Mr Karl Blanchet Master of Management and MScPH
Lecturer in Health Systems Research

- LSHTM
- Keppel Street
- London
- WC1E 7HT
- T: 07815797906
Karl Blanchet is a Lecturer on health systems at the International Centre for Eye Health at LSHTM. Karl is also a tutor of the Distance Learning MSc Public Health course (subjects: Health Policy, Health Service Management, Global Health).
Karl has a background in public health and international development studies and extensive experience in health system strengthening in Asia (Cambodia, Bangladesh, Nepal) and Africa (Niger, Rwanda, Ghana, Togo, Mali, Somaliland).
Karl has specific interests in studying sustainability and resilience issues in international development and more specifically in fragile states and complex emergencies. Karl has developed during his PhD innovative research approaches based on complexity science, system thinking and social network analysis. Karl also applied innovation theories to understand the routinisation process of health interventions. Karl was one of the contributors of the Chapter on General Health Care of the World Report on Disability published by the World Health Organisation.
Affiliation
- Department of Clinical Research
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
- Distance Education and Professional Development Office
Teaching
Lecture on "Introduction to Health Systems Research"
Lecture on "Health policy or health politics?"
Organiser of a one-week course on "health systems". Course developed for Master Students of the Institute of Advanced Studies on United Nations, Marseille, France.
Coordinator of the new short course on "Understanding an eye health system in order to achieve VISION 2020" that will take place betwee June 25-29 2012 in London.
Research
His main research interest is to understand how health service managers in the South make decisions about the future. Karl is particularly interested in understanding the resilience of local health systems by introducing notions of system dynamics and complexity science. His site of research is the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana. The study is funded by the Swiss Red Cross.
Karl lead a study funded by the French NGO, Handicap International, in five fragile states: Cambodia, Nepal, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somaliland. The objective of the study is to analyse the main determinants to the sustainability of rehabilitation and disability-related services. A video was produced to explain to field teams how sustainability can be measured with easy-to-understand tools: Podcast (long version); Podcast (short version)
Karl is also coordinated a study that started in January 2011 on the impact of post-disasters' interventions in Haiti in the rehabilitation sector and fundedd by CBM.
Karl is currently working on three different studies:
- the mapping of eye care professionals in sub-Saharan Africa (Donor: Sightsavers)
- the assessment of eye health systems (Donor: Sightsavers)
- the sustainability of rehabilitation and eye health systems (Donor: CBM)
Karl is also a reviewer for several scientific journals: PLoS Medicine, Health and Conflict.
Research areas
- Conflict
- Global Health
- Globalisation
- Health policy
- Health services research
- Health systems
- Organisational research
- Quality improvement
Disciplines
- Management
- Operational research
- Policy analysis
- Sociology
Disease and Health Conditions
- Blindness
- Disability
- Eye diseases
Regions
- East Asia & Pacific (developing only)
- Least developed countries: UN classification
- South Asia
- Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)
-
Selected publications
-
The role of social networks in the governance of health systems: the case of eye care systems in Ghana.
Blanchet, K. ; James, P. ;
Health Policy Plan, 2012;
-
How to do (or not to do) ... a social network analysis in health systems research.
Blanchet, K. ; James, P. ;
Health Policy Plan, 2011;
-
Many Reasons to Intervene: French and British Approaches to Humanitarian Action
Blanchet, K.; Martin, B.
Hurst Publishing (London) 2011
-
Many Reasons to Intervene: French and British Approaches to Humanitarian Action
Blanchet, K.; Martin, B.
Columbia University Press (New York) 2011
-
[Debate and challenges on the topic of free medical care in Africa: "Back to the Future"?]
Ridde, V.; Blanchet, K.;
Sante, 2009; 19(2):101-6
-
Critique de la raison humanitaire
Blanchet, K.; Martin, B.
Editions du Cavalier Bleu (Paris) 2006
-
Participatory development: between hopes and reality
Blanchet, K.
International Social Science Journal, 2001; 53(4):637-+
- → View all Mr Karl Blanchet's publications
