Dr Marco Liverani
MSc PhD
Assistant Professor
of Health Policy
I am a social scientist with postgraduate training in social anthropology (MSc, University College London) and a doctorate in sociology (University of Exeter). Over the years I have developed and consolidated expertise in the field of health policy and systems research, particularly in Cambodia and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia. In this context, I have researched health policy issues at different levels of analysis, from the micro level of health seeking behaviour and the uptake of health technologies in rural communities to the study of health policy making and governance at the national and regional level.
My contribution to global health aims to inform and inspire the development of timely, sustainable, and equitable health policy and programmes, with a focus on access to health care for the underserved population groups. In addition to my work at the LSHTM I have a teaching appointment at Nagasaki University and a honorary adjunct position at Mahidol University in Bangkok. I have been principal investigator or co-investigator in several projects, receiving support from the ESRC, MRC, the Australian Research Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia, the Asia-Europe Foundation, and the UK National Institute for Health Research.
Teaching
I am Deputy Module Organiser for the distance learning module ‘The Politics of Global Health Policy’. I offer supervision to doctoral and masters students with a background in the social sciences, especially those who are interested in health and development in East and Southeast Asia.
Research
Wearable health monitors and health system strengthening
Non-communicable diseases account for the majority of preventable deaths worldwide, and more than 85% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where capacities of local health systems are often inadequate to address this challenge.
Wearable health monitors such as smartwatches are a promising technological innovation which could be used in these countries to support public health programmes for the prevention and control of NCDs.
BIOS is research project which aims to assess this potential in Cambodia. It is funded under the Joint Health System Research Initiative and involves a collaboration between the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the National Institute of Public Health in Phnom Penh.
Private pharmacies and antibiotic dispensing in Indonesia
In many LMICs, people prefer local pharmacies because they are conveniently located, open in the evening, trusted and sell antibiotics without asking for a prescription. Yet it is estimated that three in four requests for antibiotics at pharmacies worldwide end up in the sale of non-prescribed antibiotics.
In Indonesia, as in other parts of Asia, inappropriate dispensing of antibiotics at private pharmacies and other drugstores is common against the background of a growing pharmaceutical market.
PINTAR is an ongoing research project which aims to gain a better understanding of interactions between providers and customers at private drug sellers in Indonesia and to develop interventions to improve antibiotic dispensing practices. Funded by DFAT Australia, PINTAR involves a collaboration between the LSHTM, the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and the University of Gadjah Mada in Indonesia.
Covid-19: I am involved in several research activities aimed to strengthen the health system response to Covid-19 in LMICs. As part of the PINTAR project, we are conducting a study of knowledge, awareness and practices related to Covid-19 amongst pharmacists in Indonesia. In addition, I am co-investigator in a new a grant recently awarded by the NIHR to assess and mitigate the indirect effects of Covid-19 on HIV and TB care in the same country.
Selected Publications
