Dr Margo Louise Turnbull

Biography

My research examines the social, geographical, and cultural complexities of health and disease in contemporary societies with a primary focus on South East Asia. My work brings together theories and mixed methods research practices from the fields of health communication, applied linguistics, public health, and migration studies.

I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Communication at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and am affiliated with PolyU's Mental Health Research Centre, and the Joint Research Centre for Primary Health Care.

The real-world impact of my work has been recognised through two consecutive Knowledge Transfer awards at PolyU: the Individual Award for Knowledge Transfer: Society (2024) and the Individual Award for Knowledge Transfer: Industry (2025). My community-based and co-designed research has been endorsed and promoted by the International Organization for Migration (UN), the European Union Delegation in Hong Kong, and workers' groups across the region.

I currently serve as an Associate Editor for the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. I am also a reviewer for journals including Patient Education and Counseling, and Emotion, Space and Society.

Career history

Period	Role
Jan–Mar 2026	Visiting Academic, School of Social Sciences, University of Queensland (Sociohealth Lab)
Nov 2022 – present	Assistant Professor, Dept. of English & Communication, PolyU
Jul 2020 – Nov 2022	Research Assistant Professor, PolyU
Aug 2018 – Jul 2020	Postdoctoral Fellow, PolyU
Aug 2017 – Aug 2018	Research Associate / Project Associate, PolyU
2000–2012	Speech and language pathologist; Allied health service manager (NHS London, paediatric community services)
1998–1999	Speech and language pathologist, Queensland and Tasmania

Education

PhD (Primary Health Care), University of Technology Sydney Embedded in ARC Linkage Project, Remaking Practices: Learning to Meet the Challenge of Practice Change in Primary Health Care, led by Emeritus Professor Nicky Solomon, in partnership with Western Sydney Local Health District.

MBA, University of New England

Bachelor of Speech Pathology & Bachelor of Arts, University of Queensland

Awards & recognition

• 2025

  Winner, Individual Award for Knowledge Transfer: Industry

  Faculty of Humanities, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

• 2024

  Winner, Individual Award for Knowledge Transfer: Society

  Faculty of Humanities, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

• 2022

  Nominee, PolyU President's Award

  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

• 2021

  Winner, Award for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching (Individual)

  Faculty of Humanities, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

• 2019

  Genealogy Journal Postdoctoral Travel Award

Citation trajectory

131 of 141 total citations have come since 2021 — 93% of career citations in 6 years. 2025 was the highest year on record.

Editorial & peer review service

Associate Editor: Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (Nature portfolio journal)

Reviewer for: Community Mental Health; Discourse & Society; Emotion Space and Society; Global Mental Health; Nurse Education Today; Patient Education and Counseling; PLOS ONE; Social Science and Medicine; Societies