Sophie Witter

Professor Sophie Witter is a Professor of International Health Financing and Health Systems at the Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. With 35 years of experience in health systems research and health financing in low and middle income countries, she leads the Health system cluster and contributes to multiple international research programs. She is also a member of the Institute for Global Health and Development Research Centre.

Her educational background includes a BA, MA, and PhD.

Professor Witter's research focuses on health systems in low and middle income countries, with particular emphasis on health financing, human resources for health, and system resilience. Her key interests include:

• Health financing policy and financial barriers to access
• Human resources for health and labour markets
• Performance-based financing
• Health systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings
• Gender equity in health systems
• Learning health systems

She employs advanced research methods such as theory-based evaluation, participatory action research, life histories, mixed methods, realist evaluation, dynamic systems modelling, political economy analysis, discrete choice experiments, economic evaluation, and systematic reviews.

Professor Witter has secured and managed multiple research grants from funders including UNHCR, DFID, MRC, and NIHR. Current and recent projects include:

• Refugee health care, integration and resilience (UNHCR)
• Future of Global Health Initiatives (FGHI)
• ReBUILD for Resilience
• Results4TB: Designing and evaluating provider results-based financing for tuberculosis care in Georgia
• VAPAR: Verbal Autopsy with Participatory Action Research
• NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Health in Situations of Fragility

She supervises PhD students in health systems research and teaches postgraduate courses on health financing, human resources for health, performance-based financing, and complex evaluation approaches.

Professor Witter is Deputy Director of the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Health in Situations of Fragility and leads the Health system cluster at the Institute for Global Health and Development.