London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Two experts in health economics from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Professor Kara Hanson and Professor Richard Grieve, have been elected as new Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

They are part of this year’s intake of 60 top scientists from across the UK who join over 1,500 researchers in the Fellowship at the heart of the Academy’s work to nurture scientific talent and shape research and health policy.

Kara Hanson, Professor of Health System Economics at LSHTM, was elected for her health financing research and its use in global health policy.

Over more than 30 years, she has developed and used the ideas and methods of health economics to contribute new insights and evidence to global health policy. She has demonstrated the opportunities that private health providers offer for expanding access to life-saving interventions such as insecticide-treated bednets and antimalarial medicines, but also the limits of what markets can achieve in terms of equity and pace of coverage improvements. This has informed investment decisions by global health institutions.

Professor Hanson’s goal has always been to generate evidence that can inform policy and practice in low- and middle-income countries and among experts at the global level. This applied, action-oriented mindset was inspired by her early experience working as a health economist in the Ministry of Health, Swaziland where evidence for decision-making around key public health policies was often limited.

Through her work, Professor Hanson has built a strong global network of researchers, policymakers and practitioners, and a strong foundation for knowledge generation through collaborative research. For example, from 2005 to 2018 she co-led a series of UK government-funded health systems research consortia including RESYST (Resilient and Responsive Health Systems), which brought together researchers from the UK and seven low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia to address a range of health economics and health system questions.

She advises national governments and international organisations on health system and financing issues. In 2023 she was selected as the inaugural Programme Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Global Health Research Programme.

Professor Hanson said: “I am hugely honoured to have been elected as a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and to see the Academy recognising the value of health economics research in health and care decision-making. I’m enormously grateful to my colleagues around the world for the opportunities and collaborations they have enabled. And I look forward to working with the Academy’s fellowship in its mission of generating evidence and strengthening research capacity to improve health across the world.”

Richard Grieve, Professor of Health Economics Methodology, was elected for his work on methods of health economic evaluation which have generated evidence informing which medical advances are used in practice. He has identified major analytical problems that threaten the accuracy of applied studies, and then developed, deployed and translated better methods so that subsequent evaluations are fit for purpose.

By developing strong partnerships with leading clinicians, statisticians, health economists and patients over 25 years, Professor Grieve and his team have consistently delivered rigorous high-quality evaluations which directly influence NHS patient care. For example, discovering better methods of evaluation and study design enabled him to demonstrate the effectiveness of a form of life support for severe respiratory failure, the most cost-effective type of hip replacement for osteoarthritis, and inform key decisions in critical care, emergency and elective surgery.

Through 20 years working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to provide early scientific advice, he has helped the life sciences industry generate better evidence about the value of new technologies.

Professor Grieve said: “I am delighted to be elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. This honour recognises the collective endeavours of many LSHTM colleagues and valued collaborators. I am looking forward to working with other Fellows to raise the profile of health economics, and the role it can take in addressing major future health challenges.”

Professor Andrew Morris, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “It is a privilege to welcome this outstanding new cohort to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Each of our new Fellows has been recognised by their peers for exceptional achievement for the influence their work has had in advancing medical science and improving health."

The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony on Tuesday 30 June 2026.