Christina Gillies, PhD

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Contact

School of Public Health
Email
c.gillies@ualberta.ca

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

Community health promotion Social and structural determinants of health Participatory approaches Qualitative methods Mixed methods


About

As an applied anthropologist, I conduct ethnographic, qualitative, and mixed methods research alongside communities to improve supportive environments for health. Currently, I am Lead Scientist in Cancer Prevention and Screening Innovation (CPSI), Provincial Population & Public Health (PPPH) at Alberta Health Services (AHS). In this role, I provide direction for applied research projects involving community- and settings-based health promotion initiatives that address risk factors for cancer and chronic disease and the social determinants of health more broadly.


Research

In my research, I focus on exploring and addressing the social and structural determinants of health (and health inequities) through community-based participatory research approaches and settings-based interventions. I have been fortunate to learn from and work in close collaboration with Indigenous, refugee, and immigrant communities in Alberta.

My experience has included:

  • improving supportive environments for health in rural and urban contexts using the Healthy Communities approach,
  • the development, implementation, and evaluation of school nutrition and pediatric asthma interventions,
  • improving cultural competence in health care settings,
  • critical reflection on health promotion values