Our experts

Leader(s)

subhash pokhrel, phd is a professor of health economics and the lead, health economics research group (herg). most recently, he was the head of department of health sciences (2018-2023), an academic department comprising allied health professions, nursing, social work, health economics and public health. prior to that, he was the founding divisional lead of (now) the division of global public health (2016-18). from 2013-16, he developed and led a large-scale, multi-country (n11), multi-disciplinary research project, equipt, providing european policymakers with the decision-support evidence and tools around tobacco control. in addition to the uk and eu, subhash has research experience in several low- and middle-income countries (lmics) including nepal, india, bangladesh, pakistan, burkina faso, ghana, brazil and indonesia. working together with the world health organisation, subhash co-designed and is currently leading the implementation of the who-brunel framework agreement to strengthen national health research systems (nhrss), particularly in lmics. subhash's research is focussed on two complementary themes: supporting 'health systems' to deliver efficient healthcare as well as strengthening 'health research systems' to support more research into healthcare. as such, his research has contributed to several public health policies. the two ref2021 impact case studies - supporting tobacco control decision making for improved health and economic productivity and informing policies and debates on breastfeeding promotion describe subhash's approach to developing a programme of research and generate significant impact from them. his learning about how researchers can engage with and support goverments and wider stakeholders to make investment decisions in public health is underpinned by his and colleagues' earlier work around the suite of nice public health roi tools. these roi tools provided the basis for many public health investment decisions in england and were informed by the work on tobacco control led by subhash. the roi tools are practical, customisable models to help make real-world decisions in context of local, regional and national government decision-making. economic arguments are needed to make the business case for public health investments. subhash led the roll out of roi work to several european nations through a €2 million multi-centre european commission funded study, equipt. he has been the coordinator of a large scale inter-disciplinary collaboration of national and international expertise. subhash is the lead author of a book, roi in public health policy: supporting decision making (palgrave macmillan). subhash’s work in public health research has been as diverse as the discipline itself – from developing a household decision making pathway for child health care in low- and middle income countries (lmics) to quantifying the economic impact of breastfeeding promotion in industrialised countries; from evaluating health insurance for its population health impact in lmics to finding out what interventions could improve physical activity globally. his doctoral researchers have investigated whether integrated care models, particularly in a local area in england, are effective; what determines obesity in west africa and particularly the role of physical activity and dietary habits to reduce obesity among adults in ghana; and what the correlates of covid-19 hospitalisations and long-covid in ghana were. his visiting student from sri lanka has investigated the economics of physical activity in lmics. such research evidence, particularly in lmics, is key to developing and evaluating public health measures for their value for money. subhash is intrigued not only by "health systems" questions (e.g. in lmics and industrialised countries, what works to improve population health outcomes and at what cost?) but also by "health research systems" questions. subhash worked with the who euro to review the evidence on policies, interventions and tools for establishing and/or strengthening national health research systems and their effectiveness. in particular, subhash and colleagues have investigated the extent of integration of research (particularly economic evaluations) into policymaking in spain and what implications the spanish experience could have globally for strenthening both systems. as a member of various external committees (nice technology appraisal, nihr pgfahr and spi-b), subhash has contributed to decision making processes around funding of medical technologies, research in applied health, and behavioural measures to tackle public health emergencies. google profile orcid profile researchgate bura profile methods: health economics; economic evaluations; return on investment (roi) analysis; systematic reviews; econometric/statistical analyses; observational studies using large datasets topics: cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions; understanding behaviour change; smoking cessation and tobacco control; breastfeeding promotion; physical activity; cross-context transferability of evidence; global health; development and strengthening of health research systems countries: europe (uk, germany, spain, netherlands, hungary); asia (bangladesh, india, indonesia, nepal, pakistan); africa (burkina faso, ghana); latin america (brazil) book: roi in public health policy: supporting decision making (palgrave macmillan) msc public health and health promotion (brunel university london) msc genomic medicine (imperial college london): ex-module lead for economic evaluation in human genomics supervision: phd in health economics phd in public health and health promotion subhash welcomes applications from prospective phd students. please email him a 4-page outline of your phd project idea, describing: (i) the critical knowledge gaps; (ii) potential sources of data; and (iii) your approach to analysis. your project is expected to answer one of the following two questions (please adapt them to your own specific needs): in lmics and industrialised countries, what (policies, interventions and tools) works to improve population health outcomes and at what costs? in lmics and industrialised countries, what (policies, interventions and tools) works to develop or strengthen national health research systems and at what costs? the following is a list of indicative topic areas for potential phd students: return on investment modelling in public health cross-context transferability of economic evidence understanding pathways from health behaviour change (e.g. stopping to smoke) to qalys and cost-savings return on investment from stakeholder engagement in research return on investment from knowledge translation (i.e. filling the 'knowledge-to-action' gaps) cost-effectiveness of initiatives targetted at strengthening national health research systems potential candidates are encouraged to approach subhash on subhash.pokhrel@brunel.ac.uk or 01895 268745. they are also encouraged to read more information about research at herg. it is important to note that your email request may not be attended to if your potential phd project does not address the above two questions or is not related to one of the above indicative topic areas. so, please do consider carefully the above scope before contacting subhash.

Professor Subhash Pokhrel

Professor - Public Health Economics

Subhash Pokhrel, PhD is a professor of health economics and the Lead, Health Economics Research Group (HERG). Most recently, he was the Head of Department of Health Sciences (2018-2023), an academic department comprising allied health professions, nursing, social work, health economics and public health. Prior to that, he was the Founding Divisional Lead of (now) the Division of Global Public Health (2016-18). From 2013-16, he developed and led a large-scale, multi-country (n11), multi-disciplinary research project, EQUIPT, providing European policymakers with the decision-support evidence and tools around tobacco control. In addition to the UK and EU, Subhash has research experience in several low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Brazil and Indonesia. Working together with the World Health Organisation, Subhash co-designed and is currently leading the implementation of the WHO-Brunel Framework Agreement to strengthen National Health Research Systems (NHRSs), particularly in LMICs. Subhash's research is focussed on two complementary themes: supporting 'health systems' to deliver efficient healthcare as well as strengthening 'health research systems' to support more research into healthcare. As such, his research has contributed to several public health policies. The two REF2021 impact case studies - Supporting tobacco control decision making for improved health and economic productivity and Informing policies and debates on breastfeeding promotion describe Subhash's approach to developing a programme of research and generate significant impact from them. His learning about how researchers can engage with and support goverments and wider stakeholders to make investment decisions in public health is underpinned by his and colleagues' earlier work around the suite of NICE Public Health ROI Tools. These ROI tools provided the basis for many public health investment decisions in England and were informed by the work on tobacco control led by Subhash. The ROI tools are practical, customisable models to help make real-world decisions in context of local, regional and national government decision-making. Economic arguments are needed to make the business case for public health investments. Subhash led the roll out of ROI work to several European nations through a €2 million multi-centre European Commission funded study, EQUIPT. He has been the coordinator of a large scale inter-disciplinary collaboration of national and international expertise. Subhash is the lead author of a book, ROI in Public Health Policy: Supporting Decision Making (Palgrave Macmillan). Subhash’s work in public health research has been as diverse as the discipline itself – from developing a household decision making pathway for child health care in low- and middle income countries (LMICs) to quantifying the economic impact of breastfeeding promotion in industrialised countries; from evaluating health insurance for its population health impact in LMICs to finding out what interventions could improve physical activity globally. His doctoral researchers have investigated whether integrated care models, particularly in a local area in England, are effective; what determines obesity in West Africa and particularly the role of physical activity and dietary habits to reduce obesity among adults in Ghana; and what the correlates of COVID-19 hospitalisations and long-COVID in Ghana were. His visiting student from Sri Lanka has investigated the economics of physical activity in LMICs. Such research evidence, particularly in LMICs, is key to developing and evaluating public health measures for their value for money. Subhash is intrigued not only by "health systems" questions (e.g. In LMICs and industrialised countries, what works to improve population health outcomes and at what cost?) but also by "health research systems" questions. Subhash worked with the WHO Euro to review the evidence on policies, interventions and tools for establishing and/or strengthening national health research systems and their effectiveness. In particular, Subhash and colleagues have investigated the extent of integration of research (particularly economic evaluations) into policymaking in Spain and what implications the Spanish experience could have globally for strenthening both systems. As a member of various external committees (NICE Technology Appraisal, NIHR PGfAHR and SPI-B), Subhash has contributed to decision making processes around funding of medical technologies, research in applied health, and behavioural measures to tackle public health emergencies. Google Profile Orcid Profile ResearchGate BURA Profile Methods: Health economics; Economic evaluations; Return on Investment (ROI) analysis; Systematic reviews; Econometric/statistical analyses; Observational studies using large datasets Topics: Cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions; Understanding behaviour change; Smoking cessation and tobacco control; Breastfeeding promotion; Physical activity; Cross-context transferability of evidence; Global Health; development and strengthening of health research systems Countries: Europe (UK, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Hungary); Asia (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan); Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana); Latin America (Brazil) Book: ROI in Public Health Policy: Supporting Decision Making (Palgrave Macmillan) MSc Public Health and Health Promotion (Brunel University London) MSc Genomic Medicine (Imperial College London): Ex-Module Lead for Economic Evaluation in Human Genomics Supervision: PhD in health economics PhD in public health and health promotion Subhash welcomes applications from prospective PhD students. Please email him a 4-page outline of your PhD project idea, describing: (i) the critical knowledge gaps; (ii) potential sources of data; and (iii) your approach to analysis. Your project is expected to answer one of the following two questions (please adapt them to your own specific needs): In LMICs and industrialised countries, what (policies, interventions and tools) works to improve population health outcomes and at what costs? In LMICs and industrialised countries, what (policies, interventions and tools) works to develop or strengthen national health research systems and at what costs? The following is a list of indicative topic areas for potential PhD students: Return on Investment modelling in public health Cross-context Transferability of economic evidence Understanding pathways from health behaviour change (e.g. stopping to smoke) to QALYs and cost-savings Return on investment from stakeholder engagement in research Return on investment from knowledge translation (i.e. filling the 'knowledge-to-action' gaps) Cost-effectiveness of initiatives targetted at strengthening national health research systems Potential candidates are encouraged to approach Subhash on Subhash.Pokhrel@brunel.ac.uk or 01895 268745. They are also encouraged to read more information about research at HERG. It is important to note that your email request may not be attended to if your potential PhD project does not address the above two questions or is not related to one of the above indicative topic areas. So, please do consider carefully the above scope before contacting Subhash.

Members

nana is the director of division of global public health at the department of health sciences within the college of medicine, health and life sciences. nana's work on economics of physical activity has been used by the national institute for health and care excellence to formulate three national public health guidelines on exercise referral schemes, and brief advice for adults in primary care. he has quantified how time and money prices influence behaviour change. having won the walduck prize for research impact, nana’s work further secured prestigious uk department of health funding to conduct the first ever english general population survey on the economics of physical activity. his interests in public health are wide-ranging. how primary care can improve health outcomes; whether financial incentives improve maternal and child health; and what the link between shopping vouchers and breastfeeding may be, are some of the public health questions nana is keen to answer. as an ardent gym goer himself, his quest for knowledge led him to investigate whether physical activity was any more independent from sedentary behaviour. nana is chair of ispah lmic council and a member of the africa research excellence fund (aref) college of experts. as institute of leadership and management certified coach and mentor and a former broadcast journalist, nana is passionate about communicating research and supporting research careers through podcasts – the research life, which he co-founded with colleagues. nana has a phd in health economics (brunel), an msc in environmental resources management from brandenburg university of technology (germany) and, a ba in economics and sociology from kwame nkrumah university of science and technology (ghana). google profile researchgate orcid linkedin nana’s research is an integral part of the economics of public health work programme at herg. his research interest covers addressing methodological challenges in understanding why (and how) people make decisions on behaviour change, with a view to informing the design of public health interventions and methods for assessing the value for money of such interventions. his work has involved collaborations with public health professionals, clinicians and health service researchers at universities of sydney, sao paolo, exeter, oxford, sheffield, st. george’s, london, the national centre for social research (natcen), and policy makers at national institute for health and care excellence (nice), and department of health. google profile researchgate orcid linkedin nana is the module lead (dissertations) and coordinator of academic development workshops for msc public health and health promotion. he teaches costing in economic evaluation for: msc genomic medicine (imperial college london): economic evaluation in human genomics; short course in economic evaluation in health care, brunel university london nana has taught at all stages of education including the primary, secondary, undergraduate, postgraduate and professional (including public health practitioners, health economists, and clinicians) levels. he has taught in both uk and overseas (africa).

Professor Nana Anokye

Divisional Lead / Professor - Health Economics

Nana is the Director of Division of Global Public Health at the Department of Health Sciences within the College of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences. Nana's work on Economics of Physical Activity has been used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to formulate three national public health guidelines on exercise referral schemes, and brief advice for adults in primary care. He has quantified how time and money prices influence behaviour change. Having won the Walduck Prize for Research Impact, Nana’s work further secured prestigious UK Department of Health funding to conduct the first ever English general population survey on the economics of physical activity. His interests in public health are wide-ranging. How primary care can improve health outcomes; whether financial incentives improve maternal and child health; and what the link between shopping vouchers and breastfeeding may be, are some of the public health questions Nana is keen to answer. As an ardent gym goer himself, his quest for knowledge led him to investigate whether physical activity was any more independent from sedentary behaviour. Nana is Chair of ISPAH LMIC Council and a member of the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) College of Experts. As Institute of Leadership and Management certified coach and mentor and a former broadcast journalist, Nana is passionate about communicating research and supporting research careers through podcasts – the Research Life, which he co-founded with colleagues. Nana has a PhD in Health Economics (Brunel), an MSc in Environmental Resources Management from Brandenburg University of Technology (Germany) and, a BA in Economics and Sociology from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana). Google Profile ResearchGate Orcid LinkedIn Nana’s research is an integral part of the Economics of Public Health work programme at HERG. His research interest covers addressing methodological challenges in understanding why (and how) people make decisions on behaviour change, with a view to informing the design of public health interventions and methods for assessing the value for money of such interventions. His work has involved collaborations with public health professionals, clinicians and health service researchers at Universities of Sydney, Sao Paolo, Exeter, Oxford, Sheffield, St. George’s, London, the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), and policy makers at National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and Department of Health. Google Profile ResearchGate Orcid LinkedIn Nana is the Module Lead (Dissertations) and Coordinator of Academic Development Workshops for Msc Public Health and Health Promotion. He teaches costing in economic evaluation for: MSc Genomic Medicine (Imperial College London): Economic Evaluation in Human Genomics; Short course in Economic Evaluation in Health Care, Brunel University London Nana has taught at all stages of education including the primary, secondary, undergraduate, postgraduate and professional (including public health practitioners, health economists, and clinicians) levels. He has taught in both UK and overseas (Africa).

Dr Neil O'Connell

Reader - Physiotherapy

Neil is a Reader in the Physiotherapy Division of the Department of Health Sciences. He divides his time between teaching and research and previously worked as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist. Neil's research interests focus on the evidence based management of persistent pain and he has published extensively in this area. He also leads and teaches modules on clinical research methods and evidence based practice for pre- and post-graduate clinicians. Neil was the Co-ordinating editor for the Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care (PaPaS) group from 2020-23 and is a member of Cochrane's central editorial board. He was a member of the Guideline Development Group for the UK's National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2016 clinical guideline on the management of low back pain and sciatica and was a specialist committee member for the NICE Quality Standard on that topic. Neil is the current Chair of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Methods, Evidence Synthesis and Implementation Special Interest Group (MESIGIG). Neil's main research interest is in persistent pain, with a specific focus on evaluating the effectiveness of clinical interventions for people in pain. He is also interested in methodological aspects of evidence synthesis. Chronic low back pain, chronic pain, evidence based practice, systematic reviews. Teaching Responsibilities: Neil teaches across a number of programmes, including the BSc Physiotherapy, MSc (pre-reg) Physiotherapy and MSc Advanced Clinical Practice. Neil currently leads 2 Masters-level modules in Research Methods and contributes teaching across musculoskeletal physiotherapy moduled and the ACP module "Pain: Contemporary Science and Practice".

dr anastasia anagnostou is a senior lecturer in the department of computer science at brunel university london and the co-lead of the modelling & simulation group (msg). she is also member of the intelligent data analytics (ida) group. she holds a phd in distributed modelling & simulation, an msc in telemedicine and e-health systems and a bsc(hons) in electronic engineering. her research interests lie in the areas of advanced computing infrastructures for modelling and simulation, open science for simulation, hybrid distributed simulation and modelling and simulation for healthcare and industrial applications. since 2011, she has been involved in several interdisciplinary research projects with stakeholders from industry and academia across manufacturing, healthcare, defence and food supply chains. she has also worked in africa helping to develop digital infrastructures and collaborative services enabling open science. she is co-chair for the or society’s simulation workshop (sw21) and member of organising committees for international conferences sponsored by the ieee and acm/sigsim. she has been awarded horizon 2020 funding for a 9.5 million euro project (brunel contribution €370k) entitled “demonstration of intelligent decision support for pandemic crisis prediction and management within and across european borders” (stamina). modelling and simulation, distributed simulation, cloud computing, open science, e-infrastructures, healthcare systems, internet of things cs2005 networks and operating systems (module leader) cs2001 level 2 group project cs2555 work placement cs3004 network computing cs3072-3605 computer science/business computing final-year projects cs5601 enterprise modelling (module reviewer) i also taught: introduction to programming, business analysis and process modelling, systems project management, erp systems theory and practise, erp systems deployment and configuration and sap erp integration of business processes certification course (terp-10).

Dr Anastasia Anagnostou

Senior Lecturer in Computer Science

Dr Anastasia Anagnostou is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at Brunel University London and the co-lead of the Modelling & Simulation Group (MSG). She is also member of the Intelligent Data Analytics (IDA) Group. She holds a PhD in Distributed Modelling & Simulation, an MSc in Telemedicine and e-Health Systems and a BSc(Hons) in Electronic Engineering. Her research interests lie in the areas of Advanced Computing Infrastructures for Modelling and Simulation, Open Science for Simulation, Hybrid Distributed Simulation and Modelling and Simulation for Healthcare and Industrial Applications. Since 2011, she has been involved in several interdisciplinary research projects with stakeholders from industry and academia across manufacturing, healthcare, defence and food supply chains. She has also worked in Africa helping to develop digital infrastructures and collaborative services enabling open science. She is co-chair for the OR Society’s Simulation Workshop (SW21) and member of organising committees for international conferences sponsored by the IEEE and ACM/SIGSIM. She has been awarded Horizon 2020 funding for a 9.5 million Euro project (Brunel contribution €370K) entitled “Demonstration of intelligent decision support for pandemic crisis prediction and management within and across European borders” (STAMINA). Modelling and Simulation, Distributed Simulation, Cloud Computing, Open Science, e-Infrastructures, Healthcare Systems, Internet of Things CS2005 Networks and Operating Systems (Module Leader) CS2001 Level 2 Group Project CS2555 Work Placement CS3004 Network Computing CS3072-3605 Computer Science/Business Computing Final-Year Projects CS5601 Enterprise Modelling (Module reviewer) I also taught: Introduction to Programming, Business Analysis and Process Modelling, Systems Project Management, ERP Systems Theory and Practise, ERP Systems Deployment and Configuration and SAP ERP Integration of Business Processes Certification Course (TERP-10).

Professor Stephen Hanney

Honorary Professor - Health Sciences

Emeritus Prof Steve Hanney has a PhD from Brunel University. He has spent over 35 years researching a range of topics, including: how to assess the impact, payback or benefits from health research; the use of research in policymaking; and how best to organise health research systems to maximise impacts and improve health and health systems. With Professor Martin Buxton he developed the HERG Payback Framework which they, and others, have applied to assess the impact of a range of health research programmes in the UK funded by the public sector and by medical research charities. Steve has collaborated on, or advised, studies applying the Payback Framework to health research in many countries, including: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, and USA. This stream of research also involved collaborations that produced the series of Medical Research: What's it Worth studies showing the high rate of return on UK public and charitably-funded research in fields such as CVD, cancer & musculoskeletal disease. Building on the assessment of research impact, Steve also focused on ways to strengthen health research systems. He led studies examining both the benefits of healthcare organisations being research active, and how to reduce time lags between early research and health gains, including during the pandemic. He has been a consultant to the World Health Organization, including in the early 2000s helping to develop the WHO framework for analysing health research systems, in relation to preparation for the World Health Report, 2013 on the role of health research systems in improving health systems, and most recently on how to strengthen National Health Research Systems. From 2007-16 he co-edited the WHO-founded journal Health Research Policy and Systems. Assessing payback or impacts from health R&D; the use of research to inform policymaking; the organisation and evaluation of health research systems.