Steve Russell

Dr. Steve Russell is a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of East Anglia's School of Global Development, where he is also a member of the Health and Disease research group. With 16 years of research experience, his work focuses on health policy, poverty, livelihoods, and policy implementation in developing countries across Africa and Asia.

Russell holds a PhD in Health Policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London (2001) and an MA in Development Studies from UEA (1993). His academic foundation combines rigorous social science training with deep field experience in multiple developing contexts.

Dr. Russell's research centers on the social dimensions of health and illness, particularly the economic burden of illness for households, treatment seeking behavior, and household coping strategies. His most significant recent work examines people's management of HIV as a chronic condition when taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), using social and psychological frameworks to understand adaptive strategies, self-management, and the process of rebuilding lives and livelihoods. He has developed conceptual and methodological approaches for analyzing household vulnerability to illness-related impoverishment and factors affecting resilience. His earlier research focused on health financing policy, including user fees, pre-payment schemes, and health sector reform processes in countries like Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Thailand, and Ethiopia.

His publication record reveals a consistent focus on HIV management in resource-limited settings, particularly Uganda. His research employs mixed methods to explore psychological, social, and economic dimensions of living with HIV, with particular attention to stigma reduction, gender dynamics, family support systems, and the relationship between treatment access and quality of life. The work often examines how individuals regain control and order in their lives while managing chronic illness.

Dr. Russell has secured significant research funding from major organizations including the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Wellcome Trust, and DFID. He has collaborated extensively with institutions such as the Medical Research Council (MRC), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and universities across Africa. He actively supervises PhD students working on health-related issues in developing contexts and incorporates his research into teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

As a founder member of the HIV & Development Group at UEA, Russell contributes to interdisciplinary research connecting HIV with broader development processes. His work directly contributes to Sustainable Development Goals related to health, poverty reduction, and reduced inequalities, demonstrating how health policy functions as social protection.