Mundell is Professor of Extragalactic Astronomy at the University of Bath. She is an observational astrophysicist who researches cosmic black holes and gamma ray bursts.
Education
Mundell graduated from the University of Glasgow with a ...
, Chief Scientific Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
* Professor Catherine Noakes
Catherine Jane Noakes is a British mechanical engineer who is Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings at the University of Leeds. Noakes specialises in airborne infections and the transport of airborne pathogens. During the COVID-1 ...
, University of Leeds
* Dr Rob Orford, Welsh Government
* Professor Michael Parker, University of Oxford
* Professor Sharon Peacock FMedSci, Public Health England
* Professor Alan Penn, Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
* Dr Pasi Penttinen, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
* Professor Guy Poppy, Chief Scientific Adviser, Food Standards Agency
* Professor Steve Powis FRCP, National Health Service England
* Dr Mike Prentice, National Health Service England
* Mr Osama Rahman, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Education
* Professor Venki Ramakrishnan PRS, Ex Officio as Chair of DELVE, convened by the Royal Society
* Professor Andrew Rambaut FRSE, University of Edinburgh
* Professor Tom Rodden, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
* Professor Brooke Rogers OBE, King's College London
* Dr Cathy Roth, Department for International Development
* David Seymour, HDR-UK
* Professor Sheila Rowan MBE FRS FRSE, Chief Scientific Adviser, Scotland
* Alaster Smith, Department for Education
* Professor Iyiola Solanke, University of Leeds
* Dr Nicola Steedman, Scottish Government
* Dr James Rubin, King's College London
* Professor Calum Semple, University of Liverpool
* Dr Mike Short CBE, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for International Trade
* Dr Gregor Smith, Scottish Government Chief Medical Officer
* Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter FRS, University of Cambridge
* Professor Jonathan Van Tam MBE, Deputy Chief Medical Officer
* Professor Russell Viner PRCPCH, University College London
* Professor Charlotte Watts CMG FMedSci, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for International Development
* Dr Rhoswyn Walker, HDR-UK
* Professor Sir Mark Walport FRCP FMedSci FRS, UK Research and Innovation
* Professor Mark Wilcox, University of Leeds
* Professor Lucy Yardley
Lucy Yardley (born 2 February 1961) is a British psychologist and professor of health psychology based at both the University of Bristol (since 2018) and University of Southampton (since 1999). She is a senior investigator at the National Insti ...
FAcSS, University of Bristol and University of Southampton
* Professor Ian Young, Northern Ireland Executive
* Professor Maria Zambon FMedSci, Public Health England
March 2021
The following were included on the minutes of a 11 March meeting:
Scientific experts:
*Patrick Vallance (GCSA)
*Chris Whitty (CMO)
*Angela McLean (MOD)
*Calum Semple (Liverpool)
*Catherine Noakes (Leeds)
*Charlotte Deane (UKRI)
*Charlotte Watts (FCDO CSA)
*Chris Dye (Royal Society)
*Chris Savoury (DHSC)
*Clare Gardiner (DHSC)
*Colin Humphreys (Queen Mary)
*David Crossman (Scotland)
*Derek Smith (Cambridge)
*Fliss Bennee (Wales)
*Graham Medley (LSHTM)
*Harry Rutter (Bath)
*Ian Boyd (St Andrews)
*Ian Diamond (ONS)
*James Rubin (KCL)
*Jeanelle de Gruchy (ADPH)
*Jenny Harries (DHSC)
*Jeremy Farrar (Wellcome)
*John Edmunds (LSHTM)
* Kamlesh Khunti (Leicester)
*Linda Partridge
Professor Dame Linda Partridge (born 18 March 1950) is a British geneticist, who studies the biology and genetics of ageing (biogerontology) and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Partridge is currently W ...
(Royal Society)
*Lucy Yardley (Bristol/Southampton)
*Maria Zambon (PHE)
*Mark Walport (UKRI)
*Mark Wilcox (NHS)
*Michael Parker (Oxford)
* Nicola Steedman (Scotland dCMO)
*Paul Cleary (DHSC)
*Peter Horby (Oxford)
*Rob Orford (Wales Health CSA)
*Sharon Peacock (PHE)
*Stephen Powis (NHS England)
*Stuart Elborn (QUB, Non-Executive Director of the Regulatory and Quality Improvement Agency, Northern Ireland))
* Susan Hopkins (PHE/NHSTT)
*Wei Shen Lim (JCVI)
*Wendy Barclay (Imperial)
* Yvonne Doyle (PHE)
Observers and government officials:
*Achim Wolf (NHSTT)
*Alan Penn (MHCLG CSA)
*Andrew Curran (HSE CSA)
*Andrew Morris (HDR UK)
*Ben Warner (No.10)
*Christopher Williams (PHW)
*Daniel Kleinberg (Scotland)
*Gideon Henderson (Defra CSA)
*Giri Shankar (PHW)
*Jennifer Rubin (HO CSA)
*Jim McMenamin (HPS)
*Julian Fletcher (CO)
*Laura Gilbert (No.10)
*Liz Lalley (WG)
*Louise Tinsley (HMT)
*Osama Rahman (DfE CSA)
*Paul Monks (BEIS CSA)
*Phil Blythe (DfT CSA)
*Rob Harrison (CO)
*Tom Mottershead (DHSC)
*Tom Rodden (DCMS CSA)
Secretariat:
*Laura Eden
*Simon Whitfield
*Stuart Wainwright
July 2021
The following were added to the list of participants:
*Lucy Chappell
Lucy Chappell is a British professor of obstetrics at King’s College London and the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) for the UK Department of Health and Social Care. As part of her CSA role, she oversees the National Institute for Health an ...
(King's College London and DHSC CSA)
* Paul Kellam (Imperial College London, adviser to the Vaccine Taskforce)
*Thomas Waite ( Deputy CMO for England, adviser to Joint Biosecurity Centre
The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) is a scientific body which seeks to advise United Kingdom government policy as part of the response to outbreaks of COVID-19, such as on testing deployment, international travel, and the UK 'COVID-19 alert level ...
)
Criticism and developments
An April 2020 article in ''The Guardian'' written by Richard Coker cited SAGE as a potential example of "scientific groupthink
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness ...
" in which disagreement and/or conflicting views are minimised to reach a consensus. Although disagreement is not preferable, this may ultimately lead to potentially irrational decision-making as counter views are not encouraged.
On 24 October 2020, ''The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world.
It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
'', while noting that SAGE minutes are published, called for a publication of the data used by SAGE, including NHS occupancy data, that were employed by it to justify the decisions it made. The editors remarked how in France hospital occupancy data were indeed published daily, while they were told by the NHS to submit a Freedom of Information
Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. Access to information is the ability for an individual to seek, receive and impart information effectively. This sometimes includes "scientific, indigeno ...
request, which can take up to 28 days.
Independent SAGE
The questions raised about the transparency of SAGE and possible political interference during the COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about trust in public health messaging by opposition parties and others. As an alternative, a group of scientists created Independent SAGE, chaired by Sir David Anthony King, a former Government Chief Scientific Advisor
The UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) is the personal adviser on science and technology-related activities and policies to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet; and head of the Government Office for Science.
The Chief Scientific Advi ...
, in early May 2020 to "provide a clear structure on which an effective policy should be based given the inevitability that the virus will continue to cross borders".[Independent SAGE Report of 12 May 2020 ''COVID-19: what are the options for the UK? Recommendations for government based on an open and transparent examination of the scientific evidence'' (retrieved 7 June 2020)]
/ref> Later that month, Independent SAGE warned against ending lock-down prematurely in places like schools.
/ref>
See also
* Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens
The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) is a UK-wide advisory committee. It was established in 1981, and the terms of reference were revised in 1991 to allow for a wider remit.
Description
The terms of reference of the ACDP are:
: ...
(ACDP)
* Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)
* New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group
The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) is an advisory body that advises the United Kingdom Government's Chief Medical Advisor / Chief Medical Officer for England, who in turn advises the UK Department of Health and ...
(NERVTAG)
References
External links
*
*
List of participants of SAGE and related sub-groups for the COVID-19 emergency
*
Meeting minutes and supporting papers for the COVID-19 emergency
{{COVID-19 pandemic
Organizations with year of establishment missing
Scientific organisations based in the United Kingdom
Emergency management in the United Kingdom
Organizations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic