On 2 December, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) hosted a valedictory lecture by Professor Dame Anne Mills, marking more than four decades of her leadership in health economics and health policy and systems research (HPSR). The Alliance was represented by its Executive Director, Dr Kumanan Rasanathan, who joined colleagues and friends in celebrating her extraordinary contributions.
Since joining LSHTM as a lecturer in 1979, Anne has been a driving force in developing health economics and health systems research, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Her research has shaped thinking on how to organize and finance health systems so that they are more efficient, equitable and people-centred, and has helped define HPSR as a field in its own right.
An architect of the Alliance
Anne is one of the key architects of the Alliance and also its first Chair. She helped to shape its initial strategy, placing a strong emphasis on:
- Strengthening country capacity for health systems research
- Building a global community around health policy and systems research
- Ensuring relevance to policy and implementation in low- and middle-income countries
Under her leadership, the Alliance grew from a promising idea into a trusted convenor and funder, supporting work that has informed health reforms in countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
“The whole Alliance team, including myself, are among many people around the world who can honestly say that our roles simply would not exist without Anne’s vision and hard work,” said Dr Kumanan Rasanathan. “Anne is a giant who has built our field of health policy and systems research as a practical, problem-solving discipline – rooted in country realities, attentive to equity, and always focused on improving how health systems work for the people they serve.”
Shaping a field: from Malawi and Nepal and beyond
In her valedictory lecture – Nothing ventured, nothing gained: My life in health economics – Anne reflected on a career that began with a leap into the unknown: an ODI Fellowship posting as an economist in Malawi’s Ministry of Health, followed by work on the economics of malaria control in Nepal.
Over time, her research spanned:
- Economic evaluation of disease control, especially malaria
- Health financing reforms, including community-based and national health insurance
- Public–private mixes and contracting, and the conditions under which they can – or cannot – serve the public interest
- Design and analysis of universal health coverage reforms, notably long-term collaboration with Thailand on its path to UHC
Her work has consistently brought rigorous economic analysis together with a deep appreciation of politics, institutions and implementation – a combination that helped anchor health economics within broader HPSR debates.
Building capacity and community
Professor Dame Anne’s impact extends far beyond her publications. She founded and led the Health Economics and Financing Programme at LSHTM, which became a global hub for research and training on health systems in low- and middle-income countries.
Over her career, she has supervised and mentored generations of students and early-career researchers – many of whom have gone on to lead health economics and health policy units in ministries of health, universities and research institutes, particularly in Africa and Asia. For the Alliance and the wider HPSR community, these alumni are among her most enduring legacies.
Her leadership has also been recognized through numerous honours, including appointment as Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, election as a Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Prince Mahidol Award for Medicine.
Looking ahead
Although she is stepping back from formal leadership roles at LSHTM, Professor Dame Anne made clear in her lecture that she does not think of this moment as retirement. She will continue to support new generations of researchers as an emeritus professor.
For the Alliance, her lifetime of work is a reminder of what sustained, thoughtful engagement can achieve: stronger health systems, better-informed policy-making and a vibrant global community committed to equity and social justice.
The Alliance extends its warmest thanks to Professor Dame Anne Mills for her vision, leadership and partnership over the past quarter century – and looks forward to continuing to learn from her example in the years to come.