Valentina Iemmi

Dr Valentina Iemmi is LSE Fellow in the Department of Health Policy. She has 15 years of research experience in global health policy and practice, with a specialism in governance and financing. Her research empirical focus is on mental health and disability. She previously worked at the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre (LSE), International Centre for Evidence in Disability (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health (King’s College London), and French National Institute of Health and Medical Research Unit 669 (Paris Descartes University). She has advised and/or consulted for various national and international organisations, including World Health Organization, European Commission, UK Department for International Development (now Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), Global Innovation Fund, United for Global Mental Health.

Valentina’s research analyses to what extent global mental health response is fit for purpose, in particular vis-à-vis governance and financing. Her most recent work explored typologies, methods, and motivations of external actors investing in mental health in low- and middle-income countries over the past three decades. She uses innovative multi-methods, including qualitative (interviews and documentary analyses) and quantitative (country-level panel data linkage and analyses) methods. She uses multidisciplinary approaches, including health policy, health economics, public policy, psychology, international relations, and international development. Her work has been published in top-quality peer-reviewed journals, including Lancet Psychiatry, BMJ Global Health, and Social Science & Medicine.

Valentina holds a PhD in Social Policy from the LSE. She also has a MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine & LSE, and the title of Clinical Psychologist from the University of Paris.