Dr. Gillian Hall, MBBS MRCGP DRCOG DTM&H

Dr. Gillian Hall graduated from the London Hospital Medical College, University of London, in 1989 as a medical doctor and did her junior doctor training in hospitals in and around East London.  In 1994 she completed her specialty training and has been working for the last 19 years as a General Practitioner (Family Medicine Physician) at her practice in the borough of Newham, in East London, serving one of the most diverse and deprived communities in the UK.

Gillian has been fortunate enough during her life and career to have had many adventures and exciting experiences, at times facing real life/death situations; at other times, very painful and personal issues such as infertility, failed IVF treatments, miscarriages and several very challenging family situations.

She was working on a research project at the Sickle Cell Unit in Kingston, Jamaica when the full force of Hurricane Gilbert hit the island in 1988.  In 1993, Gillian worked as an Expedition Doctor in Zimbabwe and Namibia, travelling into other countries in East Africa, with the British Charity and Raleigh International.  It was in Africa that she developed a love for work in the developing world and following another brush with death, seriously started her thinking about God.  Soon after returning to London, she was invited to attend a service with the East London Church of Christ and was baptised in April 1994.

In 1995, as a young Christian, Gillian visited several HOPE programs in India and was completely inspired by the work HOPE was doing.  Later that year, she studied for a diploma in tropical diseases at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and in 1996, had the privilege of joining the original International Medical Team that started the Sihanouk Hospital Centre of HOPE, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, HOPE Worldwide’s largest project.  She was put in charge of developing the HIV/AIDS work and was made Director of an amazing department as God blessed their work.  Gillian met her husband, Dr. Ferdie Cruz, who was also part of the HOPE medical team from Manila, Philippines in Cambodia and they married in Phnom Penh in 1999, and returned to live in London in 2000.

They now have 2 children and are part of the incredible family that is the East London Church of Christ, where she is affectionately known as ‘’Dr. Gill’’.