In the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, the world continues to face significant challenges in ensuring all people can live well with the support they need. The pandemic also made apparent the vital role of social scientists, working with biomedical researchers, to address questions about: how we produce and communicate knowledge about health; how we best understand the elements which affect health and wellbeing at population and individual level; how we ensure that diverse communities are involved in shaping vital social institutions such as education, health and social care; how we improve long-term health, including mental health; how we adapt social institutions to support an ageing society; how we reduce inequalities in access to the resources and services needed to live well at all levels (individual, local, regional, national and international)s; how we plan for future pandemics and unknown events in ways that protect the most marginalised people and communities; how new technologies and forms of data might help us better understand health and deliver effective and more inclusive health and social care; how we learn from the past to plan better futures.

ISC Theme Lead: Dr Laura Anselmi, University of Manchester