Gwenda Hughes is a professor in epidemiology and public health. She joined LSHTM in 2021 as Deputy Director and Head of Research with the UK-Public Health Rapid Support Team, where she leads a programme of research in outbreak preparedness and response in low- and middle-income countries. Prior to this she was a public health consultant and scientist in epidemiology with 25 years of experience in HIV and STI surveillance, epidemiology and research. She headed the Blood Safety, Hepatitis, STI & HIV Division in Public Health England (now UK Health Security Agency) and developed and led national surveillance and monitoring programmes on STIs and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in STIs including GUMCAD and the Gonococcal Resistance to Antimicrobials Surveillance Programme.

She co-led the risk reduction theme in (and remains affiliated with) the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections between (2014-2021) and an Honorary Professor at the Department of Infection & Population Health at the Institute for Global Health, University College London. She was a visiting professor in STIs and AMR at the Professor at the Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, University of São Paulo in Brazil for 6 months (2018-19) and continues to collaborate with this research group. She is a Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health and an accredited public health specialist on the UK Public Health Register.