About
This initiative advances a rigorous, transdisciplinary approach to evaluating how health systems make decisions about allocating scarce resources. Priority setting, deciding which programs, services, or populations receive funding, is central to health system performance, yet its evaluation is often inconsistent or overlooked. This research examines how real-world decision processes affect equity, particularly for communities that experience structural disadvantage, and identifies opportunities to strengthen fairness, transparency, and accountability in resource allocation.
Using mixed-methods evaluation and implementation science, this work brings together perspectives from social science, ethics, epidemiology, and health economics to assess how priority setting functions across diverse contexts. It has included multi-country analyses of decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting and expanding existing frameworks to evaluate fairness and equity under crisis conditions. Findings have informed global discussions on priority setting and contributed to emerging guidance on equitable pandemic preparedness and routine health system decision-making.
Guided by the Global Priority Setting Evaluation Collaborative (GPSET), this work centres on deep partnerships with health system leaders and policymakers to co-translate evidence into concrete, actionable recommendations. Through policy dialogues, system mapping, and collaborative forums, this research informs country partners, particularly in low-income settings to strengthen decision processes to better reflect societal values, protect marginalized populations, and use limited resources more effectively.
Illustrative Publications
- Health Policy Series on COVID-19 Priority Setting: https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/1086NK89HNV
- Essue BM, Kapiriri L, Vélez CM, Danis M, Goold SD, Nouvet E, Williams I. Priority setting in times of crises: a case study of COVID-19 pandemic preparedness planning in the Western Pacific Region. Health Policy. 2024. Available from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 38364637/ - Kapiriri L, Essue BM, Vélez CM, Ableson J, Nouvet E, Aguilera B, Danis M, Goold S, Williams I. Was priority setting included in the Canadian COVID-19 pandemic planning and preparedness? A comparative analysis of COVID-19 pandemic plans from eight provinces and three territories. Health Policy. 2023; 133:104817. Available from: https://
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/ articles/ PMC10074731/ - Kapiriri L, Kiwanuka S, Biemba G, Vélez C, Razavi SD, Abelson J, Essue BM, Danis M, Goold S, Noorulhuda M, Nouvet E, Sandman L, Williams I. Priority setting and equity in the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Policy Plan. 2022; 37: 297-309. Available from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 34545395/ - Chukwu OA, Kapiriri L, Essue B. Supporting the pandemic response and timely access to COVID-19 vaccines: a case for stronger priority setting and health system governance in Nigeria. Int. J. Pharm. Pract. 2022; 30: 284-287. Available from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 35468198/ - Essue BM, Kapiriri L. Priority setting for health system strengthening in low income countries. A qualitative case study illustrating the complexities. Health Syst. 2020; 10: 222-237. Available from: https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 34377445/
