Close

Professor Tolib Mirzoev

MD MA PhD

Professor
of Global Health Policy

LSHTM
Keppel Street
London
WC1E 7HT
United Kingdom

I am Professor of Global Health Policy in the Department of Global Health and Development. My expertise covers three inter-connected areas: health policies, health systems and capacity strengthening. My research is primarily in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Before joining the LSHTM in April 2021, I was based at the University of Leeds where I hold a Visiting Professorship. I also worked with government and non-government organisations, provided consultancy services to international agencies (e.g. WHO, World Bank) and advised key research funders (UKRI, NIHR, EC) through funding committees.

I am an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Health Systems Global, and a Fellow of UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) with substantial experience in teaching, guest lecturing, external examining and mentoring.

Affiliations

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

Teaching

My current teaching responsibilities include:

  • coordinating an Organisational or Policy Analysis (OPA) component of the Doctorate of Public Health (DrPH) programme; 
  • seminar leader on the following modules: (a) Health Policy, Process and Power and (b) Health Systems; 
  • personal tutoring and mentoring.

Research

My research expertise and interests cover three inter-connected areas: health systems, health policies and capacity strengthening. Specific topics include health policy analysis | evidence-informed policymaking | health systems assessment & strengthening | health systems responsiveness | capacity assessments & strengthening | governance, planning, management | information systems | human resources | equity and social inclusion | urban health.

My research has been funded, following competitive processes, by the following major funders: the UK Research Councils (MRC, ESRC, APHRC, Research England), NIHR, FCDO/DFID, EC and WHO. Geographically, virtually all my research is in low- and middle-income countries involving equitable partnerships with academic institutions, NGOs and policymakers. In terms of health areas, my health policy and systems research has been applied to maternal health and, increasingly, to mental health and non-communicable diseases. Methodologically, my work is primarily qualitative and increasingly cross-disciplinary and mixed-methods, with multiple projects employing theory-driven realist evaluation approaches.

On health systems, I’m currently a joint Director of the NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-communicable Disease Control in West Africa (Stop-NCD), leading the RESPONSE study which aims to better understand and improve health systems responsiveness in Ghana and Vietnam; and co-leading health policy analysis in AdoWA project on adolescents mental, sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger). I have led REVAMP study of effectiveness of a national maternal and child health programme in Nigeria; RESPOND study of patient feedback systems in Bangladesh; HESVIC study of health systems governance in India, Vietnam and China; and the design of the intervention to improve mental health information systems in Ghana and South Africa in the MHAPP consortium. I have also jointly led research methodology in PERFORM study of decentralised management to improve staff performance in Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania; and implementation research on improving local acceptability of village midwives amongst ethnic minority communities in Vietnam.

On health policies, I am currently leading research on evidence-informed mental health policymaking in India within on-going SAMA study. I have jointly led the AMIPS study, which focused on understanding and improving the implementation of medicines pricing policies in Ghana. In the past, I have also led assessment of research-policy pathways in the Big Picture project; research into the role of evidence in the development of six health policies in India and Nigeria in the EVAL-HEALTH project; assessment of data-driven health planning for urban health in Bangladesh, Nepal and Vietnam from SUE project; and examination of evidence-informed policymaking in India, Vietnam and China within HEPVIC study.

On capacity strengthening, my work entails leading and coordinating work related to individual and organisational capacity strengthening within multi-partner consortia. I’m currently capacity strengthening advisor within CHoRUS programme which focuses on urban health systems in Bangladesh, Ghana, Nepal and Nigeria; and have been capacity lead within IMPACT consortium which focused on physical and mental multi-morbidity in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. In the past, I led assessments of capacities of seven African universities with regards to health policy and systems research in the CHEPSAA consortium.

My further work on social inclusion included leadership of the SINC-Urban study of social inclusion within sustainable urban developments in Nigeria and Vietnam; and contributions to the Socially Inclusive Cities project which focused on social inclusion in Kenya, Nigeria, Vietnam and India, and its follow-on Partnerships for Equity and Inclusion.

Research Area
Complex interventions
Health care policy
Health policy
Health sector development
Health systems
Maternal health
Primary care
Research : policy relationship
Health workers
Capacity strengthening
Evaluation
Evidence use
Global Health
Mixed methods
Implementation research
Qualitative methods
Reproductive health
Discipline
Policy analysis
Social Sciences
Management
Disease and Health Conditions
Non-communicable diseases
Country
Bangladesh
China
Ghana
India
Nigeria
Nepal
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Uganda
Vietnam
Region
East Asia & Pacific (developing only)
Europe & Central Asia (developing only)
Sub-Saharan Africa (developing only)

Selected Publications

Village health worker motivation for better performance in a maternal and child health programme in Nigeria: A realist evaluation
Mbachu C; Etiaba E; Ebenso B; Ogu U; Onwujekwe O; Uzochukwu B; Manzano A; Mirzoev T
2022
Journal of Health Services Research & Policy
Role of trust in sustaining provision and uptake of maternal and child healthcare: Evidence from a national programme in Nigeria.
Ezumah N; Manzano A; Ezenwaka U; Obi U; Ensor T; Etiaba E; Onwujekwe O; Ebenso B; Uzochukwu B; Huss R
2021
Social science & medicine (1982)
Realist evaluation to improve health systems responsiveness to neglected health needs of vulnerable groups in Ghana and Vietnam: Study protocol
Mirzoev T; Manzano A; Ha BTT; Agyepong IA; Trang DTH; Danso-Appiah A; Thi LM; Ashinyo ME; Vui LT; Gyimah L
2021
PLOS ONE
Systematic review of the role of social inclusion within sustainable urban developments
Mirzoev T; Tull KI; Winn N; Mir G; King NV; Wright JM; Gong YY
2021
International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology
Examining the Roles of Stakeholders and Evidence in Policymaking for Inclusive Urban Development in Nigeria: Findings from a Policy Analysis
Onwujekwe O; Orjiakor CT; Odii A; Uzochukwu B; Agwu P; Mbachu C; Onuh J; Ajaero C; Mirzoev T
2021
Urban Forum
'If you are on duty, you may be afraid to come out to attend to a person': fear of crime and security challenges in maternal acute care in Nigeria from a realist perspective
Etiaba E; Manzano A; Agbawodikeizu U; Ogu U; Ebenso B; Uzochukwu B; Onwujekwe O; Ezumah N; Mirzoev T
2020
BMC Health Services Research
Reclaiming comprehensive public health
Loewenson R; Accoe K; Bajpai N; Buse K; Deivanayagam TA; London L; Méndez CA; Mirzoev T; Nelson E; Parray AA
2020
BMJ Global Health
Tracing theories in realist evaluations of large-scale health programmes in low- and middle-income countries: experience from Nigeria
Mirzoev T; Etiaba E; Ebenso B; Uzochukwu B; Ensor T; Onwujekwe O; Huss R; Ezumah N; Manzano A
2020
Health Policy and Planning
What makes advocacy work? Stakeholders' voices and insights from prioritisation of maternal and child health programme in Nigeria
Uzochukwu B; Onyedinma C; Okeke C; Onwujekwe O; Manzano A; Ebenso B; Etiaba E; Ezuma N; Mirzoev T
2020
BMC Health Services Research
Is evidence-informed urban health planning a myth or reality? Lessons from a qualitative assessment in three Asian cities
Mirzoev T; Poudel AN; Gissing S; Doan TTD; Ferdous T; Regmi S; Duong MD; Baral S; Chand O; Huque R
2019
Health Policy and Planning
Contextual influences on the role of evidence in health policy development: what can we learn from six policies in India and Nigeria?
Mirzoev T; Das M; Ebenso B; Uzochukwu B; Rawat B; Blok L; Russo G; Thepthien B-O; Huss R
2017
Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice
Shaping the Health Policy Agenda: The Case of Safe Motherhood Policy in Vietnam.
Ha BTT; Mirzoev T; Mukhopadhyay M
2015
International journal of health policy and management
Mental health policy process: a comparative study of Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.
Omar MA; Green AT; Bird PK; Mirzoev T; Flisher AJ; Kigozi F; Lund C; Mwanza J; Ofori-Atta AL
2010
International journal of mental health systems
See more Publications