The Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab's team is committed to strengthening local and global readiness for health crises. Below are the academics, practitioners, and researchers involved in advancing actionable research and promoting crisis-ready leadership.
PERL Team
Dr. Joanne Liu
Director of PERL and Professor, Department of Global and Public Health at Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾
Dr. Liu is a Canadian practicing paediatric emergency physician at University of Montréal and Professor at Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ where she focuses on pandemic and health emergencies.
She is the former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders, and has engaged with the world leaders at the highest level on medical humanitarian crises. She is involved in various high-level initiatives and commissions related to pandemics, health emergencies, and conflicts, including as Chair of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
Dr. Liu graduated from the Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ School of Medicine in Montreal in 1991 and did her pediatric specialty training at University of Montreal. She holds a Fellowship in Paediatric Emergency Medicine from New York University School of Medicine as well as an International Master’s in Health Leadership, also from Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾.
Joanne.Liu [at] mcgill.ca (Joanne[dot]Liu[at]mcgill[dot]ca)
Prativa Baral, PhD
Deputy Director of PERL and Assistant Professor, Department of Global and Public Health
Dr. Baral is an Infectious Disease Epidemiologist and Global Health Scholar whose work examines how health systems can prepare for and respond to crises, with a focus on public trust in science and misinformation, surge capacity during emergencies, and improving data infrastructure.
She has advised governments around the world as well as institutions including the World Health Organization, World Bank, United Nations, the Gates Foundation, and OpenAI on global health and health emergency preparedness. She holds a PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Prativa.Baral [at] mcgill.ca (Prativa[dot]Baral[at]mcgill[dot]ca)
Dr. Veasna Duong
Senior Investigator
Virologist with 20 years of experience working on endemic and emerging arboviruses and zoonotic viruses. Dr. Duong began his career at the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) in 2005 and earned his PhD in Montpellier, France in 2011. He was appointed Deputy Head of the Virology Unit in 2014 and became Head of the Unit in 2020.
With great experience in arbovirus epidemiology and zoonotic virus emergence, Dr. Duong has contributed to strengthening capacities in Cambodia and the region through research leadership, training, and international collaboration.
Vaesna.Duong [at] mcgill.ca (Veasna[dot]Duong[at]mcgill[dot]ca)
Miranda Bain, PhD
Senior Investigator
Global Health Policy and Systems Researcher whose work examines the political and power dynamics shaping health equity with a focus on marginalized health issues and crises, gender, and the governance of care systems.
Dr. Bain has contributed to multi-country studies on sexual violence against children, Indigenous systems of care in the United States, gender data collection technologies in Colombia and Uganda, and abortion policymaking across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
She worked with organizations including the World Health Organization, Ipas, UNHCR, and the Women’s Refugee Commission.
Miranda.Bain [at] mcgill.ca (Miranda[dot]Bain[at]mcgill[dot]ca)
Zhida Shang
Research Assistant, Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ MDCM Student
Research interests include global health governance and pandemic preparedness, with expertise in qualitative and Delphi research methodologies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was among the first to examine the experiences of Asian Canadians and Asian Americans, contributing to early scholarship on equity and lived experience during public health crises.
He is also a policy commentator, with work published in internationally recognized outlets including Harvard Business Review and The Globe and Mail.
Zhida.Shang [at] mcgill.ca (Zhida[dot]Shang[at]mcgill[dot]ca)
Hannah Hagos
Research Assistant
Hannah Hagos is a recent graduate of Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾, where she completed a Joint Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History. Her work sits at the intersection of democracy, information and equity, with a particular focus on democratic accountability, political communication and the impacts of misinformation on public trust and civic participation.
During her undergraduate studies, she was awarded the Arts Undergraduate Research Internship, during which her research examined democratic accountability in Canada and the relationship between governance and transparency. She has also collaborated with non-profit organizations to advance gender equity through community-based policy work. Hannah is passionate about continuing to explore questions around governance through research and community engagement.
Hannah.Hagos [at] mcgill.ca (Hannah[dot]Hagos[at]mcgill[dot]ca)
Madeline Williams
Global Health Scholar
Madeline Williams is entering her final year at Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾, where she is completing an interdisciplinary degree in History with minors in Psychology and Management. Her research interests center on the history of medicine, specifically regarding how public health infrastructure and emergency medical services adapt to large-scale crises.
As a 2026 Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ Global Health Scholar, Madeline is working under the supervision of Dr. Prativa Baral to investigate readiness and trust within Canada’s civilian emergency reserve. This research builds on her previous work as an Integrated Management Student Fellow, where she examined historical perspectives on how climate-amplified disasters impact health systems.
Rebecca Winkelaar
Global Health Scholar
Rebecca Winkelaar is a fourth-year BSc student in Ecological Determinants of Health at Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾. Throughout her degree, she has conducted research with Dr. Maheu-Giroux’s Population Health Modeling Group, focusing on global patterns of HIV-related stigma through data analysis and visualization.
She was also selected for Â鶹´«Ã½Íøվ’s Global Health Scholars Program (2025–2026) and will return for the 2026–2027 cohort under the supervision of Dr. Prativa Baral in Â鶹´«Ã½Íøվ’s Pandemic Emergency Readiness Lab, where she will research how online hostility affects early-career researchers and science communicators in Canada and globally.
Rebecca currently serves as VP Advertising for the Canadian Association for Global Health at Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ and writes for Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ Perspectives on Global Health. She is particularly interested in bridging research and storytelling to make global health more accessible.
Rebecca.Winkelaar [at] mcgill.ca (Rebecca[dot]Winkelaar[at]mcgill[dot]ca)
Keith Andre Baybayon
Communications Lead
Keith is a U2 student at Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ studying political science and religion. He has contributed to policy research and knowledge mobilization across government, civil society, and academic settings, including work with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, the Media Ecosystem Observatory, Egale Canada, and grassroots policy organizations in India. He has supported initiatives on youth engagement and public accountability, produced research briefs and explainer materials, and managed stakeholder communications.
He is a McCall MacBain International Fellow who has contributed to youth-led policy initiatives at the United Nations and Canadian advisory bodies, bringing youth perspectives to discussions on trust and governance.