Professor Paul Garner

Emeritus Professor, Evidence Synthesis in Global Health

Paul was previously Co-ordinator of the Centre for Evidence Synthesis in Global Health, Co-ordinating Editor of the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group, and Director of the Research, Evidence & Development Initiative (READ-It).

He stepped back from full-time employment in July 2022 and continues as emeritus in areas that he selects. This includes: continuing support to academic staff carrying out systematic reviews on infectious diseases, developing further research interests in the post-viral syndrome, and continuing involvement in development of guideline methods.

During COVID-19 pandemic, Paul developed the post-COVID-19 syndrome. He first became an advocate for it to be recognised, and subsequently that people can recover, through changing their beliefs in what the symptoms mean and intensive behavioural approaches. His mass media outputs are listed here, and he continues to work in post-viral fatigue syndromes with a variety of specialists in global networks intent on helping people recover.

Advisory boards

  • Member of the board of trustees for Sense about Science (March 2023-)
  • Chair of the Consumer Advisory Group, The Collaborative on Fatigue Following Infection 2020- (COFFI)
  • Chair of the Strategic Advisory Group for the COVID-19 Longitudinal Health and Wellbeing National Core Study and the National Convalescence Core Study 2020-
  • Member of the READ-It Advisory Group (August 2022-)

External Appointments

  • Editorial Board, PLOS Medicine (2017-)
  • Member of ARRIVE 2019 Panel for reporting guidelines in animal research (2017-22)
  • Innovation and Review production Senior Adviser, Cochrane Library Editorial Board (2018-2022)

Continuing academic external positions

  • Consultant in Public Health with Public Health England (academic honorary contract)
  • Fellow, Faculty of Public Health Medicine
  • Senior Research Fellow, WINDREF, St George’s Medical School, Grenada
  • Extraordinary Professor in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Stellenbosch University   

A valedictory lecture by Professor Paul Garner (8 September 2022), ‘Truth not Triumph: backstage at Cochrane Infectious Diseases’, is available here.

Selected publications