Dr Itamar Megiddo
Reader in Global Health

Profile

Biography

Itamar is a Reader in Health Economics in the Global Health Theme at CHE, University of York, which he joined in 2025. His research focuses on improving healthcare decision-making through integrating systems thinking and modelling approaches in health economic evaluation, drawing on methods from complexity science, mathematical epidemiology, economics, and computer sciences to tackle complex healthcare challenges globally.

Prior to joining CHE, Itamar was at the Department of Management Science, University of Strathclyde, where he was Chair of the Health Systems Research Group. His earlier career included positions at the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in Washington, DC, and research roles at Resources for the Future and McGill University.

Itamar holds a PhD in Management Science specialising in modelling for healthcare policy from the University of Strathclyde (2016), an MA in Economics from McGill University (2009), and a BA Honours in Economics with a minor in Computer Science from McGill University (2008). He received the Operational Research Society Doctoral Award, recognising the most distinguished body of research leading to a doctorate in operational research from a UK university.

His research addresses global health challenges through healthcare intervention and policy evaluations, health systems strengthening in low- and middle-income countries, health system resilience, and antimicrobial resistance policies. He has made methodological contributions to agent-based modelling and hybrid simulation approaches, bringing these to decision analytic modelling for health economic evaluation. His work extends beyond academia through active knowledge exchange with policymakers across multiple settings, including work in India and Ghana, collaborations with international organisations such as WHO, World Bank, and the Global Fund, and in the UK through contributions to SAGE Social Care Working Group during COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance policy among others. He currently serves as an external health economist for the New Drugs Committee at the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

Research

Overview

• Systems thinking and simulation modelling for health economic evaluation and healthcare policy
• Healthcare system resilience and intervention evaluation
• Agent-based modelling and hybrid simulation methodologies for decision analytic modelling
• Global health challenges including health systems strengthening in low- and middle-income countries
• Antimicrobial resistance policy analysis and valuation of novel antibiotics
• Integration of behavioural theories with healthcare simulation and health economic evaluation models

Projects

• REACH: Building resilience to floods and heat in maternal and child health systems in Brazil and Zambia, 2025-2027
• HAPIOR: Health Protection and Improvement with Operational Research, DHSC/NIHR, 2018-2022
• Supporting decision making in Global Fund CCMs, Centre for Global Development, 2020-2022
• COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Barriers in LMICs, Scottish Funding Council GCRF, 2020-2021 
• COVID-19 Multi-model Comparison Consortium, International Decision Support Initiative, 2020-2021

Research group(s)

• Global health

Grants

• See York Research Database

Publications

• See Google Scholar page

Supervision

Current PhD students (external supervision)

• Siobhan Botwright. Topic: Uncertainty tools for health technology assessment decision-making: Thailand case study 
• Shafkat Ibrahimy. Topic: Behavioural systems modelling for home care 
• Melika Rezaei. Topic: Systems thinking and health economics for healthcare sustainability and NHS net zero targets

Former PhD students

• Eunice Adwubi, 2019-2024. Topic: Health systems modelling and economic evaluation for diabetes in Ghana.
• Nicola Irvine, 2019-2024. Topic: Healthcare delivery strategy development for urgent care
• Ewan McTaggart, 2019-2023. Topic: Bioeconomic modelling of infectious disease impacts on forestry and human health 
• Le Khanh Ngan Nguyen, 2018-2022. Topic: Hybrid simulation modelling of healthcare-associated infections

External activities

Memberships

• Value Based Health & Care Group, Scottish Government (2023-2025)
  Member

Advisory roles

• New Drugs Committee, Scottish Medicines Consortium (2025-present) 
  Associate Editor
• Systems Thinking Oversight Group, HITAP Health Technology Assessment Guidelines, Thailand (2025-present)
• UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) Social Care Working Group (2020-2021)
  Contributor
• Scottish Government Care Home Data and Analysis Team (2020-2022)

Editorial duties

• Health Care Management Science
  Associate Editor

Invited talks and conferences

Search "Megiddo" under CHE Talks and Presentations.