Financing policy and strategic purchasing
I study how payment systems, domestic resource mobilization, and purchasing arrangements can strengthen health systems and improve accountability.
About
Studying how health systems perform and how policy can improve care delivery.
I generate policy-relevant evidence on cardiovascular disease prevention, health financing, care quality, and policy implementation in low- and middle-income countries using decision science, economics, epidemiology, and health systems modeling.
Current Appointment
Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab
Postdoctoral research on health system performance, policy design, and care delivery.
Recent Appointment
Fulbright Scholar, 2023-2024
Visiting scholar in the Department of Health Policy Planning and Management at Makerere University School of Public Health.
Research Approach
Quantitative and participatory methods
Combining modeling, empirical analysis, and stakeholder engagement to support decision-making.
Research
Core areas of work
My research spans the financing and delivery of health services, the quantitative tools used to evaluate system performance, and the equity implications of policy choices.
Priority setting and systems modeling
I use decision-science, economic, and epidemiological methods to inform priority setting, resource allocation, and long-term health system planning.
Noncommunicable disease prevention and health equity
I examine how health policy can better respond to chronic disease burdens while preserving fairness across populations and settings.
Publications
Selected publications
Hypertension care cascades and reducing inequities in cardiovascular disease in low- and middle-income countries
Stein, D. T., Reitsma, M. B., Geldsetzer, P., Agoudavi, K., Aryal, K. K., Bahendeka, S., et al.
Nature Medicine, 30(2), 414-423.
Exploring district implementation of national guidelines and maintenance of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda
Stein, D. T., Ssengasa, A., Olaro, C., Sabiiti, J. N., Kyaddondo, B., Mbabazi, C., Ssengooba, F., & Makumbi, F. E.
BMJ Public Health, 3(1), e001813.
Attributes of funding flows and quality of maternal health services in a mixed provider payment system: A cross-sectional survey of 108 healthcare providers in Indonesia
Stein, D. T., Rakhmani, M. F., Dutta, A., & Ugal, J. I.
World Medical & Health Policy, 15(2), 179-193.
Decline in new starts of psychotropic medications during the COVID-19 pandemic
Nason, I., Stein, D. T., Frank, R. G., & Stein, M. B.
Health Affairs, 40(6), 904-909.
Bypassing high-quality maternity facilities: evidence from pregnant women in peri-urban Nairobi
Stein, D. T., Golub, G., Rothschild, C. W., Nyakora, G., Cohen, J., & McConnell, M.
Health Policy and Planning, 36(1), 84-92.
Change in clinical knowledge of diabetes among primary healthcare providers in Indonesia: repeated cross-sectional survey of 105 primary healthcare facilities
Stein, D. T., Sudharsanan, N., Dewi, S., Manne-Goehler, J., Witoelar, F., & Geldsetzer, P.
BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 8(1), e001415.
For a fuller publication list, see Google Scholar.
Experience
Research and policy background
My work has combined academic research with applied policy support for governments and public institutions.
Technical assistance and policy support
Before my PhD, I worked on USAID-funded health systems strengthening efforts, with a focus on strategic purchasing, provider payment, and domestic resource mobilization.
Participatory research and policy dialogue
In Uganda, I have worked with policymakers, technical staff, and other stakeholders to co-design research on national health insurance and health system performance.
Regional and cross-country engagement
My work has included collaboration related to health financing and insurance policy in Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Community development and science policy
Earlier in my career, I also worked in community development in Nepal and in federal science policy in Washington, DC.
Uganda
Uganda research and policy work
Selected public-facing work from my Uganda research, including participatory design on national health insurance and dissemination around the policy dialogue process.
Generating evidence for national health insurance design in Uganda
Harvard Kennedy School Center for International Development.
Student story on the dissertation policy dialogue
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health coverage of the policy dialogue event.
National insurance scheme should focus on NCDs, experts say
Coverage in the Daily Monitor related to the first workshop in Uganda.
Education
Training
My training combines population health sciences, health systems research, economics, and public policy.
PhD in Population Health Sciences and Health Systems
Minor fields in economics and decision science.
Master of Science in Global Health and Population
Graduate training in global health, health policy, and quantitative methods.
BS in Human Biology and Society
Graduated summa cum laude with Highest Departmental Honors.
Minor in Public Policy
Undergraduate training grounding scientific work in policy analysis and implementation.
Contact
Open to research collaboration and conversation.
The easiest way to reach me is by email. You can also find recent work and updates through my public profiles.