Global Health Economics and Financing Unit

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From evidence to action

supporting sustainable development through health system innovation

Five people walk in single file across a dry savannah landscape, carrying yellow water containers on their backs beneath a wide blue sky.

The Global Health Economics and Financing Unit advances research on health economics and financing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We apply economic insights to translate effective health and health systems interventions into sustainable development.

Contact us

There is a critical need for accessible, context- and policy-relevant health economics and financing research in LMICs, but a severe shortage of the expertise needed.

Working collaboratively with health economists and researchers in allied sciences in LMICs we generate robust, contextually grounded evidence while strengthening local research capacity and economic expertise.

Health economics is just part of the solution. We partner in multi-disciplinary research consortia to ensure clinical, behavioural and systems-level impacts inform our work.

Our research is underpinned by systems thinking to ensure the interconnections between financing and other aspects of health systems are understood, explored, described and evaluated.

Our work spans economic evaluations and priority setting, economic modelling and methodological development, equity assessment, health system and financing analyses, and behaviour, preferences and outcomes research.

We collaborate widely across LSTM, including with the Global Health Trials Unit, the Institute of Resilient Health Systems, the Centre for Capacity Research and the Centre for Tuberculosis Research.

Our research focus and approaches

We deliver translational health economics, financing, and outcomes research to drive policymaking

We work at the intersection of health systems, research, financing, and policy to deliver relevant, high-impact evidence.

We accelerate the translation of innovative health interventions by demonstrating their health and economic value, particularly to vulnerable populations, measuring costs, and articulating financing implications. Equity underpins our work, with a clear focus on those most at risk.

We co-create knowledge and foster collaboration

Through our global network of health economists and research partners, we generate economic evidence aligned with national and sub-national priorities and key policy windows.

We embed our teams with in-country health economics focal points and champion open sharing of methods, data (subject to country and funder rules) and expertise to advance the application of health economics in global health.

We partner with LSTM African hubs and other institutions to co-locate expertise, strengthen collaboration, and ensure research responds to real-world needs.

We equip future leaders with essential knowledge in health economics and financing

We deliver postgraduate training in applied global health economics, alongside bespoke programmes tailored to partner needs. Through research projects, workshops, and seminars, we share insights with LSTM masters students and wider audiences.

Where possible, we embed fully funded PhD opportunities in our research grants and also support MSc dissertation projects.

Our team

View the team

Professor Eve Worrall

Professor Eve Worrall, GHEFU Director, is a Health Economist specialising in health economic evaluation. Her experience spans academia, philanthropy and the commercial sector where she provided consultancy services to global health partnerships, international donors and African governments.

Dr Gillian Turner

Gillian Turner has more than 25 years experience, as a health economist and health systems specialist in Africa and South Asia, with a focus on addressing poverty and inequity. Her experience encompasses health systems – including health finanicng – reform, sexual and reproductive health and rights, nutrition and wider determinants of health.

Dr Chantal Morel

Dr Chantal Morel is a health economist specializing in infectious diseases, and in the economic issues related to antimicrobial resistance in particular.

Our impact

Informing policy

Our analysis informs WHO guidance and national policies and strategies. For example, modelling from the Start4All research project shows that pooled molecular testing reduces costs and improves cost-effectiveness in low-positivity settings,  and this evidence informed WHO guideline development.

Capacity building and partnerships

We have built a global network of knowledge brokers who translate health economics research into actionable strategies. By pairing our specialists with in-country focal points, we ensure locally grounded expertise and lasting impact.

Many of our health economics focal points undertake PhDs at LSTM and go on to lead impactful research in their home countries. Recent PhD successes include: Ewan Tomeny, UK. PhD in economics of TB and Laura Rosu, Romania, PhD in economics of multi-drug resistant TB.

Projects

Tiny Targets

Tiny Targets is an innovative vector control initiative led by LSTM and partners to reduce the spread of sleeping sickness. The aim was to reduce tsetse fly densities below the threshold that allows transmission of the disease.

Hybridisation in UroGenital Schistosomiasis (HUGS)

The Hybridisation in UroGenital Schistosomiasis (HUGS) project is an international research collaboration focused on understanding the impact of parasite hybridisation on disease control.

Anti-Wolbachia Consortium (A·WOL)

The Anti-Wolbachia Consortium (A·WOL), led by LSTM, is pioneering a novel approach to treating filarial diseases by targeting Wolbachia, an essential bacterial symbiont within the worms that cause onchocerciasis and mosquitoes that cause lymphatic filariasis.

Related news

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LSTM strengthens Tuberculosis therapeutic research

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LSTM research informs new WHO guidelines on expanding access to TB diagnosis

27 February 2026

Speaker at an LSTM Inaugural Lecture and Research Seminar stands beside a projection screen showing the slide title “Health, humanity and hope: a story so far…” with the name Jo Raven and the date 11 February 2026.
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Video

Inaugural Lecture – Professor Jo Raven

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1:01:51

LSTM Chancellor Elhadj As Sy stands at a lectern addressing an audience, with a large screen behind him showing a group photo and the LSTM logo in a modern lecture theatre lit with red accent lighting.
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LSTM Chancellor’s Lecture: Elhadj As Sy

10 December 2025

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1:09:21

Education and training opportunities

Public and Global Health

MSc Global Health

Public and Global Health

Master of Public Health (International)

Diploma in Tropical Nursing

We also provide a taster day session on health economics and financing at the annual LSTM PGR student summer school – PhD Opportunities  

Recent publications

McCoy, A., Thomsen, E., Spiers, A., Worrall, E. Analysis of insecticide-treated bednet market dynamics between 2004–2021 and monetary value of additional bednet longevity. Cost Eff Resour Alloc 24, 41 (2026).

Start4All: Start Taking Action for TB Diagnosis investigators, McCoy, A., Garg, T., Henrion, M., Vo, L. N. Q., Wingfield, T., & Worrall, E. (2026). Start4All protocol for a Bayesian cost-effectiveness model of tuberculosis screening and diagnosis in seven high burden low-income and middle-income countries. BMJ Open, 16(2), e111860. Article e111860.

Amboko, B., Nzinga, J., Tsofa, B., Mugo, P., Musiega, A., Maritim, B., Wong, E., Mazzilli, C., Ng’ang’a, W., Hagedorn, B., Turner, G., Musuva, A., Murira, F., Ravishankar, N., Hussein, S., & Barasa, E. (2025). Evaluating the impact, implementation experience and political economy of primary care networks in Kenya: protocol for a mixed methods study. Health Research Policy and Systems, 23(1), Article 14. 

Deidda, M., Grieve, E., Krauth, S., Hsieh, P. H., Yongolo, N., Siebert, S., Halliday, J., Biswaro, S. M., Kilonzo, K., Walker, R., Kelly, C., Msoka, E. F., Kiula, K., Mmbaga, B., & McIntosh, E. (2025). Economic burden of musculoskeletal disorders in Tanzania: results from a community-based survey. BMJ Open, 15(1), Article e087425. 

McCallum, B., Otiti, M. I., Achieng, F., Allen, S., & Worrall, E. (2025). Cost analysis of probiotic/synbiotic supplementation in infants in rural Kenya: A study from the PROSYNK trial. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 9(1), Article e003635.

Multilink Consortium, Spencer, S. A., Yongolo, N. M., Simiyu, I. G., Sawe, H. R., Dark, P., Gordon, S. B., Rubach, M. P., Manongi, R., Hertz, J. T., Hyuha, G., Kimario, G., Mfinanga, J., Mmbaga, B. T., Muula, A. S., Nyirenda, M., Phulusa, J., Rosu, L., Rutta, A. H., … Morton, B. (2025). The burden of multimorbidity-associated acute hospital admissions in Malawi and Tanzania: a prospective multicentre cohort study. The Lancet Global Health, 13(7), e1279-e1290. 

NIHR International Multidisciplinary Programme to Address Lung Health and TB in Africa Consortium, Mulupi, S., Waithera, C., Tomeny, E. M., Egere, U., Meme, H., Kirubi, B., Chakaya, J., Barasa, E., Taegtmeyer, M., & Wingfield, T. (2025). Catastrophic health expenditure, social protection coverage, and financial coping strategies in adults with symptoms of chronic respiratory diseases in Kenya: a cross-sectional study. The Lancet Global Health, 13(7), e1301-e1313. 

O’Connell, M., Hafidz, F., Saragih, S., Cashin, C., Nugroho, A., Hatt, L., Farianti, Y., Afflazier, A., & Pambudi, I. (2025). The influence of provider payment mechanisms on TB service provider behavior in Indonesia: insights from National Health Insurance data and provider perspectives. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, Article 1396596.

Schade, A. T., Sande, L. A., Tomeny, E., Sabawo, M., Nohakhelha, N., Mwafulirwa, K., Ngoie, L. B., Metcalfe, A. J., Lalloo, D. G., Harrison, W. J., Madan, J. J., & MacPherson, P. (2025). Economic burden and cost-effectiveness of treatments for open tibia fractures in Malawi: Economic analysis of a multicentre prospective cohort study. PLoS ONE, 20(9), Article e0331569. 

Tomeny, E. M., Tran, P. B., Kazibwe, J., Rosu, L., Nikolaidis, G. F., Nightingale, B., Wingfield, T., Meghji, J., Squire, B., & Worrall, E. (2025). A broader lens on tuberculosis cost-effectiveness analysis: How patient-incurred costs and post-tuberculosis outcomes reshape estimates in a multi-country study. PLOS Global Public Health, 5(9), Article e0005062. 

Tran, P. B., Kwon, J., Booth, A., Bastounis, A., Tomeny, E. M., Staniszewska, S., Grant, R., Thavorn, K., Dawoud, D., Pinedo-Villanueva, R., Hopewell, S., Page, M. J., & Petrou, S. (2025). Development of a PRISMA extension for systematic reviews of health economic evaluations (PRISMA-EconEval) a project protocol. Systematic Reviews, 14(1), Article 221. 

Winanti, D., Yanti, I., Fitriyah, N., Munira, S., Mufdlillah, & Hafidz, F. (2025). Cost-Effectiveness and Feasibility of Anemia Management in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review. Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia, 21(3), 236-247. 

Arviana, M. E., Hafidz, F., & Setiyaningsih, H. (2024). The relationship between health insurance ownership and health service utilization, out-of-pocket expenses, and catastrophic health expenditure in the Special Region of Yogyakarta in 2023. BIO Web of Conferences, 132, Article 04002. 

Hafidz, F., Icanervilia, A. V., Rizal, M. F., Listiani, P., Setiyaningsih, H., Sasanti, M. L., Ekawati, F. M., Thobari, J. A., Utami, T. W., Trirahmanto, A., Tjokroprawiro, B. A., Harsono, A. B., Masytoh, L. S., Haryani, W., Subekti, Y., & Nadjib, M. (2024). Economic Evaluation of Cervical Cancer Screening by HPV DNA, VIA, and Pap smear Methods in Indonesia. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 25(9), 3015-3022. 

Maritim, B., Nzinga, J., Tsofa, B., Musiega, A., Mugo, P. M., Wong, E., Mazzilli, C., Nganga, W., Hagedorn, B., Turner, G., Musuva, A., Murira, F., Ravishankar, N., & Barasa, E. (2024). Evaluating the effectiveness of the National Health Insurance Subsidy Programme within Kenya’s universal health coverage initiative: a study protocol: a study protocol. BMJ Open, 14(11), Article e083971. 

Koita, K., Kayentao, K., Worrall, E., Van Eijk, A., & Hill, J. (2024). Community-based strategies to increase coverage of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of malaria in Pregnancy with Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review, meta-analysis, meta-ethnography, and economic assessment. The Lancet Global Health, 12(9), E1456-E1469. 

Muthuri, R. N. D. K., Nzinga, J., Tsofa, B., Musiega, A., Mugo, P., Wong, E., Mazzilli, C., Ng’ang’a, W., Hagedorn, B., Turner, G., Musuva, A., Ravishankar, N., Murira, F. M., & Barasa, E. (2024). A mixed methods study examining the impact of primary health care financing transitions on facility functioning and service delivery in Kenya: a study protocol: a study protocol. Wellcome Open Research, 9, Article 220. 

Tomeny, E., Hampton, T., Tran, P. B., Rosu, L., Phiri, M., Haigh, K. A., Nidoi, J., Wingfield, T., & Worrall, E. (2024). Rethinking tuberculosis morbidity quantification: a systematic review and critical appraisal of TB disability weights in cost-effectiveness analyses. PharmacoEconomics, 42(11), 1209-1236. 

Saragih, S., Hafidz, F., Nugroho, A., Hatt, L., O’Connell, M., Caroline, A., Cashin, C., Imran, S., Farianti, Y., Afflazier, A., Pakasi, T., & Badriyah, N. (2024). Estimating the budget impact of a Tuberculosis strategic purchasing pilot study in Medan, Indonesia (2018–2019). Health Economics Review, 14(1), Article 44. 

De Foo, C., Verma, M., Tan, S. Y., Hamer, J., van der Mark, N., Pholpark, A., Hanvoravongchai, P., Cheh, P. L. J., Marthias, T., Mahendradhata, Y., Putri, L. P., Hafidz, F., Giang, K. B., Khuc, T. H. H., Van Minh, H., Wu, S., Caamal-Olvera, C. G., Orive, G., Wang, H., … Legido-Quigley, H. (2023). Health financing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and implications for universal health care: a case study of 15 countries. The Lancet Global Health, 11(12), e1964-e1977. 

Hafidz, F., & Sampson, C. (2023). Editorial: Advancements and challenges in cost and resource allocation: 2022. Frontiers in Health Services, 3, Article 1254318. 

Hardy, A., Haji, K., Abbas, F., Hassan, J., Ali, A., Yussuf, Y., Cook, J., Rosu, L., Houri-Yafin, A., Vigodny, A., Oakes, G., Majambere, S., & Worrall, E. (2023). Cost and quality of operational larviciding using drones and smartphone technology. Malaria Journal, 22(1), e286. Article 286. 

Rosu, L., Madan, J. J., Tomeny, E., Muniyandi, M., Nidoi, J., Girma, M., Vilc, V., Bindroo, P., Dhandhukiya, R., Bayissa, A. K., Meressa, D., Narendran, G., Solanki, R., Bhatnagar, A. K., Tudor, E., Kirenga, B., Meredith, S. K., Nunn, A. J., Bronson, G., … Subramani, S. (2023). Economic evaluation of shortened, bedaquiline-containing treatment regimens for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (STREAM stage 2): a within-trial analysis of a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Global Health, 11(2), e265-e277. 

Hafidz, F., Fachiroh, J., Bintoro, B. S., Wicaksana, A. L., Qaimamunazzala, H., Rosha, P. T., Pratama, K. G., Nurvitasari, R. I., & Wardani, R. K. (2022). Economic Impact of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic: Sleman Health and Demographic Surveillance System Individual Panel Secondary Data Analysis. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 18, 18-25.

Novita, R., & Hafidz, F. (2022). Examining Equity in Healthcare Services among Beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance Program in Indonesia: Evidence from National Survey. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 18, 82-88