Dr Esmée van der Poort

Dr Esmée van der Poort is a health economist whose research examines how organisational models, ownership structures, and financial incentives shape healthcare delivery. Her work focuses on how healthcare systems can be designed and regulated to support high-quality, affordable, and accessible care, with particular interests in private equity in healthcare, integrated care, and payment reform. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, she studies the governance and financing of health systems across different international contexts.

At LSE Health, Esmée is conducting research on the regulation of private equity in healthcare across the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands. She was awarded a Rubicon Fellowship from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) for Policy4PE, a comparative research programme that aims to develop an international evidence-based policy framework for regulating private equity in healthcare.

Esmée completed her PhD in Health Economics at Leiden University Medical Centre and subsequently worked as a Senior Researcher, where she led the development of an integrated care pathway and alternative payment model for early palliative care in patients with malignant brain tumours. Her research also examines how governance and financing arrangements can support integrated primary and social care, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

Key expertise: Health economics and policy, private equity in healthcare, healthcare financing and regulation.