Prativa Baral

Professor Prativa Baral, MPH, PhD, is appointed as Assistant Professor (Research) (Contract Academic Staff)  in the Department of Global and Public Health and the Pandemic Emergency Readiness Lab (PERL) within the School of Population and Global Health, as of May 1, 2025.

Professor Baral completed her undergraduate degree at McGill University, followed by her master’s and doctoral training in epidemiology and global health at Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University. 

Her primary research interests are centered on strengthening systems to respond more effectively to crises, focusing on pandemic preparedness, health systems resilience, and effective communication in crisis leadership. She has led research and strategy efforts across a range of global and domestic initiatives, often working at the nexus of evidence, policy, and implementation to improve real-time decision-making during public health emergencies.

Professor Baral has advised and collaborated with leading global institutions, including the World Health Organization, World Bank, United Nations, Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, the Gates Foundation and more on a wide range of global health issues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she played a key role in Canada’s national response, both as a trusted voice in the media and through her contributions to the Canadian COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. She also most recently served as Secretariat Lead for the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences’ expert panel on Canada’s role in global health, helping shape national recommendations and high-level policy discussions.

Professor Baral received several prestigious honours, including the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral Foreign Student Award, and induction into Delta Omega Alpha, the US national public health honour society. In recognition of her excellence in public health and science communication, she was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025, a national distinction celebrating Canadians who have made significant contributions to the country.

In her new role, Professor Baral will lead research on enhancing pandemic and health emergency readiness and work with the Director of the Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Laboratory (PERL) to develop a new program on pandemic prevention and preparedness research and policy. She will also contribute to the MScPH and BA in Population and Global Health training programs.