Professor Shona Hilton
Social Work and Social Policy
Personal statement
I’m a Professor of Health Policy and Social Innovation with over 25 years of experience working to address health disparities and create evidence-based solutions that drive real-world change. Guided by the University of Strathclyde’s values of being people-oriented, innovative, and collaborative, my work focuses on building meaningful partnerships that amplify the impact of research, with the ultimate goal of reducing health inequalities and nurturing more inclusive, sustainable societies. Over the years, I’ve contributed to my field through more than 140 scientific papers and several book chapters. My most recent book chapter explores how commercial industries shape public policy discourses and influence the rising burden of non-communicable diseases —work that reflects my commitment to identifying practical solutions that tackle the root causes of inequality and improve health outcomes. My research spans both local and global health policy challenges. Here in Scotland, I play a leading role in the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC-Glasgow) , a £5.2m, six-year initiative funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The main goal of this collaboration is to improve the health of Glasgow's population and address health inequalities by integrating research evidence into decision-making processes across Glasgow City Council. On a global scale, I led the SNAP-AMR in Tanzania, which helped shape the country’s 2023-2028 National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance . Building on this work, I’m now involved in the ARRIVe project , which is creating practical tools to combat neonatal infections in Tanzanian hospitals. Collaboration and working together across disciplines, sectors, and borders has always been at the heart of my work and I’m always keen to connect with others who share a commitment to improving health equity and fostering social innovation.
Area of Expertise
I'm an experienced qualitative researcher whose expertise lie in interdisciplinary research, working across policy systems, sectors and organisations to co-develop real-world interventions. I have have strong capabilities in strategic management and academic leadership having served as Deputy Director of the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow for 9 years and having successfully won and led three 5-year MRC-funded research programmes.
Publications
- Co-production of a youth advocacy video on the harms of e-cigarette advertising in Scotland
- Smith Marissa J, Vaczy Caroline, Hilton Shona
- Health Promotion International Vol 40 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae097
- "Arming half-baked people with weapons!" Information enclaving among professionals and the need for a care-centred model for antibiotic use information in Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi
- Nayiga Susan, MacPherson Eleanor E, Mankhomwa John, Nasuwa Fortunata, Pongolani Raymond, Kabuleta Rita, Kesby Mike, Dacombe Russell, Hilton Shona, Grace Delia, Feasey Nicholas, Chandler Clare IR
- Global Health Action Vol 17 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2024.2322839
- Youth's exposure to and engagement with e-cigarette marketing on social media : a UK focus group study
- Smith Marissa J, Hilton Shona
- BMJ open Vol 13 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071270
- Contextual influences on the role of evidence in e-cigarette recommendations : a multi-method analysis of international and national jurisdictions
- Smith Marissa J, Katikireddi Srinivasa Vittal, Skivington Kathryn, Hilton Shona
- Evidence and Policy Vol 19, pp. 400-422 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1332/174426421X16711062023280
- Youth's engagement and perceptions of disposable e-cigarettes : a UK focus group study
- Smith Marissa J, MacKintosh Anne Marie, Ford Allison, Hilton Shona
- BMJ open Vol 13 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-068466
- User-generated content and influencer marketing involving e-cigarettes on social media : a scoping review and content analysis of YouTube and Instagram
- Smith Marissa J, Buckton Christina, Patterson Chris, Hilton Shona
- BMC Public Health Vol 23 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15389-1
Teaching
I enjoy working with students to support their learning and research journeys. Over the years I've had the privilege of supervising MSc and PhD students, guiding them through the challenges and discoveries of their dissertations. So far I have successfully supervised 12 PhD students to completion on a diverse range of health-related projects. I also regularly mentor early-mid career researchers, helping them to navigate their academic and professional growth and serve as as a PhD examiner for top quality universities across the UK.
Research Interests
My research spans both local and global health policy challenges. Here in Scotland, I play a leading role in the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC-Glasgow), a six-year initiative funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (£5.3m). This project is focused on embedding a culture of evidence-informed policymaking across Glasgow City Council to address health inequalities. On a global scale, I led the SNAP-AMR project in Tanzania, funded by the MRC (£3.2m) which helped shape the country’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. Building on this work, I’m now involved in the ARRIVe project, funded by the British Academy. This interdisciplinary project aims to address the high rates of neonatal hospital-acquired infections in Tanzania by developing, implementing and evaluating an AMR Information Toolkit for national roll-out.
Throughout my career collaboration has always been at the heart of my work, and I value connecting with others who share a commitment to improving health equity and fostering social innovation. If you’d like to learn more about my research, recent awards, or publications, please get in contact.
Contact
Professor
Shona
Hilton
Social Work and Social Policy
Email: shona.hilton@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted