Laura joined the University of Manchester in January 2015. Laura has an interest in health and care financing, and on how institutional arrangements and service organisation affect health and care outcomes and inequalities in different health systems. Her research is concentrated in applied health economics and involves the analysis of large administrative and survey data.

Laura is currently working on the development of approaches to analyse and improve equity in health services and financing between and within local health systems. For example, she is leading the development of a funding formula for primary care and has led the development of the national mental health funding formula in England. She is also working on the equitable and sustainable scale up of treatment for anxiety and depression in Indonesia and has worked on the mechanisms and effects of Performance Based Financing in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Her PhD focused on equity and efficiency in the allocation of financial resources across geographic areas in Mozambique.

Laura has a background in Economics with a focus on development economics. Her interest in public health care systems grew while working as an economist in the Directorate of Planning and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Health of Mozambique for over five years, as an Overseas Development Institute Fellow and then funded by the World Health Organization and the UK Department for International Development. She has held secondments with NHS England and works closely with Ministry of Health in different countries. Prior to joining the University of Manchester, Laura was based at the Global Health and Development Department at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

International Health Economics Association - Member and convenor of the Special Interest Group on Financing for Universal Health Coverage

UK Health Economists' Study Group - Member

European Health Economics Association - Member

North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership - Health and Wellbeing Pathway Lead (2020- )

NIHR Research on Interventions for Global Health Transformation - Panel member (2022- )

Member of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to the Advisory Commitee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) (2021- )

Ph.D. Health Economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK)

M.Phil. Economics (University of Oxford, UK)

B.Sc. Economic and Social Disciplines (Universita' L. Bocconi, Italy)