معرفی
Laura Macdonald is a Researcher at the MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, part of the School of Health & Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. She holds a Master of Arts (Honours) in Sociology from the University of Glasgow and a Master of Science (Distinction) in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the University of Southampton. Her research focuses on spatial analysis of neighborhood environments and their associations with health outcomes, particularly in relation to built environment features, health inequalities, and heritage exposure. She has contributed to projects such as the Built Environment Context and Change Atlas (BECCA) and studies on geographical access to heritage sites and built environment changes affecting mortality.
Key research interests include place-based health disparities, spatial distribution of environmental features, and the application of GIS in public health. Her work spans topics such as physical activity facilities, urban-rural health differences, and the socio-spatial distribution of alcohol and fast-food outlets. She has been involved in grants funded by the Medical Research Council, including studies on mental wellbeing in call centers and built environment impacts.
Her awards include the 2016 Dean’s List Award for Outstanding Achievement in her GIS coursework. Laura teaches the 'Sustainability, Environment, and Health' module for the MSc in Public Health. Her research has been published in journals like BMC Public Health, Health and Place, and Social Science and Medicine, with a focus on leveraging spatial data to address health equity challenges.
