I am a health policy and systems researcher engaged in innovative, applied and interdisciplinary work. I hold a joint appointment between the LSHTM and the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, where I am the head of the Health Policy and Systems Division, in the School of Public Health. My recent areas of research include conceptual and empirical work on health systems resilience, health system governance and leadership, and I have a long-standing interest in the politics of health policy change and implementation. I am also passionate about capacity strengthening in the field of health policy and systems research, and have supported a wide range of formal postgraduate education activities, as well as other forms of capacity strengthening work. From my UCT base I have also established strong networks with health policy-makers and managers, and other health policy and systems researchers within the Western Cape province of South Africa, and nationally - through dialogue, research, teaching and responsive engagement. I also have a track record of international collaborative research and policy engagement. I am currently the co-chief editor of the journal Health Policy and Planning, and was a member of the Health Systems Global Board 2014-2022.