Karen Lock

Karen Lock is a Professor in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, affiliated with the Faculty of Public Health and Policy and the Department of Health Services Research and Policy. She holds an Honorary Consultant position at Public Health England and serves as a Public Health Stream Advisor for the MSc Public Health program.

• Education: Clinical Medicine (University of Oxford), MA Environmental Geography (UCLA), MSc & PhD Public Health (LSHTM)
• Teaching: Co-develops and teaches core modules in the MSc Public Health program
• Supervision: Mentors Masters, DRPH, and PhD students in public health research

Research Focus on upstream disease determinants through place-based public health policies at local government level. Key areas include:

• Environmental determinants of diet, alcohol consumption, and physical activity
• Systems evaluation methods applied to public health practice
• Local food systems and healthier food environments
• Interdisciplinary work linking agriculture and health
• Global burden of disease from low fruit/vegetable intake
• Policy processes in food and agriculture reform

Publication Trends show extensive work on food policy and marketing regulation (e.g., TfL advertising bans), mental health in educational settings, and systems thinking applications to public health. Her research spans both UK and international contexts, with methodological diversity including:

• Qualitative studies on policy implementation
• Quantitative analyses of consumer behavior
• Systems evaluation frameworks
• Comparative policy analysis

Professional Contributions include:

• Co-leading a 10-year NIHR-funded research programme
• Participation in EU school fruit/vegetable schemes
• World Bank IAASTD policy development
• UK Government Foresight Assessments on Obesity and Global Food Futures

Technical Expertise spans:

• Global burden of disease analysis
• Contextual environmental health research
• Policy evaluation methods
• Interdisciplinary research frameworks