50th Edition – In Conversation With…Dr Gary Wilson, Director of Research at the Huo Family Foundation and Professor Paul Elliott, from Imperial College London
November 2024
Gary Wilson and Paul Elliott have both shared a passion for science from an early age, and they have joined forces to lead a funding programme on the impact of digital technology on brain development, social behaviours and mental health in young people. Paul was always curious about Physics and Maths, and he read Maths at the University of Cambridge: “I started out as a mathematician but decided to go into medicine, so I had to take extra sessions to qualify for first MB in Biology and Chemistry. My tutor recommended that I should dissect a rat to confirm I was ready to do medicine, which I did! I successfully switched courses and eventually qualified with MBBS from University College Hospital Medical School in London.” On the influence for his early love of science he notes: “My dad trained in medicine and was a GP. He was one of the first doctors to join the NHS in 1948. So, you can imagine the disappointment when I was studying math and physics, and not chemistry…although I eventually got there.”
As a Junior Doctor, Paul developed an interest in Epidemiology and obtained a fellowship to work jointly at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and St Mary’s Hospital Medical School (now part of Imperial College London) under Professor Geoffrey Rose and Professor Sir Stanley Peart. He went on to train in Epidemiology and completed his PhD on the INTERSALT study. Paul then joined Imperial in 1995 as Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine and Head of what is now the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. For eight years he was also Head of what is now the Imperial School of Public Health.
In early 2020 as the pandemic took hold, Paul took on a leading role with the REACT (REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission) programme, at Imperial College London, a large-scale public health research initiative designed to monitor and understand the spread of COVID-19 in England. Funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, with additional support from the Huo Family Foundation, REACT was launched in 2020 to support the UK’s pandemic response by providing crucial data on SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, transmission patterns, and immunity within the population. Paul notes: “My career has been so varied, but I have to say that the REACT programme, which came out of the blue due to the pandemic, was unique. It had to be set up quickly and on a massive scale to obtain immediate results; it was an entirely different way of working.”
Gary also enjoyed science from a young age and was the first of his family to study the subject at degree level: “No one in my family was involved in science. I really enjoyed studying Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge, which gave a great grounding in biomedical topics including physiology and pathology.” He obtained a PhD at University College London (UCL) in fundamental neuroscience and during this period realised that conducting research wasn’t his calling: “I still very much enjoyed science, so I looked for opportunities where I could facilitate others and help them conduct cutting-edge research, foster a great research culture, and lead to top quality outputs and positive outcomes.” After graduating, Gary joined the Neuroscience and Mental Health team at the Wellcome Trust where he was involved in the grant-making process for basic and clinical researchers. In 2010 he moved on to the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, ultimately becoming the Head of Science Programme. On the projects he is most proud of at Gatsby, Gary notes: “I never thought I would be involved in £100 million design and build capital project which led to the construction of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour (SCW) at UCL. When SWC opened in 2016, I then supported the scientific leadership in recruiting the new group leaders and developing the funding model so that the centre would become the world-class research institute it is today. It felt extremely rewarding to contribute to building from nothing to something very tangible that will have great impact on this area of neuroscience.”
Earlier this year, Gary joined the Huo Family Foundation as Director of Research, leading the new programme on the Impact of Digital Technology, such as smart phones and social media, on Brain Development, Social Behaviours and Mental Health in Young People: “The topic is very interesting; there are many studies showing correlations between usage of digital tech and concerning outcomes on well-being and mental health, but strong and robust scientific evidence is lacking. It’s therefore an exciting opportunity to help the broad research community to tackle this important societal issue.” Paul was invited to join the programme as Academic Lead and Advisor, having previously interacted with HFF through the REACT programme: “At Imperial, I am currently an investigator on The Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP) led by Professor Mireille Toledano, so it felt natural to me to be looking at devices beyond mobile phones.”
The HFF programme is gaining momentum: “There will be an open call which would be peer reviewed for both junior and more established researchers to set up a programme of work to understand the relationship between the use of digital technology by young people and their health and well-being. We want to bring talented young investigators into the field. It’s also an opportunity for established groups to set up consortia for bigger research projects that will improve the evidence. We’re casting the net wide geographically in the UK and US to all relevant researchers and disciplines to begin to tackle all aspects of the challenges.”
The programme would not be possible without the support of the Foundation, Paul notes: “The UK has well-established government funding, but it remains limited and highly competitive. The charity sector plays a major role in the UK allowing smaller charities and private philanthropy to make a difference on a particular area or disease. It makes the UK such a vibrant place to do research and fund innovative science, the UK punches above its weight.” Gary adds: “In private philanthropy we can commit to something, take a longer-term view and see if it makes a real difference. The approach of private philanthropy often means we can move faster and more easily bring various disciplines together.”
Further details of the programme and opportunities for funding can be found here.