Willy Dunbar, M.D., Ph.D., is a Global Public Health Specialist and currently serves as an Expert Scientific Advisor at the National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) in Canada and as a Project Consultant for both the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
In Canada, Dr. Dunbar's work focuses on policy analysis and public health surveillance to enhance emergency preparedness and address health inequities. He has been instrumental in developing innovative public health strategies aimed at improving health outcomes for diverse populations across the country. His projects examine the syndemic interactions between the COVID-19 pandemic and health inequalities, utilizing a socio-ecological model to provide a comprehensive analysis of the multi-level impacts and inform evidence-based policy interventions.
Dr. Dunbar's research is dedicated to health policy, global health, climate change, and addressing health inequalities among underserved and minority populations. His career is driven by a commitment to improving health outcomes for populations that have not fully benefited from public health interventions and strategies.
Throughout his career, Dr. Dunbar has coordinated numerous projects across Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on landscape mapping and opportunities analysis. His work has been instrumental in identifying gaps and securing investments in climate health equity strategies. Currently, he collaborates with IAI and CARPHA on various initiatives, including developing research agendas, creating early warning systems for climate-sensitive diseases, designing training courses for public health and vector-borne disease prevention and management, and formulating regional guidelines for outbreak investigation under the Caribbean Vector-borne Diseases Network (CARIVECNET).
An active contributor to the scientific community, Dr. Dunbar reviews for several peer-reviewed journals and has authored and co-authored multiple publications. He serves on university committees and volunteers on the boards of several international non-profit and professional organizations, demonstrating his commitment to advancing public health on a global scale.