MPhil/PhD programme

Doctoral study of health policy and health economics

The PhD programme in Health Policy and Health Economics is an integral part of the academic environment at LSE, producing doctoral graduates of the highest quality. The programme draws upon multidisciplinary perspectives, notably from economics, social policy, and public policy.

As a student on this programme you will be equipped with the critical, conceptual, and analytical skills to understand the key theoretical frameworks and analytical methods to undertake high-quality research.

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We are very pleased to be able to offer a studentship funded by the Office of Health Economics. Click the button below for further details.

Click here for OHE LSE PhD Studentship details

Potential supervisors

When you begin your studies, you will be assigned a Supervisory Team, with a Primary and one or two Secondary Supervisors to consult and discuss your academic performance, research, and paths of progression. It is a requirement that at least one of the Supervisory Team is a member of the Department’s teaching faculty.

Our faculty are engaged in impactful health and social care research, addressing contemporary challenges across diverse areas of the health sector.

Prospective supervisors include:

Joan Costa-Font is willing to supervise students interested in employing econometric methods to study either the (a) measurement, origins and consequences of health disadvantage, or (b) ageing or the design of health and long-term care programmes. He is also interested in supervising evaluations of behavioural health incentives and the effects of social and political reforms on health and ageing.

Rocco Friebel is keen to supervise students interested in assessing the quality of care provided by health systems in developed and developing countries. He is particularly interested in the role of public and private providers to provide high-quality health care, spill-over effects of policies, and patient-provider behaviour. He is willing to support students with various backgrounds, including health policy and economics.

Mylene Lagarde is keen to supervise students with a background in (health) economics who want to use a quantitative approach to study the behaviours of providers or patients in Low-and Middle-income countries, with a view to inform policy. She is particularly interested in issues such as provider performance, labour market decisions, and the determinants of the demand for services.  

Martin Knapp is able to supervise students interested in research in the areas of adult social care (long-term care) and mental health (including dementia), in any country context. 

Elias Mossialos is interested in interdisciplinary approaches, especially in evaluating the health impact of large-scale health policy changes and programmes. He would be keen to work with research students who shared his present focus on evaluating health care reforms in China, Southeast Asian and LATAM countries, performance and quality measurement in health care systems and stimulating R&D for antibiotics and drugs for neglected diseases. 

Alistair McGuire is able to supervise students interested in the use of applied econometric techniques to investigate most aspects of health economics, but particularly questions involving the hospital sector.

Huseyin Naci is interested in supervising students with a background in health policy and an interest in evaluating the quality and quantity of the evidence base underpinning the approval, adoption, and reimbursement of new and existing health technologies (pharmaceuticals and medical devices). Of particular interest are projects that aim to address the impact of policies and regulations on the development, utilisation, and affordability of new and existing health technologies.

Irene Papanicolas is interested in supervising students looking to use quantitative methods to assess performance measurement in health care systems or across systems. This includes examining the validity and use of performance indicators to measure areas such as quality, patient experience, efficiency and equity, as well as evaluating policies that seek to improve any of these areas of performance. 

Justin Parkhurst is interested in supervising students who have a background in social/political sciences and who are interested in applying a critical perspective to health policy and systems research questions. He is particularly interested in analysis of the politics of health agenda setting and choice, and the politics of evidence use to inform policy – including analysis of the processes and structures that shape how evidence informs policy decisions. 

Ranjeeta Thomas is interested in supervising students with a background in (health) economics or statistics and an interest in applying randomised-controlled experiments and econometric techniques to addresses issues in low-and-middle income countries. She is particularly interested in behavioural and financial incentives to improve uptake of preventive interventions for non-communicable and infectious diseases and impact (and cost-effectiveness) evaluations of health care reforms.

Andrew Street is interested in supervising students with a background in health economics and an interest in applying quantitative and econometric techniques to assess issues such as performance measurement, funding and payment arrangements, and integrated care.

Clare Wenham is keen to supervise students who have a wish to work within the broader politics of global health. Students with a background in international relations, politics and policy are particularly welcome. Methodologically Clare looks to supervise qualitative or theory based theses, examining global health security, global health governance or the politics of global health.

Olivier Wouters is keen to supervise students with an interest in pharmaceutical regulation and policy, particularly the pricing and reimbursement of high-cost medicines and medical devices. He is especially interested in supervising projects on the costs of drug research and development, the extent and influence of pharmaceutical lobbying internationally, and the pricing of cancer drugs, gene therapies, and other expensive medical technologies in countries around the world.

Admission is conditional upon having appropriate supervisory expertise and support available in the Department. Admission and progression decisions are made by the Doctoral Programme Directors, Professor Andrew Street, Dr Mylene Lagarde, Dr Huseyin Naci and Dr Justin Parkhurst.

About the Department

With a world-class faculty, distinguished visitors, and a diverse postgraduate student body, the Department of Health Policy cultivates a stimulating environment for research and learning. As a PhD student here you will attend informal seminars, guest lectures by leaders of national and foreign health services, alumni roundtables, and overseas institutional visits.

The Department is committed to remain among the highest-ranking social policy units of assessment (2014 Research Excellence Framework) and is rated among the top Departments by our students as well. 

The long-established and highly regarded research centres affiliated with the Department are: LSE HealthCare Policy and Evaluation Centre at LSE (CPEC, formerly PSSRU), the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School of Social Care Research (SSCR), the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, and the Global Health Initiative (GHI), with a total of over 70 academic staff based across these centres.

Our PhD students

Apply or contact us

For more information and to apply, please visit the LSE website.

You are welcome to submit an informal inquiry to the PhD Programme team, via HealthPolicy.PhD@lse.ac.uk