Dr Virginia Wiseman
BEc(Hons) PhD
Professor
Health Economics & Health Systems
I began working as a health economist with LSHTM in 2001 and since that time have worked primarily on economic evaluation, equity, economics of infectious diseases and health care financing in low and middle income countries. Prior to coming to the school I worked in a health economics research unit at The University of Sydney, Australia where I collaborated on a range of health economics projects focussing on indigenous health care financing and priority setting in health care. I am currently based in Sydney where I have a joint position as Professor of Health Economics & Health Systems at the Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales. I have a fellowship from the Australian Health and Medical Reserach Council.
Centres
Teaching
I enjoy teaching and in particular developing bespoke training programmes in health economics. Since 2008 have run a short course in health care financing for UNICEF that involves an 8 week on line course and a 2 week face to face workshop in London. I regularly design and deliver other short courses in health economics for the UK Department for International Development and Australian Aid (Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). Lorna Guinness and I are co-editors of 'Introduction to Health Economics' - a textbook widely used for health economics teaching globally, as well as for distance learning and face to face teaching at LSHTM.
Research
My research focuses on the design and evaluation of interventions to support the delivery and financing of public health interventions in low and middle income countries. My general approach to intervention evaluation is to bring together empirical research tools widely used in economics and the social sciences with the operational realities of policy implementation to assess the impact of interventions targeting the poor. I mainly work in the area of infectious diseases in the Asia-Pacific with many terrific reserach partners in Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.
My reserach focuses on 2 key topics. The first is the evaluation of complex health interventions. I have led large scale randomised trials, cost-effectiveness analyses and process evaluations of complex interventions to support the introduction and scale-up of new diagnostic technologies for malaria, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in LMIC. Having previously led such studies in sub Saharan Africa, I have in recent years built a strong research programme in the Asia-Pacific where I currently lead or co-lead 8 projects including the recently funded PINTAR project (Protecting anitibiotics) in Indonesia that aims to develop and evaluate interventions to improve the use of antibiotics in the private sector (community pharmacies and drug stores). My other area of research is health systems financing. Health economics has a major role to play in addressing the burden of disease amongst the poor by ensuring equity in health care financing. Our studies typically use the quantitative techniques of financing and benefit incidence analysis to inform policy decisions on the best mix of financing mechanisms for strengthening health systems in the Asia-Pacific. This is complemented by qualitative investigations of the context and process of implementing financing reforms. I currently lead studies evaluating financing reforms to support universal health coverage and financial protection in Cambodia and Indonesia.
With my colleague Sandra Mounier-Jack, I also spend quite a bit of time as joint edito-in-chief of Health Policy & Planning, one of the leading journals in health systems and policy research in the world and housed at the LSHTM. Please check out our latest articles, blogs and podcasts here! https://academic.oup.com/heapol
Selected Publications
