Staff Profile

I am a Senior Research Associate in the Health Economics Group, Population Health Sciences Institute with experience of working in academia and industry. 

My areas of expertise are systematic reviews of economic evaluations, within trial economic evaluations, economic modelling and preference elicitations (e.g. Discrete Choice Experiments, Contingent Valuation Methods). I am also interested in economic evaluations of global health issues and healthcare systems. 

As a member of Newcastle Technology Assessment Group, I lead the critique of company submissions to NICE. I have experience of leading health economics element in Single Technology Appraisals (STAs), Late Stage Assessments (LSA) and Diagnostic Assessment Reviews (DARs).

Qualifications:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Newcastle University, United Kingdom (2019)

MSc PH (Health Economics & Financial Management), Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland (2008)

Master of Public Health (MPH), University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (2007)

Bachelors in Public Health (BPH), Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Nepal (2004)

Previous Positions: 

Senior Research Consultant (Health Economics), Cytel (May 2022 to January 2023)

Associate Researcher (Health Economics), Health Economics Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University (June 2022 to February 2023)

Research Fellow (Health Economics), NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC), North East and North Cumbria (NENC), Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (November 2020 to May 2022)

Research Associate, Health Economics Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, UK (February 2019- May 2022)

Health Foundation Doctoral Research Fellow/ Research Assistant, Health Economics Group, Institute of Health & Society, Newcastle University, UK (March 2014-February 2019)

Research Assistant, Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment (HEHTA) Team, University of Glasgow, UK (September 2013-February 2014)

Research Associate, Division of Health and Social Care Research, King’s College London, UK (April 2010-September 2013)

Research Officer, Public Health Network Office, NHS Cambridgeshire, UK (January 2009-April 2010)

Research Interests:

Economic evaluations of health interventions and health system changes; health outcome valuation; preference elicitations (example: the use of discrete choice experiments/contingent valuation methods), global health.

Some of the research projects I am/was involved in are:

• NIHR129196 - Adapted suicide safety plans to address self harm, suicidal ideation and suicide behaviours in autistic adults: an interventional single arm feasibility trial and external pilot randomised controlled trial - I lead on the health economics work package where feasibility and appropriateness of health economics tools is being assessed.
• European Commission under the H2020 programme Grant: MCDS-Therapy- Repurposing of carbamazepine for treatment of skeletal dysplasia- I lead on the Budget Impact Assessment of introducing carbamazepine and also contribute to the economic evaluation model assessing its cost-effectiveness.
• NIHR HSDR : A Real-World, In-Situ, Evaluation Of The Introduction And Scale-Up Of Robot-Assisted Surgical Services In The NHS: Evaluating Its Impact On Clinical And Service Delivery, Effectiveness And Cost (REINFORCE)]- I lead on the health economics work package where I am carrying out a within-trial analyses, economic modelling and a budget impact assessment.
• NIHR Technology Appraisal Review (TAR)- I lead on the Single and Multiple technology appraisals/diagnostics assessments as per NICE's requirements.
• NIHR ARC NENC open funding: Assessing the impact and cost-effectiveness of a community-centred approach to public health on mental health and well-being; a co-produced mixed methods study.- I lead on the health economics work package and conduct a controlled interrupted time series (ITS) analysis to assess the cost-effectiveness of the study intervention.

I lead sessions in MSc Public Health and Health Services Research as one of the Health Economics Module Lecturers. I am actively involved in module planning, preparations and student markings.

My recent supervisee were: 

• Will King (MSc)
• Helen Grover (MD)

I also sit in progression panel of PhD/MD students.

• Articles

  • Rodgers J, Cassidy S, Pelton M, Goodwin J, Wagnild J, Bhattarai N, Gordon I, Wilson C, Heslop P, Ogundimu E, O'Connor RC, Ramsay SE, Townsend E, Vale L. Feasibility and acceptability of autism adapted safety plans: an external pilot randomised controlled trial. eClinicalMedicine 2024, 73, 102662.
  • Goodwin J, Gordon I, O'Keeffe S, Carling S, Berresford A, Bhattarai N, Heslop P, Nielsen E, O'Connor RC, Ogundimu E, Pelton M, Ramsay SE, Rodgers J, Townsend E, Vale L, Wilson C, Cassidy S. Adapting safety plans for autistic adults with involvement from the autism community. Autism in Adulthood 2025, 7(3), 293-302.
  • Goodwin J, Gordon I, OKeeffe S, Carling S, Berresford A, Bhattarai N, Heslop P, Nielsen E, OConnor RC, Ogundimu E, Pelton M, Ramsay SE, Rodgers J, Townsend E, Vale L, Wilson C, Cassidy S. Adapting safety plans for autistic adults with involvement from the autism community. Autism in Adulthood 2024. In Press.
  • Rodgers J, Goodwin J, Nielsen E, Bhattarai N, Heslop P, Kharatikoopaei E, O'Connor RC, Ogundimu E, Ramsay SE, Steele K, Townsend E, Vale L, Walton E, Wilson C, Cassidy S. Adapted suicide safety plans to address self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide behaviours in autistic adults: protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies 2023, 9, 31.
  • Grover H, King W, Bhattarai N, Moloney E, Sharp L, Fuller L. Systematic review of the cost-effectiveness of screening for lung cancer with low dose computed tomography. Lung Cancer 2022, 170, 20-33.
  • Price CI, White P, Balami J, Bhattarai N, Coughlan D, Exley C, Flynn D, Halvorsrud K, Lally J, McMeekin P, Shaw L, Snooks H, Vale L, Watkins A, Ford GA. Improving emergency treatment for patients with acute stroke: the PEARS research programme, including the PASTA cluster RCT. Programme Grants for Applied Research 2022, 10(4).
  • Cucato G, Snowden C, McCone E, Nesbitt C, Nandhra S, Fong M, Kaner E, Rowland M, Bhattarai N, Court P, Bell O, Saxton JM, Prentis J. Evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of an exercise and behaviour change intervention in socioeconomically deprived patients with peripheral arterial disease: The textpad study protocol. PLoS ONE 2022, 17(6), e0269999.
  • Hill SR, Bhattarai N, Tolley CL, Slight SP, Vale L. Eliciting willingness-to-pay to prevent hospital medication administration errors in the UK: a contingent valuation survey. BMJ Open 2022, 12(2), e053115.
  • Bhattarai N, Price CI, McMeekin P, Javanbakht M, Vale L, Ford GA, Shaw L. Cost-effectiveness of an enhanced Paramedic Acute Stroke Treatment Assessment (PASTA) during emergency stroke care: economic results from a pragmatic cluster randomised trial . International Journal of Stroke 2022, 17(3), 282-290.
  • Brocklehurst P, Hoare Z, Woods C, Williams L, Brand A, Shen J, Breckons M, Ashley J, Jenkins A, Gough L, Preshaw P, Burton C, Shepherd K, Bhattarai N. Dental therapists compared with general dental practitioners for undertaking check-ups in low-risk patients: pilot RCT with realist evaluation. Health Services and Delivery Research 2021, 9(3).
  • Bhattarai N, Mason H, Kernohan A, Poole M, Bamford C, Robinson L, Vale L. The value of dementia care towards the end of life: A contingent valuation study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 2020, 35(5), 489-497.
  • Flynn D, Moloney E, Bhattarai N, Scott J, Breckons M, Avery L, Moy N. COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Health Policy and Technology 2020, 9(4), 673-691.
  • Shaw L, Bhattarai N, Cant R, Drummond A, Ford GA, Forster A, Francis R, Hills K, Howel D, Lavery AM, McKevitt C, Price C, Stamp E, Stevens E, Vale L, Rodgers H. An extended stroke rehabilitation service for people who have had a stroke: the EXTRAS RCT. Health Technology Assessment 2020, 24(24).
  • Shaw L, Bhattarai N, Cant R, Drummond A, Ford GA, Forster A, Francis R, Hills K, Howel D, Laverty AM, McKevitt C, McMeekin P, Price C, Stamp E, Stevens E, Vale L, Rodgers H. An extended stroke rehabilitation service for people who have had a stroke: the EXTRAS RCT. Health Technology Assessment 2020, 24(24), 1-202.
  • Bhattarai N, McMeekin P, Price CI, Vale L. Preferences for centralised emergency medical services: Discrete choice experiment. BMJ Open 2019, 9(11), e030966.
  • Rodgers H, Howel D, Bhattarai N, Cant R, Drummond A, Ford GA, Forster A, Francis R, Hills K, Laverty A-M, McKevitt C, McMeekin P, Price CIM, Stamp E, Stevens E, Vale L, Shaw L. Evaluation of an Extended Stroke Rehabilitation Service (EXTRAS): A Randomized Controlled Trial and Economic Analysis. Stroke 2019, 50(12), 3561-3568.
  • Gulliford M, Charlton J, Bhattarai N, Rudisill C. Social and material deprivation and the cost-effectiveness of an intervention to promote physical activity: cohort study and Markov model. Journal of Public Health 2014, 36(4), 674-683.
  • Gulliford MC, Charlton J, Bhattarai N, Charlton C, Rudisill C. Impact and cost-effectiveness of a universal strategy to promote physical activity in primary care: population-based Cohort study and Markov model. The European Journal of Health Economics 2014, 15(4), 341-351.
  • Gulliford MC, Bhattarai N, Charlton J, Rudisill C. Cost-effectiveness of a universal strategy of brief dietary intervention for primary prevention in primary care: population-based cohort study and Markov model. Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation 2014, 12(4).
  • Bhattarai N, Charlton J, Rudisill C, Gulliford MC. Prevalence of depression and utilization of health care in single and multiple morbidity: a population-based cohort study. Psychological Medicine. Psychological Medicine 2013, 43(7), 1423-31.
  • Charlton J, Rudisill C, Bhattarai N, Gulliford M. Impact of deprivation on occurrence, outcomes and health care costs of people with multiple morbidity. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy 2013, 18(4), 215-23.
  • Bhattarai N, Prevost AT, Wright AJ, Charlton J, Rudisill C, Gulliford MC. Effectiveness of interventions to promote healthy diet in primary care: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMC Public Health 2013, 13, 1203.
  • Bhattarai N, Charlton J, Rudisill C, Gulliford MC. Coding, Recording and Incidence of Different Forms of Coronary Heart Disease in Primary Care. PLoS ONE 2012, 7(1), e29776.

• Report

  • Robinson L, Poole M, McLellan E, Lee R, Amador S, Bhattarai N, Bryant A, Coe D, Corbett A, Exley C, Goodman C, Gotts Z, Harrison-Dening K, Hill S, Howel D, Hrisos S, Hughes J, Kernohan A, Macdonald A, Mason H, Massey C, Neves S, Paes P, Rennie K, Rice S, Robinson T, Sampson E, Tucker S, Tzelis D, Vale L, Bamford C. Supporting good quality, community-based end-of-life care for people living with dementia: the SEED research programme including feasibility RCT. National Institute for Health Research, 2020. 8.

• Review

  • Bhattarai N, McMeekin P, Price C, Vale L. Economic evaluations on centralisation of specialised healthcare services: a systematic review of methods. BMJ Open 2016, 6(5), e011214.