Cécile Knai

Cécile Knai is a researcher at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), affiliated with the Department of Public Health, Environments and Society. Her work focuses on public health policy, particularly addressing obesity prevention, commercial determinants of health, and youth participation in policy-making. She leads initiatives like the CO-CREATE project, which empowers adolescents to co-create obesity prevention strategies, and contributes to the SPECTRUM Consortium on commercial health determinants.

Her research spans systems thinking in health, analyzing food and alcohol industry influence, and evaluating the Public Health Responsibility Deal in the UK. She has conducted studies in Malta, India, and South Africa, examining urban food environments and cross-border healthcare dynamics. Key collaborations include work with ECOHOST and EU-funded projects like EUCBCC, focusing on patient information needs and policy implementation.

Knai's recent publications highlight adolescent health complexities, with articles on social media impacts, food environment inequalities, and simulation modeling of obesity drivers. Her work emphasizes stakeholder analysis, policy evaluation, and corporate accountability in public health. She employs mixed-method approaches, including group model building and photovoice studies, to unpack systemic health challenges.