Samantha Vanderslott is interested in public attitudes to vaccination, for routine vaccines and during outbreaks, as well as vaccine policies, in how these differ across countries and time. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began she has been researching views about potential vaccines and the increase in misinformation and disinformation.

Samantha is a health sociologist based in the Oxford Vaccine Group, at the University of Oxford, UK. She has worked there for the past four years following her PhD in Science and Technology Studies at University College London. Her research mainly uses qualitative methods and concentrates on health, society, and policy topics.

Dr Chintal Patel is an NHS General Practitioner (GP) working on the front line, caring for patients in London.  She completed a degree in Immunology and cell pathology before completing her medical degree at University College London in 2002. She is a trainer for Imperial College. She has a special interest in women and children’s health, lifestyle medicine and nutrition and writes content for various publications around these topics.

In her spare time, Chintal volunteers at London’s large vaccination centres. She also works with NHS England to help share information on mainstream media about the pandemic and the vaccine, reaching out to ethnic minority groups in particular.  She uses her knowledge of Immunology to break down information into digestible chunks for everyone to understand and uses her love of food and cooking to help share her health messages.

Outside of work, Chintal is keen cook and writes a cookery blog www.drchintalskitchen.com.  She loves celebrating food from all around the world and in particular, with her Indian Heritage, making Indian food and recipes accessible to all.  She lives in London with her husband and two children who can often be found cooking up a storm with her.  She is a keen skier and loves to travel, but now that the pandemic has restricted her globetrotting, she has found a new interest and love for gardening and growing her own produce.

Dr Brooke Vandermolen is a practicing Obstetrics & Gynaecology registrar doctor, who has worked and trained in a variety of London NHS hospitals. Brooke is experienced at dealing with all aspects of women’s health and pregnancy. Brooke created her educational platform “The OBGYN mum” via which she shares insights and tips around pregnancy, fertility, menopause and more through social media and blog posts. She is an experienced medical writer, and creates digital content for the The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and NHS England to translate trending topics into evidence-based, relatable bite-sized media. She also promotes information about the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy and its impact on fertility to tackle the misinformation. 

Brooke is mum to 2 preschoolers who keep her very busy but whenever she gets a spare second she loves spinning and yoga and has developed a recent passion for interior decorating!