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Director, UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK‑PHRST), UK Health Security Agency
Honorary Professor in Global Outbreak Response, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Dr Ed Newman leads the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK‑PHRST), a UK aid (ODA) ‑ funded partnership between UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Since his appointment in 2022, he has steered the team’s triple mandate—rapid support to outbreak response, operational research, and capacity strengthening of public health emergency workforces in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)—bringing multidisciplinary public health technical expertise to public health emergency response.

Prior to joining UK-PHRST as director in 2022, he was Head of Global Operations at the UK Health Security Agency (formally Public Health England) for 5 years where he facilitated the delivery and operational management of the portfolio of Global Health Security capacity and systems strengthening programmes. Ed is a virologist by training, receiving a doctorate in molecular virology of HIV from Kings College London in 2006 and with over ten years of technical expertise in applied research, surveillance, and response to emerging human high-consequence viruses with the UK’s Health Protection Agency / Public Health England at the UK’s Porton Down.

Professional Highlights & Contributions

• Oversees UK‑PHRST’s deployment of experts—including epidemiologists, microbiologists, infection prevention specialists, community engagement and social scientists—to support outbreak responses in LMICs, often through GOARN, bilaterally, or to support regional response organisations.
• Served as a technical lead in numerous outbreak responses, from Ebola in West Africa to Marburg in Uganda and beyond, including participation in mobile laboratory diagnostics.
• As of December 2025, elected co‑Chair of the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN) Steering Committee, representing UK‑PHRST and UKHSA in senior global leadership for public health emergency response coordination and workforce strengthening

Academic, Research & Strategic Engagement

• Appointed Honorary Professor at LSHTM in the Practice of Global Outbreak Response, underpinning UK‑PHRST’s close academic linkages and operational research focus
• Publishes widely on Ebola, Marburg, viral immunology, bio surveillance, and outbreak response strategy; notable contributions include work on cohort studies of Ebola survivors and diagnostic deployments in West Africa and Guinea
• Oversees a robust research portfolio invested in innovation during outbreaks— detection assay development, one-health and community-based surveillance, mental health and psychosocial support readiness, community engagement and protection, misinformation studies, and anthropologically-informed response design in partnership with local institutions.

Military operational experience

• Commando trained Royal Marine Reservist with the UK’s Royal Marines Reserve since 2010.
• Commissioned officer in His Majesty’s Royal Marines Reserve since 2012, have held detachment and company command appointments – held the rank of Major (NATO OF3) since 2023, and currently subunit commander for Royal Marines Reserve Bristol.
• Mobilisation and deployment to Afghanistan under Op HERRICK (Lansbury) and Op TORRELL (Blanca) to support UK/NATO operations.