George Palattiyil

Professor George Palattiyil is aPersonal Chair of Social Work and Refugee Studies at the University of Edinburgh, with a focus on forced migration, HIV/AIDS, human rights, and social work education. He leads interdisciplinary initiatives like the Global Refugee Health Research Network and contributes to teaching across BSc, MSW, and MSc programmes.

• PhD in Social Work (University of Strathclyde, 1999)
• Masters in Social Work (Kerala, India)

His research bridges social work and public health, emphasizing lived experiences of refugees, HIV-affected families, and older populations. Recent projects include:

• Impact of COVID-19 on families of care home residents in Scotland
• Adolescent reproductive health in Uganda, Jordan, and Bangladesh
• HIV/TB care barriers for refugees in Kampala
• Human rights of HIV-positive asylum seekers
• Cross-border surrogacy ethics

Scientific achievements include:

• Senior Fellow, UK Higher Education Academy
• Best Personal Tutor Award (2019)
• Editorial work on Social Work in a Global Context

He supervises PhD projects on topics like Queer women in Kerala, Refugee detention alternatives, and intergenerational care in China. His teaching integrates cross-cultural experiences, including abroad programmes to India.