Dr Darshini Govindasamy is a specialist scientist in Health Economics at the Health Systems research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). She obtained her PhD in Public Health and Policy-Health Economics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her papers have examined HIV treatment outcomes along the care cascade, linkage to HIV care, mental health and wellbeing among vulnerable groups, cost of community-based mental health and HIV-related interventions Publications

She leads the Youth Health Economics Focal Area at the SAMRC which evaluates the effects and cost-effectiveness of interventions to improve the health and wellbeing for adolescents living with HIV and their caregivers.

• Her team are currently leading an IDRC-funded /WomenRise grant (Title: Evaluation of a cash plus gender transformative economic empowerment intervention for improving wellbeing and mental health among female cares of adolescents living with HIV in South Africa (CWEL+).
• Her team were one of the  first groups to lead a   Wellcome Trust Mental Health Data Prize in the region.

Dr Govindasamy also supports health economic activities on several research studies in the region. She is a Technical Working Group member for the implementation of the Health Financing Progress Matrix (HFPM) tool led by the National Department of Health. She serves as a steering committee member on a SAPRIN surveillance node (Umlazi Surveillance Initiatives to Nurture Grassroot Action)  USINGA and academic editor for PloS Global Health. Editorial Board | PLOS Global Public Health