Edwine Barasa

Dr. Edwine Barasa is a distinguished Kenyan health economist and the Director of the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Nairobi Programme. He also leads the Health Economics Research Unit (HERU) within the programme. Dr. Barasa holds a PhD and Master’s degree in Health Economics from the University of Cape Town, and a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Nairobi. His research focuses on health financing, equity and efficiency analysis in healthcare, economic evaluation of healthcare interventions, and health system governance. He advises the Kenya Ministry of Health and has contributed to reforms such as the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the Kenya Health Benefits Advisory Panel. Dr. Barasa also provides technical advisory support to international organizations, including the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), across Sub-Saharan Africa. He serves as a Visiting Professor of Health Economics at the University of Oxford and has been appointed to regional roles, including co-chairing the Africa Universal Health Coverage Commission and serving on the advisory board of the Africa CDC’s Health Economic Unit. His work has significantly influenced health policy and financing strategies in Kenya and beyond.