Person

Dr Gill Black has 28 years of experience in global health, integrating 13 years of post-doctoral research as an infectious disease immunologist and 15 years specialising in community engagement, co-production, transdisciplinary practice and policy advocacy.

From 2010–2025, as founder and co-director of the Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation NPC in South Africa, she led multiple community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiatives. Dr. Black specialises in designing and facilitating innovative applications of participatory, visual and creative methods that bring lived experience into health science research, enriching scientific evidence and strengthening policy relevance. She brings broad international experience in the ethics of facilitating engaged research approaches with marginalized communities. She has developed a range of training resources on the practice and ethics of engaged research, including online multi-module courses for The Global Health Network and the National Institute of Health Research (UK) that have been extensively utilized.

Since 2018, Gill’s work has focused on environmental disaster risk management, climate change and extreme weather, with focal points on community-derived strategic intervention to bolster climate resilience and mental health. In 2026, Dr. Black joined the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation at Stellenbosch University, where she co-leads the Social Science Unit.