About
This initiative aims to advance universal health coverage (UHC) by integrating equity-focused health economics methods in implementation science research. It examines not only what interventions work, but how, for whom, and under what system conditions they can be effectively implemented, scaled, and sustained. The research applies economic evaluation methods early in intervention design and rollout to generate context-sensitive evidence on value, equity, reach, fidelity, and feasibility, evidence that is essential for strengthening health and social systems and improving real-world decision-making.
This work spans multiple global and national collaborations across Asia, Latin America, and Canada. It includes economic evaluations conducted alongside implementation trials and complex interventions, such as health-financing reforms, peer-education and referral models, compensation strategies for community support workers, housing approaches for survivors of violence, and anti-discrimination measures within social protection systems. Across these diverse settings, the focus remains on elevating the equity implications of implementation decisions and supporting policy actors to allocate resources in ways that promote inclusion and reduce avoidable disparities.
A central component of this initiative is a global collaborative dedicated to strengthening UHC implementation research. This network brings together interdisciplinary researchers, practitioners, decision-makers, advocates, and individuals with lived experience to identify evidence gaps, co-develop implementation research agendas, and build capacity for the next generation of global health system leaders.
Collectively, this program of work demonstrates how aligning implementation science with equity-oriented economic methods can generate actionable evidence, inform investment decisions, and support the design of health systems that are more just, efficient, and responsive to the needs of all populations.
Illustrative publications
- Wodnik BK, Namyalo PK, Michaelides O, Essue BM, Kane S, Di Ruggiero E. Implementation science research priorities for Universal Health Coverage: methodological lessons from the design and implementation of a multicountry modified Delphi study. Health Policy Plan. 2025 Mar 7;40(3):422-427. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czae119. Available from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ /39658269 - Namyalo PK, Wodnik BK, Michaelides O, Kane S, Essue B, Di Ruggiero E. Identifying implementation science research and policy priorities to advance universal health coverage: a multi-country modified Delphi study. BMJ Glob Health. 2025 Aug 7;10(8):e018562. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018562. Avaialble from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 40780834/ - Chukwu OA, Adewole IF, Denburg A, Essue BM. Improving childhood cancer medicines access in developing countries: Towards an implementation framework to inform the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines for Nigeria. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024 Sep 6;4(9):e0003275. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003275. Available from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 39240943/ - Maulik PK, Daniel M, Devarapalli S, Kallakuri S, Kaur A, Ghosh A, Billot L, Mukherjee A, Sagar R, Kant S, Chatterjee S, Essue BM, Raman U, Praveen D, Thornicroft G, Saxena S, Patel A, Peiris D. Mental Health Care Support in Rural India: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2024. Aug 14:e242305. Available from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 39141372/ - Yatirajula SK, Kallakuri S, Paslawar S, Mukherjee A, Bhattacharya A, Chatterjee S, Sagar R, Kumar A, Lempp H, Raman U, Singh R, Essue B, Billot L, Peiris D, Norton R, Thornicroft G, Maulik PK. An intervention to reduce stigma and improve management of depression, risk of suicide/self-harm and other significant emotional or medically unexplained complaints among adolescents living in urban slums: protocol for the ARTEMIS project. Trials. 2022 Jul 29;23(1):612. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06539-8. Available from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 35906663/ - Daniel M, Maulik PK, Kallakuri S, Kaur A, Devarapalli S, Mukherjee A, Bhattacharya A, Billot L, Thornicroft G, Praveen D, Raman U, Sagar R, Kant S, Essue B, Chatterjee S, Saxena S, Patel A, Peiris D. An integrated community and primary healthcare worker intervention to reduce stigma and improve management of common mental disorders in rural India: protocol for the SMART Mental Health programme. Trials. 2021 Mar 2;22(1):179. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05136-5. Available from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 33653406/
Accepting Students
This project is looking for students to conduct economic evaluations
