Lina Taing

Lina Taing serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Earth, Environment & Society at McMaster University, where she contributes expertise at the intersection of environmental science and public health. Her academic journey spans multiple continents, with educational foundations from prestigious institutions across North America, Australia, and Africa, positioning her as a globally informed researcher in water, sanitation, and climate-related health issues.

• B.A. from University of California Los Angeles
• M.Sc. from University of Queensland
• Ph.D. from University of Cape Town

Dr. Taing's research spans critical global health challenges with a particular focus on vulnerable populations. Her work examines how water insecurity, climate change, and environmental factors intersect with health outcomes, especially among refugee communities, adolescents, and youth in East Africa. She investigates the connections between resource scarcity and issues ranging from mental health to gender-based violence and HIV vulnerabilities, employing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to capture complex social-ecological dynamics. Her innovative approaches include developing augmented reality tools for climate change knowledge translation and participatory mapping techniques to engage very young adolescents in climate impact assessments.

Analysis of Dr. Taing's scholarly output reveals a consistent trajectory toward increasingly interdisciplinary research connecting environmental factors with human health outcomes. Her recent publications demonstrate a sophisticated integration of climate science, public health, and social vulnerability frameworks, particularly focusing on urban refugee populations in Uganda and adolescent populations in Kenya. The methodological diversity in her work—from rapid reviews and policy gap analyses to multi-method qualitative inquiries and cross-sectional surveys—reflects her commitment to generating actionable knowledge for policymakers and practitioners addressing water insecurity and climate change impacts.

As an educator, Dr. Taing has taught various courses including Field Course (WOBORDER 701A-C), Practicum (WOBORDER 703), Water Around the World (WOBORDER 702B), and International Policy Development (WOBORDER 702A). Her teaching portfolio indicates a strong commitment to experiential learning and global perspectives on water governance and policy. While specific grant information isn't detailed in the available materials, her extensive publication record across high-impact journals suggests successful research funding acquisition to support her fieldwork in Uganda and Kenya.

Dr. Taing's collaborative approach is evident through her co-author network and interdisciplinary research projects addressing complex global challenges where environmental factors intersect with health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable populations in humanitarian settings.