Rachel Hounsell

Dr Rachel Hounsell is a health economist and infectious disease modeller whose work focuses on the development and application of mathematical and economic models to support evidence-based public health decision-making. She is currently a Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford, in collaboration with the Modelling and Simulation Hub, Africa (MASHA) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Rachel completed her DPhil in Clinical Medicine from the University of Oxford. She holds a Master’s in Development Finance from the UCT’s Graduate School of Business and an MSc IHTM from the University of Oxford.

Rachel’s research focus is on vaccine-preventable diseases, malaria, and epidemic-prone infections, with a strong emphasis on the integration of modelling and economic evaluation to inform policy. She has contributed to a range of high-impact projects, including modelling to support COVID-19 response planning in South Africa, vaccine prioritisation during the diphtheria outbreak in Nigeria, and economic evaluations of immunisation strategies in multiple low- and middle-income countries. Her work frequently involves collaboration with national ministries of health, technical advisory groups, and international organisations. She is passionate about the translation of modelling outputs into accessible tools and policy-relevant insights, developing interactive decision-support platforms for non-technical audiences.

Rachel is also engaged in postgraduate teaching and supervision as a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Oxford and the University of Cape Town, contributing to courses in infectious disease modelling, health economics, epidemiology, and health innovation. In addition, she co-directs a regional fellowship programme aimed at strengthening modelling capacity and policy translation across Africa.

Earlier in her career, Rachel worked with the World Health Organization as a technical advisor and co-founded the Social Innovation in Health Initiative, supporting the development of country hubs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She has held roles in research management, global health consulting, and economic policy, including work with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and the Southern African Development Community.