Professor Subhash Pokhrel
Professor - Public Health Economics

Research area(s)

Research Overview

Subhash's research sits at the intersection of health economics, evidence synthesis, and public health policy. It is organised around two core themes: making the economic case for investments in population health, and ensuring that health research itself is effectively integrated into policymaking. Across both themes, his work combines methodological rigour with practical, policy-relevant application.

Research Theme 1: Health Systems & Public Health Investment

Economic arguments are essential for making the business case for public health. Subhash has developed tools, methods, and evidence to help decision-makers at local, national, and international levels allocate resources more effectively.

Key contributions include:

• Development of the NICE Public Health ROI Tools - interactive, customisable models used by local authorities in England for investment decisions in tobacco control, physical activity, alcohol, and other public health areas.
• Leadership of EQUIPT (2013–16), a €2 million, 11-country European Commission study extending the ROI approach to tobacco control policy across Europe; and leadership of several other funded research on the economics of smoking cessation and tobacco control post-EQUIPT
• Quantification of the economic burden of not breastfeeding in the UK, estimating substantial NHS savings from higher breastfeeding rates.
• Research on smokeless tobacco (ASTRAMOD), estimating the lifetime health and economic burden of smokeless tobacco use in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
• A systematic review on the economics of commuter cycling interventions and what works to promote physical activity globally.

Research Theme 2: Health Research Systems

Alongside his work on health systems, Subhash investigates how research - particularly economic evaluation - feeds into policymaking.

Key contributions include:

• An investigation of the integration of economic evaluations into policymaking in Spain, with implications for global health research systems.
• Collaboration with WHO Europe to review evidence on policies and tools for establishing and strengthening National Health Research Systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
• Development of a conceptual approach to research impact, examining how researchers can most effectively engage governments and stakeholders to translate evidence into public health investment.

Research Keywords / Areas:

• Health Economics and Econometrics
• Economic Evaluation / Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
• Return on Investment (ROI) in Public Health
• Tobacco Control
• Breastfeeding Promotion
• Multimorbidity
• Physical Activity Economics
• Health Research Systems
• Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)
• Evidence Synthesis
• Randomised control trials (RCTs)

Find Subhash on: 🎓 Google Scholar  🔬 ORCID   🔗 ResearchGate   📚 BURA (Brunel Repository)   💼 LinkedIn

Grants