Shona Hilton

Shona is Professor of Public Health Policy and Deputy Director of the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow. Over the past 20 years she has established a track record and international reputation for academic leadership within the field of social and public health policy. She has published over 120 scientific papers, written book chapters and recently co-authored a book on “The media and public health: where next for critical analysis?”

She is a social scientist with expertise in conducting research on the social, political, and commercial determinants that influence health and shape emerging public policy debates. Her research largely focuses on policies which target the seemingly intractable nature of health inequalities to help improve public health through the timely translation of scientific knowledge into policy and practice. 

Through stakeholder engagement and partnership involvement she works closely with policy makers, practitioners, and the public to identify and co-produce projects which generate evidence for action at multiple points across the system.  This includes research on policies which address the upstream fundamental determinants driving inequalities and where action may be most likely to make a difference in reducing the downstream effects of these inequalities. This includes: leading a large interdisciplinary team SNAP-AMR (Global Challenge Research Fund, £3m award) to support the United Republic of Tanzania to inform their next National Action Plan on anti-microbial resistance (2023-28); a CRUK grant on the harms of online social media marketing of e-cigarettes to youths and children; a CRUK grant examining stakeholder views on the need for a new tobacco control fund in the UK based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle; and Public Health Scotland commissioned research  investigating UK legislation to restrict the marketing of ‘discretionary’ foods high in fat, sugar, or salt.  Previous research includes evidence supporting the implementation of the Scottish smoke-free legislation in enclosed public places (2006), evidence supporting the Smoking Prohibition (Children in Motor Vehicles) (Scotland) Act 2016, and Minimum Unit Pricing for Alcohol in Scotland implemented May 2018).
Shona currently sits on three Editorial Boards: as European Editor of the International Journal of Qualitative Methods; Associate Editor for PLoS One, and Associate Editor for BMC Public Health.  She is a member of the BSA Scottish Medical Sociology Group and regularly sits as an appointed panel member for various grant funders. As part of timely knowledge exchange, Shona is a member and advisor on national public health and third sector organisations including as a member of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group ‘Improving Scotland’s Health: 2021 and Beyond’ and as Chair of the Scottish Obesity Alliance.  A current focus of their work is to have influence on the Restricting Food Promotions Bill and other measures to protect children from the health harming impacts of unhealthy food and drinks marketing across Scotland.