Walaa Ammar

Supervisor

Department of Public Health and Primary Care

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Walaa Ammar is a postdoctoral fellow at ICRH, Ghent University, where she coordinates research activities and contributes to strategic and operational planning. Her research focuses on the intersections of health and human rights and the sociology of health and illness, particularly in contexts of conflict and complex emergencies. She earned her PhD from the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at Ghent University in 2024. Her doctoral research examined the experiences of Palestinian women diagnosed with breast cancer, exploring their journeys through an intersectional lens of structural discrimination using a mixed-methods approach. Before joining ICRH, Walaa worked as an Advocacy Officer with WHO, specializing in information management, research, and evidence-based advocacy. She also holds a Master’s in Development Studies with a specialization in conflict and social justice from Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Email: walaa.shehada@ugent.be

Research themes:

Health, health care and psychosocial well-being || Discrimination, racism and prejudice || Identity || Refugee camps and asylum centres