Maria Paola Bertone is a political scientist and health economist, with more than 15 years of experience focusing on health system research, health financing and human resources for health issues mostly in fragile settings and sub-Saharan Africa. Maria has worked with the Ministry of Health of Burundi, through the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Fellowship and then as consultant in numerous countries including DR Congo, Cote d鈥橧voire, Rwanda, Chad, Benin, Comoros and Botswana.
In 2011, Maria held a research position at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (Belgium), exploring issues around knowledge management in global health. She then obtained a PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine investigating the complex remuneration of health workers in rural Sierra Leone, in collaboration with the ReBUILD project. Maria joined IGHD in 2017, initially as a Research Fellow, then as Lecturer and since 2022 as Reader in Global Health and Development.
Maria holds an MA in International Economics and Policy from the University of Pavia (Italy), an MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing jointly from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics, and a PhD from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Maria is currently working on research projects focusing on health systems resilience and health system strengthening in fragile and shock-prone settings, and on health systems integration for refugees and displaced populations. Other research work explores health financing and Public Finance Management, in particular on studies adopting a political economy lens. Her research interests are on health systems including governance, health financing and human resources for health, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings, as well as on the political economy dynamics that define the design, implementation and adaptation of policies in fragile contexts.
Active research interests
- Health system research in low income countries
- Human resources for health
- Health worker remunerations and incentives
- Health sector development in post-conflict and fragile settings
- Health system financing
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Research Methods
- Mixed method research
- Political economy analysis and policy analysis
Rebuild for Resilience
Maria is a co-Investigator in the ReBUILD for Resilience research consortium which examines health systems in fragile settings experiencing shocks and crises. Our aim is to produce high-quality, practical, multidisciplinary and scalable health systems research which can be used to build health systems resilience and improve the health and lives of many millions of people.
Health System Resilience, Enhancement and Refugee Response Project
Maria is a co-Investigator on this UNHCR-funded project which aims to document and learn from different approaches to meeting the health needs of refugees, in particular through the inclusion of refugees in national health system and health systems integration. The project entails work at global level, as well as the development of six case studies in Zambia, Mauritania, Pakistan, Peru, Iraqi Kurdistan and Kenya. Maria has led the Mauritania and Kenya case studies as well as a literature review on health financing for refugees.
The Political Economy of Universal Health Coverage Reforms: building capacity and engagement of francophone Africa [ended]
Maria has led a NIHR-funded Development Award project, in collaboration with partners in Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso and Cameroon. The project aimed to develop a strong, effective and equitable research partnership between research institutions in the UK and francophone Africa and to strengthen research capacity in the area of political economy for UHC. The goal was to contribute to progress towards UHC by building networks with stakeholders and communities.
Maria currently contributes to Masters level modules in Global Public Health and Social Policy; and Health Systems, Services and Communities. She is module coordinator for Health Systems in Fragile settings. She also undertake the supervision of three PhD students.
Performance-based financing and provider payments
Public Finance Management
