Gillian McKay

Gillian McKay is an Honorary Research Fellow in Social Science at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), affiliated with the Department of Global Health and Development within the Faculty of Public Health and Policy. She works closely with Elrha's R2HC programme to ensure research meets humanitarian community needs and is effectively disseminated. Her extensive experience includes collaborations with the World Health Organization, International Rescue Committee, UK-Med, Imperial College, and GOAL Global.

Dr. McKay holds a DrPH from LSHTM, where her research focused on community engagement in Ebola epidemics and integration of local knowledge into response actions. She earned her BSN from the University of British Columbia and an MSc in Public Health from LSHTM. As a 2016 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar, she maintains active connections in Canadian academic circles.

Her research spans epidemic disease response, community engagement in humanitarian crises, maternal health, gender and human rights, and health impacts of global trends including urbanization, migration, and climate change. She specializes in examining how communities interact with epidemic responses, particularly focusing on women's experiences and perspectives during outbreaks like Ebola and COVID-19. Her work consistently bridges academic research and practical humanitarian application, emphasizing the importance of local knowledge and community-centered approaches.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on school-based pandemic responses during COVID-19, particularly examining mental health impacts and implementation challenges in educational settings. Her earlier work centers on Ebola responses in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with particular attention to family planning services during outbreaks and community feedback mechanisms. A consistent theme across her publications is the examination of gender dimensions in epidemic responses and the often-overlooked needs of vulnerable populations.

• 2016 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar

Dr. McKay serves as a critical bridge between academic research and humanitarian practice, ensuring evidence generation meets priority needs of the humanitarian community. Her work with Elrha's R2HC programme focuses on translating research into actionable insights for field practitioners. She has contributed to multiple high-impact research projects examining epidemic responses across different contexts, with particular attention to community perspectives and gender dimensions. Her research often involves multi-country collaborations and mixed-methods approaches that combine quantitative data with rich qualitative insights from affected communities.

Her work spans multiple settings including Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and the United Kingdom, with particular expertise in how health systems respond to shocks and how community engagement can strengthen outbreak responses. She maintains strong connections to both Canadian and UK academic networks while focusing her research on global health challenges.