Health systems strengthening for Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
Program overview:
Our global Health Systems Strengthening for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program is focused on the conduct of multidisciplinary collaborative research to support countries’ strategic progression towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3.8: Universal access to high-quality essential health care.
Led by Dr Laura Downey, our global team comprises health economists, health policy specialists, epidemiologists, statisticians, and clinician researchers. We have active research and advocacy partnerships with academia, civil society organizations, government departments, health service providers, and multilateral organizations in every continent, where our research predominantly focuses on taking a primary healthcare approach to ensure that everyone can equitably access the essential health services they require without experiencing financial hardship in doing so. The types of research we conduct fall broadly into the following domains:
- Designing and implementing novel interventions to address an unmet health need or sub-standard quality of care provision
- Evaluating the economic impact, effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of a health-system level intervention
- Identifying and synthesizing published literature to address a pressing health systems question or problem
- Devising novel methods or metrics to assess equitable access to high-quality essential health services centred on lived experience and community-articulated priorities
Program objectives:
The overarching objectives of this program are to:
- Conduct high-quality research to drive forward global progress towards the collective achievement of Universal Health Coverage for all
- Engage in reciprocal capacity strengthening through an equitable partnerships approach to research
- Ensure active community engagement and involvement in our research activities
- Elevate the voices of women and other traditionally marginalised groups in research, advocacy, and agenda-shaping activities
