About

I study how dementia care, public policy, and resource allocation support people to exercise choice, stay connected to their communities, and live at home with greater autonomy. I am a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Researcher at the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG) and the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway, and a member of the HOMEDEM Doctoral Network.

My PhD uses health economics and discrete choice experiment methods to examine public preferences and willingness to pay for autonomy-enhancing dementia care in Ireland. The work covers housing adaptations, community inclusion, home-care support, assistive and digital technology, and how these supports are funded.

Before the PhD, I worked on public health research, health financing, and universal health coverage in India. That experience spans academic research, capacity building, and the implementation of publicly funded health programmes.

Conversations are welcome with researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and organisations working across dementia, ageing, health economics, social care, housing, and technology.

Focus
Ageing, health policy, health economics, public health, and dementia care
Methods
Discrete choice experiments, willingness to pay, patient and public involvement, realist evaluation
Software
STATA, SPSS, Epi Info, NVivo, QDA Miner, Moodle
Teaching
Guest lecturer in health economics and health financing at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp (2023) and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bengaluru (2022).
Awards
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions doctoral scholarship. Commonwealth Scholarship. Belgian DGD scholarship.
Patent
IoT pharmacy pill counter machine

Research and projects

  • 2023 to presentDoctoral research

    Autonomy in dementia care

    A Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral project in the HOMEDEM Network. A discrete choice experiment estimates Irish public preferences and willingness to pay for autonomy-enhancing dementia care. Five areas are examined: housing adaptations, community inclusion, home-care support, assistive and digital technology, and additional tax contributions. Attributes and levels were developed through patient and public involvement, focus groups, and policy evidence.

    • Discrete choice experiment
    • Willingness to pay
    • Dementia policy
  • 2020 to 2023Realist evaluation

    Aggrievoice

    Project lead. A realist evaluation of grievance redressal in government-funded health insurance schemes in India, asking how empowering patients changes outcomes. Funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

    • Realist evaluation
    • Health insurance
    • India
  • 2019 to 2021Process evaluation

    AB-PMJAY

    Co-principal investigator. A realist process evaluation of the publicly funded AB-PMJAY health insurance scheme, carried out with the Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar. Funded by Access Health International.

    • Realist evaluation
    • Health insurance
    • Policy
  • 2021 to 2022Health financing

    NCD coverage

    Senior consultant. A study of coverage, gaps, and systemic challenges on the path to universal coverage for noncommunicable diseases in India. Funded by the WHO Country Office for India.

    • Health financing
    • NCDs
    • WHO
  • 2021 to 2023Teaching and e-learning

    Online courses

    Course co-developer and project lead. A scientific writing course for public health professionals, built with the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, the B.P. Koirala Institute, and the University of Gadjah Mada, plus an implementation research course at IPH Bengaluru.

    • Scientific writing
    • Implementation research
    • Moodle
  • 2018 to 2020Health systems

    Leishmaniasis

    Researcher. A health systems study on timely detection and management of visceral leishmaniasis in the post-elimination phase. Funded by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine under the SPEAK consortium.

    • Health systems
    • Infectious disease
    • LSHTM

Experience

  • Sep 2023 to present
    Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Researcher (HOMEDEM)
    Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG) and J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway, Ireland
  • Apr 2022 to present
    Senior Technical Lead, Ageing, Health Financing and Policy
    Utkarsh Research Network
  • Dec 2023 to Dec 2024
    Adjunct Faculty
    Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, India
  • Aug 2022 to Sep 2023
    Assistant Director, Education
    Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, India
  • Aug 2021 to Sep 2023
    Team Lead, Education
    Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, India
  • Jun 2022 to Aug 2023
    Faculty and Co-lead, Health Financing and Universal Health Coverage
    Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, India
  • Oct 2018 to Jul 2022
    Research Officer and Team Lead
    Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, India
  • Oct 2019 to Dec 2020
    Consultant and Team Lead, Health Financing
    IPH Swasthya Health System Solutions Private Limited, Mysore, India
  • Aug 2017 to Oct 2018
    Deputy Executive Officer
    Dr. NTR VaidyaSeva Trust, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Andhra Pradesh, India
  • Jun 2013 to May 2015
    Vice-Principal and Lecturer in Biology
    Narayana Educational Institutions, Bangalore, India

Education

  • Sep 2023 to present
    PhD in Economics
    J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics and Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, University of Galway. HOMEDEM Doctoral Network, funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Includes Advanced Econometrics, Sep 2023 to Jan 2024.
  • 2021
    MSc in Global Ageing and Policy
    University of Southampton, UK. Commonwealth Scholarship.
  • 2020
    Postgraduate Diploma in Health Economics, Healthcare Financing and Policy
    Public Health Foundation of India
  • 2020
    Short course, Health Economics and Financing
    Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp. Belgian DGD scholarship.
  • 2017
    Master of Public Health, Epidemiology
    Manipal University, India
  • 2007
    BSc in Biotechnology
    Sri Venkateswara University, India

Publications

Eleven papers on dementia care, health insurance, health systems, and public health. Full records are held on Google Scholar and ORCID.

  • Public preferences for autonomy-enhancing dementia care in Ireland: a protocol for a discrete choice experiment
    Boyanagari, Walsh, Walsh, and O'Shea. HRB Open Research. 2026.
    Read article, DOI 10.12688/hrbopenres.14532.1
  • How does context influence implementation mechanism of publicly funded health insurance schemes in Indian states
    Rout, Boyanagari, Pani, Mokashi, Chokshi, and Kadam. Journal of Health Management, 24(1), 118 to 131. 2022.
    Read article, DOI 10.1177/09720634221078702
  • Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Indian economy
    Narayanappa, Boyanagari, and Uthkarsh. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 9(3), 1534. 2022.
    Read article, DOI 10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20220726
  • Burden and cost of overweight and obesity in south India public health system
    Panda, Ayyanar, and Boyanagari. Obesity Medicine, 13, 55 to 58. 2019.
    Read article, DOI 10.1016/j.obmed.2019.01.004
  • Burden, pattern, and causes of road traffic accidents in South India: estimate of years of life lost
    Panda, Boyanagari, and Ayyanar. CHRISMED Journal of Health and Research, 6(1), 52. 2019.
    Read article, DOI 10.4103/cjhr.cjhr_62_18
  • Profile of breast cancer patients receiving government sponsored free treatment and the associated economic costs
    Shankar, Boyanagari, Boyanagari, Shankar, and Ayyanar.
    Read article, DOI 10.1016/j.cegh.2018.05.004
  • Perceptions and experiences of healthcare providers and beneficiaries on the National Health Insurance Scheme of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) in a taluk of a South Indian state of Karnataka
    Manaswitha and Vamsi Krishna.
    Read article, DOI 10.1016/j.cegh.2018.03.003
  • Determinants of chronic pain among adults in urban area of Udupi, Karnataka, India
    Panda, Vyas, Dsouza, and Boyanagari.
    Read article, DOI 10.1016/j.cegh.2018.03.002
  • Implementation processes of publicly funded health insurance schemes in India: key learnings and implementation challenges
  • Assessment of nutritional status, psychological depression, and functional ability of elderly population in South India
  • Epidemiology and management of panfacial fractures and the associated injuries in Andhra Pradesh

Contact

vkboyanagari@gmail.com

Collaborations, teaching invitations, and research questions are welcome. Based in Galway, Ireland.

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