Biography
Dr Gemma Bowsher is a medical doctor and social scientist working on global health security with a focus on health security intelligence, biosecurity and public health in conflict settings. She is the co-principal investigator for the health intelligence and biosecurity research theme. She is an affiliate member of the Centre for Science and Security Studies.
In January 2015, Gemma joined the Conflict and Health Research Group at King’s whilst completing her medical degree. Her work at CHRG has focused on health security intelligence, linking clinical domains with intelligence processes within national and international governance systems. She works with organisations and researchers across defence, academia and public policy. She received her master’s degree in medical anthropology from Harvard University in 2016 and her PhD at KCL is funded by the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership.
Gemma holds the Metro Supply Chain fellowship of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health. She is also a practising doctor in London.
Research
- Politics of global health security
- Health systems in conflict-affected countries
- Health Security Intelligence
- Antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic disease surveillance
- One Health
- Wargaming and health/bio-emergency simulation exercises
- International investigations into chemical and biological events
- Health mis-/disinformation
Teaching
- Global Burden of Disease (BSc & MA)
- Global Health, Local Practice (BSc & MA)
- Conflict and Health (BSc & MA)
- Current Issues in Science and Security (MA)
Publications:
Bowsher G, Bernard R, Sullivan R. A Health Intelligence Framework for Pandemic Response: Lessons from the UK Experience of COVID-19. Health Secur. 2020 Dec;18(6):435-443.
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/hs.2020.0108?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
Bowsher G, Sullivan R. Why we need an intelligence-led approach to pandemics: supporting science and public health during COVID-19 and beyond. J R Soc Med. 2021 Jan;114(1):12-14.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0141076820947052?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
Bernard R, Bowsher G, Sullivan R. COVID-19 and the Rise of Participatory SIGINT: An Examination of the Rise in Government Surveillance Through Mobile Applications. Am J Public Health. 2020 Dec;110(12):1780-1785
https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305912?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed
Bernard R, Bowsher G, Sullivan R, Gibson-Fall F. Disinformation and Epidemics: Anticipating the Next Phase of Biowarfare. Health Secur. 2021 Jan-Feb;19(1):3-12.
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/hs.2020.0038?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
Bowsher G, Papamichail A, El Achi N, Ekzayez A, Roberts B, Sullivan R, Patel P. A narrative review of health research capacity strengthening in low and middle-income countries: lessons for conflict-affected areas. Global Health. 2019 Mar 26;15(1):23
https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-019-0465-y
Bernard R, Bowsher G, Milner C, Boyle P, Patel P, Sullivan R. Intelligence and global health: assessing the role of open source and social media intelligence analysis in infectious disease outbreaks. Z Gesundh Wiss. 2018;26(5):509-514
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6153980/
Bowsher G, Bogue P, Patel P, Boyle P, Sullivan R. Small and light arms violence reduction as a public health measure: the case of Libya. Confl Health. 2018 Jul 9;12:29.
https://conflictandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13031-018-0162-0