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Dr Neha Singh

Associate Professor

London School of Hygiene andTropical Medicine
15-17 Tavistock Place
London
WC1H 9SH
United Kingdom

I conduct interdisciplinary health policy and systems research, aiming to improve the design, prioritisation, affordability and availability of essential health services for populations in humanitarian crises settings. Under this broad theme, my research fits into 3 areas: (1) health services provision and access; (2) health financing to improve health service delivery and equity; and (3) health policy implementation.

I am also co-Director of the Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres/health-humanitarian-crises-cen…), and co-Programme Director of the new distance learning MSc in Health in Humanitarian Crises (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/courses/masters-degrees/health-humanitari…).

Affiliations

Department of Global Health and Development
Faculty of Public Health and Policy

Centres

Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health
Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre
Global Health Economics Centre

Teaching

I am the co-Programme Director of the new distance learning MSc in Health in Humanitarian Crises (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/courses/masters-degrees/health-humanitari…). I also co-organise and teach on the Family Planning Programmes module; and lecture on the Conflict and Health and Control of STIs modules at LSHTM.

I supervise PhD, DrPH and MSc students. Unfortunately I am not able at present to take on any more research degree students.

Research

My research includes a range of studies focused on health policy and systems research to improve women's, children's and adolescent health in humanitarian crises settings. I spend my time between academic research and technical support to humanitarian health actors, including UN agencies and NGOs, at local, national and global levels.

- I am the Principal Investigator of the RAISE study (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/raise), which aims to assess governance (including decision-making and financing) and delivery of vaccines for children in humanitarian settings, to improve the equitable delivery of vaccines to zero-dose children in crises-affected settings.

- I co-lead the sexual and reproductive health-focused work package in the Afya Consortium (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/afya-consortium), which conducts research on public health threats in populations affected by crises in Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.

- I am the health financing work package lead in the GOAL (https://www.google.com/search?q=goal+lshtm&oq=goal+lshtm&gs_lcrp=EgZjaH…) project, which aims to support government and partners in strengthening the ability of health systems to meet the mental health needs of Syrian refugee and host communities in Lebanon.

My previous research has focused on:

- Assessing health financing arrangements and service delivery for sexual and reproductive health interventions for South Sudanese refugee and host populations in Northern Uganda as part of the RECAP project (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/recap)

- Assessing the implementation of key health interventions for women and children in Syria as part of the BRANCH consortium (https://www.branchconsortium.com/). As part of this consortium, I also led a study on analysing the implementation of key interventions for women, children and adolescents in 10 conflict-affected countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America which was published in the first Lancet series on women's and children's health in conflict settings.

- Conducting research on the impacts of COVID-19 on sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health in humanitarian settings.

- Revising Afghanistan's basic package of health services (https://gh.bmj.com/content/8/9/e012508).

- I have also led a series of evidence reviews of sexual, reproductive and newborn health interventions in humanitarian settings.

My research experience has made me keenly aware of inequities present in current research structures and health responses in humanitarian contexts. My vision is to develop and operationalise more respectful and gender-transformative ways of working in humanitarian settings and on sensitive issues (e.g. sexual and reproductive health). Working with humanitarian actors and academics, I led the first guidance document on conducting feminist and decolonial research in forced displacement settings (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)0002…), and with the help of the FAIR Network and members of Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre, launched the Centre's charter, committing all Centre members to decolonise our work including research, teaching and partnerships (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres/health-humanitarian-crises-cen…). With a generous donation from the Reproductive Justice Initiative (formerly Decolonising Contraception), I have co-founded the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Equity Fund at LSHTM, which consists of a prize and scholarships aiming to encourage MSc students to conduct research on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of marginalised communities in the UK.

Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=ij0s_0QAAAAJ&view_op=li….

Research Area
Health systems
Health care financing
Public health
Health in humanitarian crises
Conflict
Health policy
Operational research
Country
South Sudan
Sudan
Somalia
Afghanistan
Syria
Lebanon
Mozambique
Uganda
Tanzania
India
China
Kenya
Region
Europe & Central Asia (developing only)
Middle East & North Africa (developing only)
Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)

Selected Publications

A systematic review of newborn health interventions in humanitarian settings.
Rodo, M; DUCLOS, D; DeJong, J; Akik, C; SINGH, NS;
2022
BMJ global health
"They will say you want to make their home die": A mixed methods study to assess modern family planning use in partnered South Sudanese refugee and host populations in Northern Uganda.
SINGH, NS; Prabhakar, P; SSALI, A; Namakula, S; Namatovu, J; Kapiti, R; Kasiri, J; Mounier-Jack, S;
2022
PLoS global public health
Do we really want to know? The journey to implement empirical research recommendations in the ICRC's responses in Myanmar and Lebanon.
LERESCHE, E; Hossain, M; Rossi, R; Truppa, C; Barth, CA; MACTAGGART, I; Leaning, J; SINGH, N;
2022
Disasters
The development of Afghanistan's Integrated Package of Essential Health Services: Evidence, expertise and ethics in a priority setting process.
LANGE, IL; Feroz, F; Naeem, AJ; Saeedzai, SA; Arifi, F; SINGH, N; Blanchet, K;
2022
Social Science & Medicine
Analysis of health overseas development aid for internally displaced persons in low- and middle-income countries.
ROBERTS, B; Ekezie, W; Jobanputra, K; SMITH, J; Ellithy, S; Cantor, D; SINGH, N; Patel, P;
2022
Journal of migration and health
Prioritising women's and girls' health in disaster settings: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and the overlapping crises affecting Beirut, Lebanon.
STEVENSON, K; Holtermann-Entwistle, O; Alameddine, R; Ghattas, H; DeJong, J; SINGH, N; Usta, J;
2022
Global public health
Zooming in and out: a holistic framework for research on maternal, late foetal and newborn survival and health.
SINGH, NS; Blanchard, AK; BLENCOWE, H; Koon, AD; Boerma, T; Sharma, S; CAMPBELL, OM R;
2021
Health Policy And Planning
Avoiding the Road to Nowhere: Policy Insights on Scaling up and Sustaining Digital Health.
LeFevre, A; Chamberlain, S; SINGH, NS; Scott, K; Menon, P; Barron, P; Ved, RR; George, A;
2021
Global Policy
Research in forced displacement: guidance for a feminist and decolonial approach.
SINGH, NS; LOKOT, M; Undie, C-C; Onyango, MA; Morgan, R; Harmer, A; Freedman, J; Heidari, S;
2021
Lancet (London, England)
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