Meet a TReNDS Expert: Virginia Murray
Written by TReNDS Staff
In the Meet TReNDS series, we introduce you to TReNDS' experts, staff, and friends–leading individuals and organizations in the broader data for development community.
Meet...
TReNDS expert Virginia Murray, Head of Global Disaster Risk Reduction for Public Health England
About Virginia
Professor Virginia Murray is the Head of Global Disaster Risk Reduction for Public Health England which has supported her role as co-chair of the WHO Thematic Platform Health and Disaster Risk Management Research Network, member of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) scientific committee, co-sponsored by the International Science Council (ISC) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and Co-Chair of IRDR’s Disaster Loss Data (DATA). She is also Co-Chair of CODATA’s Linked Open Data for Global Disaster Risk Research and a member the UNSDSN Data for Sustainable Development, and she has been a member and then vice-chair of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Scientific and Technical Advisory Group from 2008-2017. She is a Visiting/Honorary Professor at several universities including University College London (2013) and at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (2017) and has published widely.
Q&A
TReNDS Staff: In your career, what area of data for development have you primarily focused on?
Virginia Murray: Disaster risk management and reduction
What emerging area of data for development are you most eager to tackle in your own work?
Implementation of the SDGs and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
What emerging area of data for development are you most eager to see addressed by the community at large?
How to determine disaster mortality as accurately as possible.
What is the most interesting use of data you've seen?
Using data to address policy and practice particularly by identifying hazards that need to be recognised in National Risk Registers
What are you most eager to engage in with TReNDS?
TReNDS is a dynamic, engaging, stretching partnership of committed and knowledgeable professionals who inspire and encourage all to improve data interoperability and management in health, science and technology for delivery at local, national, regional and global levels.
Check out some of Virginia’s past work below:
Murray, V., Maini, R., Clarke, L., and Eltinay, N. (2017) Coherence between the Sendai Framework, the SDGs, the Climate Agreement, New Urban Agenda and World Humanitarian Summit, and the role of science in their implementation. Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR).
Fakhruddin B., Murray, V., and Maini, R. (2017) Disaster loss data in monitoring the implementation of the Sendai Framework. (IRDR).
Maini, R., Law, R., Duque III, F., Balboa, G., Noda, H., Nakamura, S. and Murray V. Monitoring progress towards planetary health - International agreements must include appropriate indicators, published regularly. BMJ 2017;359:j5279
Clarke L, Blanchard K, Maini R, Radu A, Eltinay N, Zaidi Z, Murray V. Knowing What We Know – Reflections on the Development of Technical Guidance for Loss Data for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. PLOS Currents Disasters. 2018 Aug 2 . Edition 1. doi: 10.1371/currents.dis.537bd80d1037a2ffde67d66c604d2a78.
Maini, R., Clarke, L., Blanchard, K. Murray, V. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Its Indicators—Where Does Health Fit in?. Int J Disaster Risk Sci (2017). doi:10.1007/s13753-017-0120-2
Poljanšek, K., Marín Ferrer, M., De Groeve, T., Clark, I., Faivre, N., Peter, D., Quevauviller, P., K., Boersma, K.E., Krausmann, E., Murray, V., Papadopoulos, G.A., Salamon, P., Simmons, D.C., Wilkinson, E., Casajus Valles, A., Doherty, B., Galliano, D., 2017. Science for disaster risk management 2017: knowing better and losing less. Executive Summary. EUR 28034 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, ISBN 978-92-79-69673-2, doi:10.2760/451402, JRC102482
Aitsi -Selmi A, Blanchard K and Murray V Ensuring science is useful, usable and used in global disaster risk reduction and sustainable development: a view through the Sendai framework lens Palgrave Communications 2, Article number: 16016 (2016) doi:10.1057/palcomms.2016.16