Susan Elliott

Dr. Susan J. Elliott is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management and University Research Chair in Medical Geography at the University of Waterloo.

As a health geographer with a distinguished career, Professor Elliott has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles related to the global environment and health. Her research spans the built environment, socially constructed risks, and the physical environment's effects on health, always emphasizing the integration of science and policy. Her work is characterized by a transdisciplinary approach that includes partnerships with knowledge owners and users.

In her role as the head of the GoHelP lab at the University of Waterloo, she has supervised and mentored numerous successful graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Her current research focuses on the intersection of health and environment, with particular emphasis on gender, water, and violence in Sub-Saharan Africa, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Additionally, she conducts research on the lifescape experiences and impacts of neglected chronic diseases in North America and beyond.

Professor Elliott's career also includes various leadership roles, such as Director of the Institute of Environment and Health (McMaster University), Senior Research Fellow at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, Dean of Social Sciences (McMaster University), and Dean of Health Sciences (University of Waterloo). She is the editor-in-chief of Social Science and Medicine and co-editor-in-chief of Wellbeing, Space & Society.

Her contributions have significantly advanced understanding in areas such as the role of violence in WASH, climate change, and post-COVID-19 recovery, informing policy and practice. Elected as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) in 2022, she actively contributes to shaping the Academy's strategic direction and supports its vision of transforming African lives through meaningful scientific collaboration.

Research Interests

1. Health and the built environment

Alsabbagh, W., Cooke, M., Elliott, S. J., Chang, F., Shah, N.-U.-H., & Gabriel, M. (2022). Stepping up to the Canadian opioid crisis: a longitudinal analysis of the correlation between socioeconomic status and population rates of opioid-related mortality, hospitalization, and emergency department visits (2000-2017). Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.42.6.01
Pouliou, T., Elliott, S.J. (2010). Individual and socio-environmental determinants of obesity in urban Canada. Health and Place, 16(2): 389-398. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2009.11.011

2. Health and the socially constructed environment

Dixon, J. Cardwell, F. S., Clarke, A.E. & Elliott, S.J. (2020). Choices are inevitable: A qualitative exploration of the lifecosts of systemic lupus erythematosus. Chronic Illness. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742395320910490
Harrington, D., Elliott, S.J. (2015). How can we govern what we don’t understand? A framework for understanding emerging environmental health risks. The Canadian Geographer, 59 (3): 283-296. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12198

3. Health and the physical environment

Berrang-Ford, L., Siders, A. R., Lesnikowski, A., Fischer, A. P., Callaghan, M. W., Haddaway, N. R., Mach, K. J., Araos, M., Shah, M. A. R., Wannewitz, M., Doshi, D., Leiter, T., Matavel, C., Musah-Surugu, J. I., Wong-Parodi, G., Antwi-Agyei, P., Ajibade, I., Chauhan, N., Kakenmaster, W., …Elliott, S.J.,... Abu, T. Z. (2021). A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change. Nature Climate Change, 11(11), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01170-y
Salubi, E. A., & Elliott, S. J. (2021). Geospatial analysis of cholera patterns in Nigeria: Findings from a cross-sectional study. BMC Infectious Diseases, 21(1), 202. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-05894-2
Bisung, E., Elliott, S.J. (2014).Toward a social capital based framework for understanding the water-health nexus. Social Science and Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.01.042

Susan’s research is also characterized by a strong commitment to science-policy bridging. For example, see:

Dixon, J., & Elliott, S. J. (2019). Changing the culture is a marathon not a sprint. Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology, 15(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-019-0325-6
Elliott, S.J. (2011). The transdisciplinary knowledge journey: A suggested framework for research at the water-health nexus. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 3(6): 527-530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2011.10.005

Recent Publications

2026

Bennett, A., Dodd, W., Yeung, Y., & Elliott, S. (2026). Characterizing the health impacts of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) across the life course: An umbrella review [Accepted manuscript]. Environmental Research Letters. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ae7130
Cardwell, F. S., Amoak, D., Dhillon, S., & Elliott, S. J. (2026). Towards global citizenship: investigating and measuring empathy for the other in global health education. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 1–18. DOI: 10.1080/03098265.2026.2668711
Dhillon, S., Luginaah, I., Elliott, S. J., Nagawa, J., & Niwagaba, R. A. (2026). 'We're More Prepared than Before: Understanding the Strategies Used by a Non-governmental Organization During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. Community health equity research & policy, 46(2), 185–194. DOI:10.1177/2752535X251317651
Musah, C. I., Kaburia, J., Plamondon, K., Bernard, A., Nagawa, J., Ototo, E. N., Mugayehwenkyi, K., Karanja, D. S., & Elliott, S. J. (2026). Gendered health inequities and policy silences: Insights from deliberative dialogues on unpaid care and domestic work in sub-Saharan Africa. Health & place, 99, 103659. DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2026.103659
Jebuni, J., Elliott S.J. and Bisung, E. “The fear of violence is always there”: Gender-based violence and water security in Ghana Social Science and Medicine. 2026
Mhd. Wasem Alsabbagh, Noor-Ul-Huda Shah, MSc; Michael A. Beazely, PhD; Feng Chang, PharmD; Martin Cooke, PhD; Susan J. Elliott, PhD Survival After Opioid-Related Hospitalization and the Impact of Socioeconomic Status (SES) on Survival: A Population-Based Study International Journal of Mental Health and Addictions 2026

2025

Alsabbagh, M.W., Alsefaou, M., Elliott, S.J. et al. Income-Based Disparities in Opioid Prescription Dispensing Among Public Drug Plan Beneficiaries in Canada from 2010 to 2018: A Population-Based and Sex-Stratified Retrospective Study. Drugs - Real World Outcomes 12, 337–349 (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s40801-025-00498-7
Boadu, R., Abu, T. Z., Musah, C. I., Ainooson, O., & Elliott, S. J. (2025). Oral histories on water, sanitation, and hygiene across women's lifecourse and wellbeing implications in Ghana. Health promotion international, 40(6), daaf191. DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daaf191
Cardwell, F. S., Elliott, S. J., Barber, M. R. W., Cheema, K., George, S., Boucher, A., & Clarke, A. E. (2025). Investigating how patients with lupus nephritis access and trust health information: Results from a Canadian survey of patients with lupus nephritis. Lupus. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1177/09612033251313578
Cardwell, F. S., Elliott, S. J., Barber, M. R. W., Cheema, K., Boucher, A., & Clarke, A. E. (2025). Geographies of wellbeing and chronic illness: A Canadian case study. Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes, 69, e70040.DOI: 10.1111/cag.70040
Dhillon, S., Rishworth, A., & Elliott, S. J. (2025). Aging with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review. Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes. DOI: 10.1111/cag.70028
Kobza, A.O., Cardwell, F., Elliott, S.Y., Gibson, P., Soliman, N., Skeith, L., Clarke, A.E., & Barber, M. (2024). AB0004 HEALTH INFORMATION USE BY PATIENTS LIVING WITH ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODIES AND ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID SYNDROME. Scientific Abstracts. DOI:10.1136/annrheumdis-2024-eular.864
Meho-Akakpo, P., Elliott, S. J., & Bisung, E. (2025, May). “You don’t expect a man to make good policies that affects women’s health”: Exploring barriers and opportunities to gender transformative policymaking and programming across Ghana’s health and WaSH sectors. Paper presented at the Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Musah, C. I., Elliott, S. J., Omondi, I., Bisung, E., Dickin, S., & Rishworth, A. (2025). Intersecting vulnerabilities: Health and wellbeing of older adults in Uganda during a global health crisis. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 8, 100243. DOI:10.1016/j.wss.2025.100243
Nunbogu, A. M., & Elliott, S. J. (2025). Gender-based violence in WASH: A threat to global security. In J. Joachim, A. Kronsell, & N. Dalmer (Eds.), Handbook on gender and security (pp. 409–421). Edward Elgar Publishing. SBN: 978 1 80392 835 7
Nunbogu, A. M., Kuusaana, E. D., Omondi, I., Bisung, E., & Elliott, S. J. (2025). Invisible vulnerability: WASH insecurity of older adults in Ghana during a global public emergency. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. DOI:10.2166/washdev.2025.058
Shantz, E., Elliott, S. J., Sperling, C., & Choi, M. Y. (2025). 'Information is power': A qualitative exploration of co-producing education resources about cardiovascular disease in partnership with women living with lupus. Women's health (London, England), 21, 17455057251351736. DOI: 10.1177/17455057251351736
Shantz, E., Williamson, T., Elliott, S., Sperling, C., & Choi, M. (2025). Investigating Canadians’ information needs related to lupus: A Google Trends analysis of online search query data. The Journal of Rheumatology, 52(Suppl. 1), 134–135. DOI:10.3899/jrheum.2025-0390.PV096

2024

Arneau-Soller, A., Elliott, S. J., & Asai, Y. (2024). Food allergy genetics and epigenetics: A review of genome-wide association studies. European Journal of Allergy and Immunology. DOI:10.1111/all.16429
Brewis, A., DuBois, Z., Wutich, A., Adams, E., Dickin, S., Elliott, S. J., Empinotti, V., Harris, L., Ilboudo, N., & Korzenevica, M. (2024). Gender identities, water insecurity, and risk: Re-theorizing the connections for a gender-inclusive toolkit for water insecurity research. WIREs Water. DOI: 10.1002/wat2.1685
Brubacher, L. J., Chen, T. T. W., Longboat, S., Dodd, W., Peach, L., Elliott, S. J., Patterson, K., & Neufeld, H. (2024). Climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indigenous Peoples’ health and wellbeing: A systematic umbrella review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 13(1), 8. DOI:10.1371/journal.pgph.0002995
Brubacher, L. J., Chen, T. T. W., Longboat, S., Dodd, W., Peach, L., Elliott, S. J., Patterson, K., & Neufeld, H. (2024). Climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indigenous Peoples’ health and wellbeing: A systematic umbrella review. PLOS Global Public Health. DOI:10.1371/journal.pgph.0002995
Cardwell, F., Elliott, S. J., Barber, M. R. W., & Clarke, A. E. (2024). Using photovoice to investigate patient experiences of lupus nephritis in Canada. Lupus Science & Medicine. DOI: 10.1136/lupus-2024-001265
Cardwell, F., Kobza, A., Elliott, S. J., Gibson, P., Soliman, N., Skeith, L., Clarke, A., & Barber, M. R. W. (2024). A qualitative investigation of the experiences of patients living with antiphospholipid antibodies. Lupus. DOI: 10.1177/09612033241265545
Dilhon, S., Luginaah, I., Elliott, S. J., & Nagawa, J. (2024). The impacts of COVID-19 on older adults in Uganda and Ethiopia: Perspectives from non-governmental organization staff and volunteers. PLOS Global Public Health. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003691
Kangmenaang, J., & Elliott, S. J. (2024). The syndemics of food and water insecurities on emotional distress and overall wellbeing in Ghana: Findings from a cross-sectional study. Water Security. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasec.2024.100180
Meeuwisse, S., Elliott, S. J., Bennett, A., & Kapoor, V. (2024). Water fetching and musculoskeletal health across the life-course in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review. PLOS Global Public Health. DOI:10.1371/journal.pgph.0003630
Ototo, E., Karanja, D., & Elliott, S. J. (2024). “If I was in charge”: A qualitative investigation of water security, gender-based violence and wellbeing in Kenya. Wellbeing, Space and Society. DOI: 10.1016/j.wss.2024.100230
Shantz, E., Elliott, S. J., Sperling, C., Buhler, K., Costenbader, K. H., & Choi, M. Y. (2024). Towards an understanding of the biopsychosocial determinants of CVD in SLE: A scoping review. Lupus Science & Medicine, 11, e001155. DOI:10.1136/lupus-2024-001155
Thompson, C., Elliott, S. J., Meyer, S., Leatherdale, S., & Majowicz, S. (2024). Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control factors influencing Canadian secondary school students’ milk and milk alternatives consumption. Public Health Nutrition, 27(1), e92. DOI:10.1017/S1368980024000661
Weißenberger, L., & Elliott, S. J. (2024). Gender dimensions of water vending in LMICs: A scoping review. Water Security. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasec.2024.100186
Yeung, Y., & Elliott, S. J. (2024). Investigating student perceptions and vulnerability to heat stress in campus residences using Reddit: Climate change, health, and wellbeing. Canadian Geographies. DOI: 10.1111/cag.12912

2023

Nunbogu, A. M., Elliott, S. J., & Bisung, E. (2023). I feel the pains of our past water struggles anytime I turn on the tap: Diaspora perceptions and experiences of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) gendered violence in Ghana. Social Science & Medicine, 317, 115621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115621
Curty Pereira, R., Elliott, S. J., & Llaguno Cárdenas, P. (2023). Stepping into the Void: Lessons Learned from Civil Society Organizations during COVID-19 in Rio de Janeiro. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20085507
Dogoli, M. A., Nunbogu, A. M., & Elliott, S. J. (2023). Attention to the needs of women and girls in WASH: An analysis of WASH policies in selected sub-Saharan African countries. Global Public Health, 18(1), 2256831. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2256831
Elliott, S.J. (2023) Humility: bearing witness in global health. In: Bisung E. and Plamondon K. (eds) Equity in Global Health Research Routledge, pp. 149 – 161.
Elliott, S.J. (2023) From principles to practice: bearing witness to a way forward in global health equity. In: Bisung E. and Plamondon K. (eds) Equity in Global Health Research Routledge, pp. 185 - 191.

2022

Alsabbagh, M. W., Cooke, M., Elliott, S. J., Chang, F., Shah, N.-U.-H., & Ghobrial, M. (2022). Stepping up to the Canadian opioid crisis: A longitudinal analysis of the correlation between socioeconomic status and population rates of opioid-related mortality, hospitalization and emergency department visits (2000-2017). Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice, 42(6), 229–237. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.42.6.01
Butler, A. E., Battista, K., Leatherdale, S. T., Meyer, S. B., Elliott, S. J., & Majowicz, S. E. (2022). A comparison of repeat cross-sectional and longitudinal results from the COMPASS study: Design considerations for analysing surveillance data over time. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 25(5), 597–609. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2021.1922804
Cardwell, F. S., Clarke, A. E., & Elliott, S. J. (2022). Investigating self-reported food allergy prevalence in Waterloo Region, Canada. The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe Canadien. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12800
Cardwell, F. S., Elliott, S. J., Chin, R., Pierre, Y. S., Ben-Shoshan, M., Chan, E. S., Gerdts, J., Harada, L., Asai, Y., La Vieille, S., & Clarke, A. E. (2022). Economic burden of food allergy in Canada: Estimating costs and identifying determinants. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 129(2), 220–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2022.04.027
Cardwell, F. S., Elliott, S. J., Chin, R., Pierre, Y. S., Choi, M. Y., Urowitz, M. B., Ruiz-Irastorza, G., Bernatsky, S., Wallace, D. J., Petri, M. A., Manzi, S., Bae, S.-C., Shin, J.-M., Mak, A., Cho, J., Peschken, C. A., Ramsey-Goldman, R., Fortin, P. R., Hanly, J. G., … Clarke, A. E. (2022). Health information use by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lupus Science & Medicine, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2022-000755
Dixon, J., Cardwell, F. S., Clarke, A. E., & Elliott, S. J. (2022). Choices are inevitable: A qualitative exploration of the lifecosts of systemic lupus erythematosus. Chronic Illness, 18(1), 125–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742395320910490
Elliott, S. J. (2022). Changing geographies of aging on a global scale: The knowledge to action gap. The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe Canadien, 66(1), 60–64. https://doi.org/10.1111/cag.12751
Elliott, S. J. (2022). Global health for all by 2030. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 113(2), 175–177. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-022-00623-x
Li, S., Schmidt, A. M., & Elliott, S. J. (2022). Socioeconomic factors and bacillary dysentery risk in Jiangsu Province, China: A spatial investigation using Bayesian hierarchical models. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 32(1), 220–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2020.1746745
Liu, J., Brouwer, R., Sharmin, D. F., Elliott, S., Govia, L., & Lindamood, D. (2022). Industry Perspectives on Water Pollution Management in a Fast Developing Megacity: Evidence from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sustainability, 14(24), 16389. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416389
Manjang, B., Ochola, E. A., & Elliott, S. J. (2022). The use of non-pharmaceutical interventions for the prevention and control of schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. Global Public Health, 17(3), 469–482. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2020.1869799
Memauri, T. D., Golding, M. A., Gerdts, J. D., Simons, E., Abrams, E. M., Elliott, S. J., Roos, L. E., Kim, H., & Protudjer, J. L. P. (2022). The perceived impact of pediatric food allergy on mental health care needs and supports: A pilot study. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global, 1(2), 67–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacig.2022.01.002
Nunbogu, A. M., & Elliott, S. J. (2022). Characterizing gender-based violence in the context of water, sanitation, and hygiene: A scoping review of evidence in low- and middle-income countries. Water Security, 15, 100113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasec.2022.100113
Ochola, E. A., Karanja, D. M. S., & Elliott, S. J. (2022). Local tips, global impact: Community-driven measures as avenues of promoting inclusion in the control of neglected tropical diseases: a case study in Kenya. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 11(1), 88. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-022-01011-w

2021

Abu, T. Z., Elliott, S. J., & Karanja, D. (2021). ‘When you preach water and you drink wine’: WASH in healthcare facilities in Kenya. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 11(4), 558–569. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2021.238
Alsabbagh, M. W., Chang, F., Cooke, M., Elliott, S. J., & Chen, M. (2021). National trends in population rates of opioid-related mortality, hospitalization and emergency department visits in Canada between 2000 and 2017. A population-based study. Addiction, 116(12), 3482–3493. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15571
Cardwell, F. S., Dixon, J., Clarke, A. E., & Elliott, S. J. (2021). Canadian workplace experiences of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Lupus Science & Medicine, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2021-000536
Cardwell, F. S., Elliott, S. J., & Clarke, A. E. (2021). The value of hackathons in integrated knowledge translation (iKT) research: Waterlupus. Health Research Policy and Systems, 19(1), 138. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-021-00785-z
Clarke, A. E., Elliott, S. J., St. Pierre, Y., Soller, L., La Vieille, S., & Ben-Shoshan, M. (2021). Demographic characteristics associated with food allergy in a Nationwide Canadian Study. Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology, 17(1), 72. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13223-021-00572-z
Kangmennaang, J., & Elliott, S. J. (2021). Linking water (in)security and wellbeing in low-and middle-income countries. Water Security, 13, 100089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasec.2021.100089
Lindamood, D., Armitage, D., Sharmin, D. F., Brouwer, R., Elliott, S. J., Liu, J. A., & Khan, M. R. (2021). Assessing the capacity for adaptation and collaboration in the context of freshwater pollution management in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Environmental Science & Policy, 120, 99–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.02.015
Nunbogu, A. M., & Elliott, S. J. (2021). Towards an integrated theoretical framework for understanding water insecurity and gender-based violence in Low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Health & Place, 71, 102651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102651
Ochola, E. A., Elliott, S. J., & Karanja, D. M. S. (2021). The Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on Women’s Health and Wellbeing in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): A Case Study of Kenya. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 2180. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042180
Ochola, E. A., Karanja, D. M. S., & Elliott, S. J. (2021). The impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on health and wellbeing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): A case study of Kenya. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009131