International and national experts share reflections and insights

Press Release

Ireland’s independent COVID-19 Evaluation will host a live streamed roundtable bringing together leading Irish and international experts to examine the health dimensions of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons that can be learned for future public health emergencies.

The specialist forum will explore how public health shaped Ireland’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions taken in response to the virus, and the interaction between public health led decision-making and wider health system considerations.

It is an opportunity for participants to provide reflections on pandemic responses, from a position of expertise and explore the strengths and weaknesses of approaches, to take learnings to support better future preparedness.

The roundtable will feature international perspectives from high profile contributors including  Dr Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s former State Epidemiologist during the pandemic; Professor Mark Woolhouse of the University of Edinburgh, who advised the UK and Scottish governments during COVID-19; and Professor David Heymann of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, a member of Ireland’s COVID-19 Evaluation panel who also served on a World Health Organization surge team supporting the COVID-19 response in South Africa.

International to national perspectives will include Dr Mike Ryan, former Deputy Director of the WHO, alongside a range of other leading Irish public health and health policy experts namely, Professor Mary Codd, Professor Ivan Perry, Professor Anthony Staines, Professor Steve Thomas, Professor Patricia Leahy-Warren, Dr Patrick O’Donnell, and Professor Sarah Burke, an expert to the COVID-19 Evaluation panel.

The event will take place on the morning of Tuesday 31 March and will be livestreamed to the public as part of the Evaluation’s commitment to openness and transparency. The discussion will be facilitated by journalist and author Dearbhail McDonald.

Ahead of the event, Professor Anne Scott, Chair of the COVID-19 Evaluation, said:

“This roundtable brings together informed and experienced voices in public health and health policy. By hearing a wide range of Irish and international perspectives, we can better understand the strengths and weaknesses of pandemic approaches, learn lessons from the management of COVID-19 and strengthen preparedness for future public health emergencies.”

Professor David Heymann added:

“Reflective discussion is an important part of understanding how different countries responded to COVID-19 and what can be learned from those experiences. By bringing together Irish and international expertise, this roundtable will help inform the Evaluation’s assessment of what worked, what challenges emerged, and recommendations for future public health emergency planning.”

Ireland’s COVID-19 Evaluation is an independent, non-statutory process chaired by Professor Anne Scott. Its purpose is to learn lessons from the pandemic by examining Ireland’s response and its impacts including across health, society and the economy.

Event details

The roundtable will be livestreamed from 10.00am to 12.30pm 31st March 2026. Irish Sign Language interpretation will be available. A full recording will be made available on the Evaluation’s website following the event.

Full list of participants: Professor David Heymann, Dr Anders Tegnell, Professor Mark Woolhouse, Dr Mike Ryan, Professor Ivan Perry, Professor Mary Codd, Professor Anthony Staines, Professor Steve Thomas, Professor Patricia Leahy-Warren, Dr Patrick O’Donnell, and Professor Sara Burke.

This will be in addition to the other Covid-19 Evaluation Panel members Professor Anne Scott, Professor Bert Gordijn, and Dr Nat O’Connor.
Observers: Post Doctoral Researchers to the COVID-19 Evaluation: Dr Dimuthu Rathnayake, Dr Charlotte Myers and Dr Veronica Segerstrom.

This roundtable will focus on wide public health-led aspects of the COVID-19 response. The particular response to COVID-19 in long-term residential care facilities for older persons is being examined separately as a dedicated Evaluation module.

Please note

Some of the panel members partaking in last November’s Economic Roundtable. From Left to Right, Professor Bert Gordijn, Dr Nora Strecker, Professor Anne Scott, Director of the ESRI Martina Lawless, Dr Nat O’Connor.