Scottish Obesity Alliances welcomes Interim Chair
07 September 2020
This week we are delighted to welcome Professor Shona Hilton as Interim Chair of the Scottish Obesity Alliance.
Shona Hilton is Professor of Public Health Policy and Deputy Director of the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow.
She is a social scientist with a track record in the developing and evaluating public health policy communications. Her research focuses on contemporary policy debates facing biomedical, social and public health to help improve the timely translation of scientific knowledge into policy and practice.
Working closely with policy makers, practitioners and the public she co-develops projects to generate evidence on how health issues, evidence and policies are being reported and understood with a priority given to policies that aim to improve population health and reduce health inequalities. She has published over 100 scientific papers and recently co-edited a book on “The media and public health: where next for critical analysis?”
Shona is an Editor for PLoS One, Associate Editor for BMC Public Health and co-convener for the BSA Scottish Medical Sociology Group. 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’.
On her appointment as Interim Chair, Shona said:
"I am delighted to join the Scottish Obesity Alliance. As evidence emerges on COVID-19, it is clear that obesity is one of the most significant public health challenges of our time.
The work of the alliance has never been more important in providing that unified, influential and independent voice to create a Scotland where healthy food and physical activity are easy, acceptable, affordable and sustainable for all."
The Scottish Obesity Alliance launched in 2018 and currently has 27 members.