Mark Woolhouse

Mark Edward John Woolhouse OBE FRSE FMedSci (born 1959) is professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the Usher Institute in the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Mark Woolhouse OBE FRSE FMedSci
Born	1959 (age 64–65) Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Alma mater	University of Oxford (1980) University of York (1981) University of Canberra (1985)
Spouse	Francisca Mutapi[1]
Scientific career
Institutions	University of Edinburgh

Early life and education

Mark Woolhouse was born in 1959 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.^[2] He holds a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of Oxford (1980), a Master of Science degree in biological computation from the University of York (1981) and a doctor of philosophy degree in biology from the University of Canberra (1985).

Career

Woolhouse is professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the Usher Institute in the University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.^[3][4][5][6]

Woolhouse is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He was appointed a member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 New Year Honours for services to the control of infectious diseases.^[7]

COVID-19

In April 2020 Woolhouse was criticised after it emerged he had travelled to a second home^[8] on the Island of Lismore hours before lockdown rules were announced. Despite public health advice for those not normally resident on islands to return home, Woolhouse angered residents and remained there for a number of months.^[9]

On 19 September 2020, when the UK faced an introduction of "COVID marshals" and an increase in the number of reported cases of COVID-19 that some like Chris Whitty had termed a "second wave",^[10] Woolhouse instead favoured a Swedish-style model and "learn to live with COVID."^[11]

Personal life

He is married to Francisca Mutapi, a professor in Global Health Infection and Immunity. They have one daughter.^[1]

Selected publications

• "How to make predictions about future infectious disease risks". Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Vol. 366, Issue 1573 (12 July 2011), pp. 2045-2054. doi:10.1098/rstb.2010.0387, PMID 21624924, PMC PMC3130384.

References

1. Man cleared in ‘go home’ race row on Lismore, The Oban Times
2. Mark E J Woolhouse England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008. Family Search. Retrieved 24 March 2020. (subscription required)
3. "Mark Woolhouse". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
4. "Mark Woolhouse | Veterinary Vaccinology Network". www.vetvaccnet.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
5. "Professor Mark Woolhouse | The Academy of Medical Sciences". acmedsci.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
6. Friend, Milton (2006). Disease Emergence and Resurgence: The Wildlife-human Connection. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. p. 7. ISBN 9781411306646.
7. "Page 11 | Supplement 56430, 31 December 2001 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
8. Blackstock, Gordon (12 April 2020). "Scottish Govt coronavirus advisor slammed for moving to island holiday home". Daily Record. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
9. Horne, Marc (13 April 2020). "Holiday homeowners flout ban on travel to islands". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
10. "UK Covid-19 cases and deaths: how the UK is coping with a second wave". Telegraph Media Group Limited. 19 September 2020. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020.
11. Woolhouse, Mark (19 September 2020). "Lockdown failed. We must follow the Swedish model and learn to live with Covid". Telegraph Media Group Limited.