Our experts

generating evidence that helps governments invest better in public health subhash pokhrel is a professor of public health economics and lead of the health economics research group (herg) at brunel university london. his research helps governments and health systems make evidence-informed investment decisions in public health - from tobacco control and breastfeeding promotion to physical activity and multimorbidity. with over 4,000 citations and experience across four continents, his work bridges rigorous economic analysis with real-world policy impact. subhash's career spans more than two decades of research at the intersection of health economics, evidence synthesis, and public health policy - with work informing decisions at local, national, and international levels. his research is organised around two complementary themes: supporting health systems to deliver efficient, equitable healthcare, and strengthening health research systems to ensure research feeds into policymaking where it matters most. a key focus of his work has been the economic case for public health investment. he led the development of the nice public health return on investment (roi) tools - practical, customisable models used by local authorities across england to justify investment in tobacco control. building on this, he coordinated equipt, a €2 million european commission-funded, 11-country study that extended the roi approach to tobacco control decisions across europe. his contributions to public health policy are recognised in two ref2021 impact case studies: one on supporting tobacco control decision-making, and another on informing policies around breastfeeding promotion. he is the lead author of roi in public health policy: supporting decision making (palgrave macmillan, 2017). subhash has also contributed significantly to global health research. he has worked in multiple low- and middle-income countries - including nepal, india, bangladesh, pakistan, ghana, burkina faso, brazil, and indonesia - and collaborated with the world health organisation to strengthen national health research systems. he co-produced a who review of evidence on policies and tools for strengthening national health research systems. as a member of external committees including nice technology appraisal, nihr pgfahr, and spi-b (the scientific pandemic insights group on behaviours during covid-19), he has contributed to decisions on medical technology funding, applied health research, and pandemic behavioural policy. subhash has trained and supervised numerous doctoral researchers investigating topics from integrated care in the uk and obesity in west africa to long-covid in ghana and the economics of physical activity in lmics. subhash would like to hear from you if you are interested in exploring: (a) what strengthens health systems to improve population health; or (b) how health research systems can be designed to generate and apply evidence more effectively. find subhash on: 🎓 google scholar 🔬 orcid 🔗 researchgate 📚 bura (brunel repository) 💼 linkedin 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 commuter cycling 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 subhash has taught health economics and economic evaluation to msc public health and health promotion students at brunel university london, with a founding contribution to the msc genomic medicine programme at imperial college london (ex-module lead for economic evaluation in human genomics). his teaching is practice-oriented, drawing directly on his own research and policy experience to give students practical tools for health economic analysis. phd supervision subhash has successfully supervised multiple doctoral researchers to completion. recent and current phd topics include: economics of multiple / long term conditions - cost-effectiveness of strategies to prevent and manage chronic illnesses and multi-morbidity integrated care models in england - evaluating effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of integrated care in a local health economy obesity determinants in west africa - role of physical activity and dietary habits among adults in ghana covid-19 and long-covid in ghana - correlates of hospitalisation and long-covid economics of physical activity in lmics - econometric and cost-effectiveness analysis healthcare placement in rural and urban ghana - effectiveness of workforce access and equity if you are interested in phd supervision in health economics, economic evaluation, public health in lmics, or related areas, please contact subhash directly. supervision in: phd in health economics phd in public health and health promotion find subhash on: 🎓 google scholar 🔬 orcid 🔗 researchgate 📚 bura (brunel repository) 💼 linkedin

Professor Subhash Pokhrel

Professor - Public Health Economics

Generating evidence that helps governments invest better in public health Subhash Pokhrel is a Professor of Public Health Economics and Lead of the Health Economics Research Group (HERG) at Brunel University London. His research helps governments and health systems make evidence-informed investment decisions in public health - from tobacco control and breastfeeding promotion to physical activity and multimorbidity. With over 4,000 citations and experience across four continents, his work bridges rigorous economic analysis with real-world policy impact. Subhash's career spans more than two decades of research at the intersection of health economics, evidence synthesis, and public health policy - with work informing decisions at local, national, and international levels. His research is organised around two complementary themes: supporting health systems to deliver efficient, equitable healthcare, and strengthening health research systems to ensure research feeds into policymaking where it matters most. A key focus of his work has been the economic case for public health investment. He led the development of the NICE Public Health Return on Investment (ROI) Tools - practical, customisable models used by local authorities across England to justify investment in tobacco control. Building on this, he coordinated EQUIPT, a €2 million European Commission-funded, 11-country study that extended the ROI approach to tobacco control decisions across Europe. His contributions to public health policy are recognised in two REF2021 impact case studies: one on supporting tobacco control decision-making, and another on informing policies around breastfeeding promotion. He is the lead author of ROI in Public Health Policy: Supporting Decision Making (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017). Subhash has also contributed significantly to global health research. He has worked in multiple low- and middle-income countries - including Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Brazil, and Indonesia - and collaborated with the World Health Organisation to strengthen National Health Research Systems. He co-produced a WHO review of evidence on policies and tools for strengthening national health research systems. As a member of external committees including NICE Technology Appraisal, NIHR PGfAHR, and SPI-B (the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours during COVID-19), he has contributed to decisions on medical technology funding, applied health research, and pandemic behavioural policy. Subhash has trained and supervised numerous doctoral researchers investigating topics from integrated care in the UK and obesity in West Africa to long-COVID in Ghana and the economics of physical activity in LMICs. Subhash would like to hear from you if you are interested in exploring: (a) what strengthens health systems to improve population health; or (b) how health research systems can be designed to generate and apply evidence more effectively. Find Subhash on: 🎓 Google Scholar 🔬 ORCID 🔗 ResearchGate 📚 BURA (Brunel Repository) 💼 LinkedIn 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 commuter cycling 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 Subhash has taught health economics and economic evaluation to MSc Public Health and Health Promotion students at Brunel University London, with a founding contribution to the MSc Genomic Medicine programme at Imperial College London (ex-module lead for Economic Evaluation in Human Genomics). His teaching is practice-oriented, drawing directly on his own research and policy experience to give students practical tools for health economic analysis. PhD Supervision Subhash has successfully supervised multiple doctoral researchers to completion. Recent and current PhD topics include: Economics of multiple / long term conditions - cost-effectiveness of strategies to prevent and manage chronic illnesses and multi-morbidity Integrated care models in England - evaluating effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of integrated care in a local health economy Obesity determinants in West Africa - role of physical activity and dietary habits among adults in Ghana COVID-19 and long-COVID in Ghana - correlates of hospitalisation and long-COVID Economics of physical activity in LMICs - econometric and cost-effectiveness analysis Healthcare placement in rural and urban Ghana - effectiveness of workforce access and equity If you are interested in PhD supervision in health economics, economic evaluation, public health in LMICs, or related areas, please contact Subhash directly. Supervision in: PhD in health economics PhD in public health and health promotion Find Subhash on: 🎓 Google Scholar 🔬 ORCID 🔗 ResearchGate 📚 BURA (Brunel Repository) 💼 LinkedIn

nana anokye is a professor of health economics and the convenor of brunel global health academy, and africa regional working group. he is the health economics lead for nihr north west london applied research collaboration. nana is a visiting professor at imperial college london and the chair of the international society of physical activity and health (ispah) low and middle-income countries research council. he is a member of africa research excellence fund (aref) college of experts and an institute of leadership and management certified coach and mentor. his research explores the interconnectedness between demand/uptake of lifestyle behaviour and the value for money of public health interventions. nana's work on economics of physical activity has been used by the national institute for health and care excellence to formulate four national public health guidelines on exercise referral schemes, and brief advice for adults in primary care. it also informed the 2016 position statement by canadian academy of sport and exercise. his economic models have been adapted by researchers in uk, africa, europe and south america. 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. he an ardent gym goer, and his quest for knowledge led him to investigate whether physical activity was any more independent from sedentary behaviour. as 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 course director 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 Anokye is a Professor of Health Economics and the Convenor of Brunel Global Health Academy, and Africa Regional Working Group. He is the Health Economics Lead for NIHR North West London Applied Research Collaboration. Nana is a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London and the Chair of the International Society of Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) low and middle-income countries research council. He is a member of Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) College of Experts and an Institute of Leadership and Management certified coach and mentor. His research explores the interconnectedness between demand/uptake of lifestyle behaviour and the value for money of public health interventions. Nana's work on Economics of Physical Activity has been used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to formulate four national public health guidelines on exercise referral schemes, and brief advice for adults in primary care. It also informed the 2016 position statement by Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise. His economic models have been adapted by researchers in UK, Africa, Europe and South America. 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. He an ardent gym goer, and his quest for knowledge led him to investigate whether physical activity was any more independent from sedentary behaviour. As 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 Course Director 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 Neil O'Connell

Professor - Evidence-Based Healthcare

Neil is Professor of Evidence-Based Healthcare 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 on research integrity. He 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 is the Scientific Co-ordinator ENhancing TRUST in Pain Evidence (ENTRUST-PE) network supported by the ERA-NET Neuron Cofund. See He is the Co-chair of the IASP 2026 Global Year on Neuropathic Pain campaign. 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, researech quality and integrity. 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).