I am a health policy and systems researcher engaged in innovative, applied and interdisciplinary work. I hold a joint appointment between the LSHTM and the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, where I am the head of the Health Policy and Systems Division, in the School of Public Health. My recent areas of research include conceptual and empirical work on health systems resilience, health system governance and leadership, and I have a long-standing interest in the politics of health policy change and implementation. I am also passionate about capacity strengthening in the field of health policy and systems research, and have supported a wide range of formal postgraduate education activities, as well as other forms of capacity strengthening work. From my UCT base I have also established strong networks with health policy-makers and managers, and other health policy and systems researchers within the Western Cape province of South Africa, and nationally - through dialogue, research, teaching and responsive engagement. I also have a track record of international collaborative research and policy engagement. I am currently the co-chief editor of the journal Health Policy and Planning, and was a member of the Health Systems Global Board 2014-2022.
Affiliations
Department of Global Health and Development
Faculty of Public Health and Policy
Centres
Centre for Evaluation
Global Health Economics Centre
Teaching
I provide support to the LSHTM Distance Learning programme, with a particular focus on health policy and health systems issues, including support to global health research reports. I also co-supervise and offer support to LSHTM PhD students.
In addition, I teach on the UCT postgraduate Diploma in Health Leadership and MPH programme, supervise UCT MPH dissertations and also supervise UCT PhD students
In addition, I teach on the UCT postgraduate Diploma in Health Leadership and MPH programme, supervise UCT MPH dissertations and also supervise UCT PhD students
Research
health systems governance and leadership; health system strengthening; health system resilience; the politics of health policy change; health policy implementation; embedded research; action learning; co-production
Research Area
Health care policy
Health policy
Health sector development
Health systems
International comparisons
Organisational research
Research : policy relationship
Development studies
Policy analysis
Social Policy
Capacity development
Primary health care
Country
Kenya
South Africa
Tanzania
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa (all income levels)
Selected Publications
Organizational change and everyday health system resilience: Lessons from Cape Town, South Africa.
2020
Social Science & Medicine
"Not Just a Journal Club - It's Where the Magic Happens": Knowledge Mobilization through Co-Production for Health System Development in the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
2020
International Journal of Health Policy and Management
Learning sites for health system governance in Kenya and South Africa: reflecting on our experience.
2020
Health Research Policy and Systems
Reflections from South Africa on the Value and Application of a Political Economy Lens for Health Financing Reform.
2019
Health systems and reform
Health system strengthening-Reflections on its meaning, assessment, and our state of knowledge.
2019
The International journal of health planning and management
Strengthening health system leadership for better governance: what does it take?
2018
Health policy and planning
Enabling relational leadership in primary healthcare settings: lessons from the DIALHS collaboration.
2018
Health policy and planning
From bouncing back, to nurturing emergence: reframing the concept of resilience in health systems strengthening.
2017
Health policy and planning
Practicing governance towards equity in health systems: LMIC perspectives and experience.
2017
International journal for equity in health