Kate Gerrand is Head of Health Protection Research at the UK Department of Health and Social Care, where she leads a cross-cutting portfolio shaping how research evidence and funding supports national policy on health protection and wider system resilience. Her role includes a strong focus on responding to the highest risks on the UK National Risk Register, including pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, and chemical, biological and radiological threats. She oversees health protection research funding through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, including the Health Protection Research Units.

She works at the interface of policy and research, influencing how priorities are set, how funding is targeted, and how evidence is used in decision making across government and its partners. Her work spans both long-term strategy and rapid response, particularly in strengthening research readiness and the ability to mobilise evidence during periods of uncertainty. Kate has a strong interest in knowledge mobilisation, particularly how to build policy teams that can engage effectively with research and sustain both responsive and long-term collaboration with academia.