Michelle Amri, MPA, PhD

I am a Term Assistant Professor at the School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University. My research is situated in the disciplines of public health and global health and contributes to the field of politics of health. I am working to understand how equity can be better incorporated in public policymaking, both in terms of how relevant actors consider equity in developing policy (e.g., how equity is understood and operationalized) and how equity can be improved in policymaking processes (e.g., multisectoral approaches including those at the city-level, decolonizing policymaking).

Prior to beginning my doctoral studies, my work was largely centred in public health policy, global health, and health promotion. For example, through my work with the WHO, I had the opportunity to evaluate the Healthy Cities initiative in the Western Pacific Region, design a multisectoral national policy in Lao PDR, among other experiences. I have also worked in several policy capacities for the Ontario Public Service, both at the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care and Ministry of Community and Social Services. I continue to consult in the field of global health, having most recently consulted for the WHO HQ and the Regional Office for Africa.

I am on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Association for Global Health (CAGH), have helped organize the Canadian Conference on Global Health over the past several years, and was a conference co-chair for 2023. I have also helped organize the PEace, Global health, And SUStainability (PEGASUS) conference in 2018 and am an Honorary Advisory Board Member for the PEGASUS Institute. I am also a member of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Knowledge Translation and Health Technology Assessment in Health Equity. I was named to the list of Canadian Women in Global Health, recognized with a Rising Star Award from Health Promotion Canada, and awarded a Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Governor General of Canada.

I enjoy travelling, casually hiking, and playing board games.

Training

Takemi Fellow 202123, Takemi Program in International Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University

PhD in Public Health Sciences: Social and Behavioural Health Sciences (Collaborative Specialization in Global Health), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

Master of Public Administration, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University

Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honors Specialization in Health Promotion), School of Health Studies, University of Western Ontario

Research interests

politics of health • global health • healthy public policy • health governance • health equity • decolonizing global health • global health ethics