Professor of Diet and Population Health, University of Oxford I am a nutrition scientist and my research interests are focused on how what we eat affects the risk of gaining weight or becoming obese and the interventions that might be effective to help people lose weight or reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases. I have also conducted a series of randomised controlled trials to study the impact of dietary changes on the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In general, this work highlights that body weight is a more important risk factor for ill-health than differences in the nutritional composition of the diet. I have strong scientific collaborations with the Behaviour and Health Research unit at the University of Cambridge and the MRC Human Nutrition Research unit, where I was a Programme Leader for many years. I am also very interested in how scientific evidence on diet is translated into policy and practice, by government, industry, the public health community and the media. I was the science advisor for the Foresight obesity report and subsequently chaired the cross-government Expert Advisory Group on obesity and the Responsibility Deal Food Network. I am now a member of the Public Health England Obesity Programme Board and one of the Chairs of the NICE Public Health Advisory Committees. I am actively involved in a number of events and media projects to engage the public in issues relating to diet and health. In 2008 I was awarded an OBE for services to public health.
Doctorate of Education candidate, University of Toronto Shannon Giannitsopoulou (she/her), MA, PMP, is a critical scholar and social justice practitioner living in Tkaronto. Having worked in equity roles at the University of Toronto’s Faculties of Medicine and Kinesiology, she is passionate about health justice. She is a Doctorate of Education candidate in OISE’s Social Justice Education Program. Shannon is also the co-founder of femifesto, a Tkaronto-based grassroots collective that strives to shift rape culture to consent culture.
Associate Professor of Law, University of British Columbia Sara Gordon is an Associate Professor at the Allard School of Law. Her current research focuses on the ways in which psychology and mental health intersect with the criminal justice system and the many barriers faced by people with mental illness involved in that system. At Allard, Professor Gordon teaches Criminal Law, Evidence Law, Mental Health Law, and a seminar in Law and Psychology. Professor Gordon’s recent work examines drug and other specialty courts, which were originally intended to divert people with criminal charges out of the criminal justice system and allow them to instead receive treatment for an underlying mental illness or substance use disorder. Research in both the medical and psychological fields is rapidly evolving and, although it bears heavily on many aspects of the criminal justice system, including the treatment received by individuals in drug and other specialty courts, many lawyers, judges, and even legal scholars often exhibit a limited understanding of medical and psychological knowledge. Professor Gordon’s research helps to fill this gap through careful attention to the state of scientific and psychological literature and interdisciplinary collaborations. Prior to joining the Allard School of Law, Professor Gordon was the William S. Boyd Professor of Law at the UNLV Boyd School of Law in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she also served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and most recently, as Interim Dean of the law school.
Lecturer in Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester Dr Sandra Flynn is an experienced researcher in the field of forensic mental health working within the Centre for Mental Health and Safety. As a Lecturer, her passion lies in supporting MSc Forensic Psychology and Mental Health Students develop real world research. Dr Flynn completed both her Masters of Arts and her Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Manchester and an MSc in Investigative Psychology at the University of Huddersfield. Prior to becoming a Lecturer, she contributed extensively to the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health as a Research Fellow and has completed work in this profession for over 20 years. Her research interests include suicide, familial homicide, homicide-suicide and violence by people with mental illness. Her work has centred on improving safety in mental health and criminal justice settings, with a specific focus on suicide prevention.
Research assistant, University of Oxford I currently work in the Oxford Biology Department at the Nature-based Solutions Initiative, and have previously worked for the IUCN, WWF, Desert Research Institute, Oregon State University, and the University of Oxford School of Geography and the Environment. I have experience working with the CITES secretariat and was a youth UN delegate to COP15 in Montreal.
