Team

SPARC

Vinod Kumar Rao

Vinod works as a researcher and an action practitioner at SPARC with interest in issues connected with Urban poverty. He also serves as a Co-Principal Investigator for COMPLUS. Vinod has worked on research and action projects across Indian cities that primarily concern with access to water, sanitation, tenure security, housing and health and brings in experience of implementation of Government contracted projects affecting the urban poor.

Vinod

Co-Principal Investigator, COMPLUS

Smruti Jukur

Smruti is an urban planner, architect, and research associate at SPARC. Her passion lies in urban informality, with expertise in housing, infrastructure, transport, and health systems. Currently pursuing her PhD, her research focuses on understanding the impact of development-induced displacement on the health and well-being of informal urban residents. She also plays a leadership role within the Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) initiative.

Smruti

Researcher

Parvathy P. B.

Parvathy is a development enthusiast with a Master’s in Development from Azim Premji University and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Delhi University. Her academic background sparks her interest in health systems. Parvathy’s research explores the impact of changing livelihoods on tribal women’s nutritional status and drug usage among children in shelter homes.

Parvathy

Researcher

School of Public Health, University of Cape Town

Leslie London

Leslie is a Professor of Public Health at the University of Cape Town and a Principal Investigator at COMPLUS. An MB ChB with a Hons in Epidemiology and a Diploma in Occupational Health, he’s a Fellow in Public Health Medicine. His leadership includes roles as President of the College of Public Health Medicine. Leslie contributes to the Network on Equity in Health in Southern Africa and key bodies like the International Commission on Occupational Health and the Public Health Association of South Africa.

Leslie

Principal Investigator, COMPLUS

Lucille Ryan

Lucille is a Project Manager with a wealth of knowledge and diverse expertise. She is pursuing an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town. Her proficiencies encompass project management, training, and adult education. Lucille collaborates with stakeholders across sectors, addressing critical health, poverty, and equity issues. Her research focuses on health determinants, community capacity, and social innovation.

Lucille

Project Manager, COMPLUS

Hanne Jensen Haricharan

Hanne holds an academic background with an MA in Danish, an MSc in Journalism, an MA in Social Anthropology, and a PhD in Public Health. She excels in qualitative and mixed methods research, emphasising participatory and community-engaged approaches. Hanne is affiliated with Equal Health for Deaf People, South Africa, and the steering committee of the People’s Health Movement in South Africa. Her research interests span disability, community participation, human rights, knowledge translation, and health prevention.

Hanne

Senior Researcher

Andiswa Nzenze

Andiswa Nzenze is one of the research assistants in the COMPLUS project, based in Gqeberha, South Africa. She has Hons in Sociology from the Nelson Mandela University.

Andiswa Nzenze

Researcher

Thérèse Boulle

Thérèse is a Senior Researcher at UCT and leads COMPLUS in Gqeberha. With a BSc in Occupational Therapy from UCT (1982) and a Master’s in Public Health (Cum Laude) from UWC (2007), Thérèse specialises in public health, community participation, and climate change research. Her diverse experience includes roles in gender equality, mental health, youth development, and community health workers, making her a valuable asset in her mission to improve public health and development.

Thérèse

Senior Researcher

Natasha Ruya

Natasha is a Research Assistant and PhD Candidate in Public Health at the University of Cape Town (UCT). With a Master’s degree in Public Health, specializing in Social and Behavioral Science, and a background in Development Studies, she is passionate about advancing health equity and social justice. Natasha’s research interests lie in community participation, health disparities, access to healthcare, and reproductive rights, particularly for marginalized communities. She brings experience in project coordination and advocacy work, with a commitment to promoting equitable health outcomes. Natasha is poised to contribute meaningfully to interdisciplinary research initiatives aimed at addressing pressing public health challenges.

Natasha Ruya

Researcher

The Brazilian Center of Analysis and Planning

Vera Schattan R. P. Coelho

Vera is a social scientist with a PhD in State and Public Policies. She is a senior researcher at the Brazilian Center of Analysis and Planning (Cebrap). Leading the Citizenship, Health and Development Group and coordinating international postdoctoral programs, she is also a lecturer at the Federal University of ABC (Universidade Federal do ABC). Her areas of expertise include health systems, citizen engagement, and development, with extensive experience in policy evaluation at local, national, and international levels.

Vera Schattan

Co-Principal Investigator, COMPLUS

Luciana Cordeiro

Luciana Cordeiro is an Adjunct Professor at the Federal University of Pelotas. Graduated as an occupational therapist, she gained the Masters and PhD in the School of Nursing of University of Sao Paulo, and completed the postdoctoral research in the same institution. She has been working with evidence production, synthesis, implementation, and evaluation in the health field. She is currently collaborating in The Brazilian Center in Analysis and Planning.

Luciana Cordeiro

Postdoctoral
Researcher

Rafael Barros Barbosa

Rafael Barros Barbosa PhD in economics at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC). Professor of applied economics at the same institution. Research on the topics Economics of Education, Data Sciences applied to economics and Public Economics.

Rafael Barbosa

Postdoctoral
Researcher

Zoheb Khan

Zoheb holds a Master’s in Development Management from Ruhr University Bochum and a PhD in Development Studies from the University of Johannesburg. He is currently participating in the International Postdoctoral Programme at the Brazilian Centre for Analysis and Planning (CEBRAP) in São Paulo. His primary research focuses on the private sector’s contribution to the SDGs, with specific projects in sustainable finance, contracts, shared ownership models, renewable energy, and social protection. Zoheb is also an associate at the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg and a consultant at Krutham.

Zoheb

Postdoctoral
Researcher

Liza Yirie Teruya Uchimura

Liza is a family physician and researcher with a Master’s and PhD in health services and policy from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo. She works at Hcor, São Paulo, implementing healthcare networks for chronic diseases and offers scientific methodology and evidence production courses for the Ministry of Health. Her expertise includes Health Policy, Health Systems, Regional Health Planning, Primary Health Care, and Emergency Care Network.

Liza

Researcher

Marina Barbosa e Silva

Marina is a PhD student in Demography at UNICAMP and a researcher at the Brazilian Centre for Analysis and Planning (CEBRAP). She holds a Master’s in Social Anthropology and a Bachelor’s in Social Sciences. Marina has a Lato Sensu Certificate in Data Science from UNINOVE. She has experience as a former Consultant for IBGE and specialises in researching ethnic and racial issues as well as health inequalities. Marina is proficient in quantitative methods, particularly SPSS and R, and has extensive knowledge of Brazilian databases, with a focus on DATASUS. Her research involves in-depth qualitative methods, including fieldwork and interviewing methodologies.

Marina

Researcher

Frederico Haddad

Frederico is a Ph.D. candidate in Economic Law at the University of São Paulo (USP) and holds an M.A. in Public Law and a Bachelor of Laws from USP. His research focuses on public-private relations in the Brazilian healthcare market. Frederico is a researcher at the Law and Public Policy Research Group at USP, a member of the Research and Documentation Group in Health Entrepreneurship at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (GPDES/IESC/UFRJ), and a researcher fellow at the Economic Order Study Center at the Federal University of São Paulo – Unifesp. He is also a lawyer specialising in antitrust law and economic regulation, with extensive experience in the health sector.

Frederico

Researcher

The George Institute for Global Health, India

Surekha Garimella

Surekha Garimella is a Senior Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health and the Principal Investigator of COMPLUS. She is also involved in the ARISE Hub, enhancing accountability in informal urban areas for better well-being. With a Bachelor’s in Nutrition, a Master’s in Nutrition & Food Science, an MPhil in Applied Economics, and a PhD in Public Health, Gender, and Work, her research centres on gender, women, work, and health systems. She conducts research on the health and well-being of women working in urban informal settlements in Delhi and Tamil Nadu.

Surekha

Joint Principal Investigator for COMPLUS

Prasanna Saligram

Prasanna is a Project Manager at The George Institute for Global Health, part of the ARISE Consortium and COMPLUS project. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, an MBA equivalent from Germany, and a Master of Science in Global Health and Public Policy. His research interests include the political economy of health, global trade, health systems governance, and private sector regulation. He also collaborates with the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) and advocates for access to free medicines. He is currently enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Cape Town under the COMPLUS research project.

Prasanna

Project Manager

Jith J R

Jith is a Research Fellow in The COMPLUS project at The George Institute for Global Health, India. He holds a PhD in Development Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, complementing his multidisciplinary academic journey that includes a master’s degree in development studies and a bachelor’s degree in economics. Before his PhD, Jith worked with the Public Health Foundation of India and contributed to various independent research projects. His research interests are maternal and child nutrition, food security, and local participatory governance.

Jith J R

Research Fellow

Inayat Singh Kakar

Inayat is a Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, India, a qualitative researcher, and public health practitioner. She holds a Bachelor’s in Law and a Master’s in Public Health. Her research areas encompass maternal health, health systems governance, and social and political determinants of health. She has contributed to projects on maternal health, childbearing women’s rights, patients’ rights, private healthcare sector regulation, non-communicable diseases, and COVID-19 healthcare access. Inayat is an active member of rights-based people’s groups and alliances in India.

Inayat

Research Fellow

Sweta Dash

Sweta Dash is a Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, India. She works on the ARISE Hub and the COMPLUS project. She holds a Master’s in Gender Studies and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science Engineering. She has been associated with the Right to Food campaign, Rethink Aadhaar campaign, and the RoadScholarz group of researchers and volunteers. Her research interests include Gender and work, Reproductive Justice, Welfare Entitlements, and Identification Documents.

Team

SPARC

Vinod

Co-Principal Investigator, COMPLUS

Smruti

Researcher

Parvathy

Researcher

School of Public Health, University of Cape Town

Leslie

Principal Investigator, COMPLUS

Lucille

Project Manager, COMPLUS

Hanne

Senior Researcher

Andiswa Nzenze

Researcher

Thérèse

Senior Researcher

Natasha Ruya

Researcher

The Brazilian Center of Analysis and Planning

Vera Schattan

Co-Principal Investigator, COMPLUS

Luciana Cordeiro

Postdoctoral Researcher

Rafael Barbosa

Postdoctoral Researcher

Zoheb

Postdoctoral Researcher

Liza

Researcher

Marina

Researcher

Frederico

Researcher

The George Institute for Global Health, India

Surekha

Joint Principal Investigator for COMPLUS

Prasanna

Project Manager

Jith J R

Research Fellow

Inayat

Research Fellow

Sweta Dash

Research Fellow

Postdoctoral
Researcher

Postdoctoral
Researcher

Postdoctoral
Researcher