The One Health research cluster of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) was thrilled to invite Dr Stavroula KOUSTA, the Chief Editor of Nature Human Behaviour, to conduct a seminar entitled “Human Behaviour Research and its Communication in Pandemic Times” online on 24 August 2021. It was the continuation of the successful two-day “Bridging the gap between Scientists and the Public” seminar held in April. 

Dr Kousta opined that human behaviour has been critical in shaping the COVID-19 pandemic, and the actions of individuals, groups, nation states, and international bodies have all played a role in curbing its spread. This means that insights from the behavioural, social and health sciences have been and will continue to be invaluable throughout the pandemic. The behavioural, social and health science communities responded rapidly to the crisis by sharing insights from the existing literature and, importantly, by mobilising swiftly to collect new, directly applicable evidence to guide policy and assist individuals, communities and governments in managing the pandemic. At the same time, behavioural, social, and health scientists have faced the challenge of balancing the urgent need for evidence to guide policy with the need to communicate uncertainties responsibly. In the sharing, Dr Kousta discussed on the topic in which the pandemic reshaped how human behaviour research is carried out and communicated, as well as the challenges in bridging the gap between science, policy and the general public in a time of crisis.

The One Health research cluster regularly organises events, which examine health and social issues from multidisciplinary perspectives, aiming to engage scholars across the globe, social sciences students and enthusiasts, and the members of the public for intellectual exchanges. Updated event information can be found at CLASS research website.