Dr Darshini Govindasamy

Director, SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science (PRICELESS‑SA

Dr Darshini Govindasamy is a health economist with extensive experience leading policy‑relevant economic evaluations to inform equitable health and social policy in South Africa. As Director, she leads PRICELESS‑SA’s mission to strengthen decision‑making through rigorous, locally grounded economic evidence and sustained engagement with policymakers.

She has over 17 years of experience working in the field of public health and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and a PhD in Health Economics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom.

Her primary research interests focus on economic evaluations alongside trials in the areas of mental health, gender‑based violence, and HIV prevention for vulnerable populations. She also has a strong interest in healthcare financing, particularly health technology assessment (HTA) and benefit package design.

In addition, she is an Honorary Researcher (Health Economics) at the South African Medical Research Council (Health Systems Research Unit) and a Board Member of the International Health Economics Association (IHEA), representing early career researchers from the Global South. She has authored over 40 peer‑reviewed publications, served as Principal Investigator on five international grants, and is an Academic Editor for PLOS Global Health. Dr Govindasamy is actively involved in building the pipeline of health economists in South Africa and beyond through teaching and postgraduate supervision.