Mariel Horncastle

Mariel supports effective project coordination within IGHD, contributing to the logistical planning and smooth operation of active research initiatives. She is currently involved in the ReBUILD for Resilience research consortium, the UNHCR Health System Resilience, Enhancement and Refugee Responses Project, and the HIMM Project (Co-designing Health Innovations to reach Mobile Men with Co-Morbidities in Uganda and Zambia). Across these projects, Mariel contributes to multi-country research coordination, qualitative research activities, collaborative analysis, and dissemination across fragile and conflict-affected settings. Through ReBUILD for Resilience, she has contributed to studies examining health system resilience in Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, and Gaza, with particular interests in equity and inclusive research practice. She recently presented the consortium’s study, “Resilience in Fragile Health Systems: Coping with COVID-19 in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, and Gaza,” at the 11th International Conference on Public Health (ICOPH) in Bangkok, Thailand.

In addition to her project roles, she works in liaison with the IGHD Doctoral Programme and the ҹɫֱ�� Graduate School, serving as a point of contact for doctoral students studying with the Institute, prospective IGHD doctoral candidates, and IGHD staff serving as doctoral supervisors.

She holds an MSc in Global Health Policy from the University of Edinburgh, where her dissertation examined barriers to equitable, culturally appropriate, and trauma-informed maternity care for Indigenous women, gender-diverse, and Two-Spirit individuals across Canada.

Her research interests include sexual and reproductive health among disadvantaged populations, and she is particularly passionate about approaches that centre the perspectives of local researchers and communities in global health research and practice.