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WDI has instituted several changes to its Healthcare Initiative to better coordinate the initiative’s work, increase its capacity and ultimately grow its impact.

As part of the changes, Pascale R. Leroueil has been named director of the Healthcare Initiative. Leroueil joined WDI as a part-time research fellow in January 2015, and became a full-time research manager of the Healthcare Initiative’s Healthcare Delivery focus area about three months later. She assumed her new role as director in July.

Her work mainly explores improving healthcare delivery in emerging markets at the point where patients and healthcare service providers meet. Leroueil’s particular focus is on operational efficiency at the clinic and hospital level, although this work often touches on other aspects of the healthcare business model.

Before joining WDI, Leroueil worked in vaccine development at U-M’s Medical School, where she holds an adjunct appointment. She earned a master’s and a PhD in Physical Chemistry from U-M, and her MBA from U-M’s Ross School of Business.

As a WDI research manager, Leroueil spent six months in 2016 in Geneva collaborating with the Global Fund to support its work in healthcare delivery.

Leroueil will oversee three of the initiative’s focus areas – Healthcare Delivery, Market Dynamics and Supply Chain. A fourth focus area, Health Information Systems, has also been added to the initiative. David Butz has been appointed WDI Senior Research Fellow to bolster the Institute’s academic research on health information systems and apply it to the initiative’s work. Butz also serves as an adjunct lecturer of Business Administration at Ross. He has written extensively about the potential of health information technology to improve patient care, most recently in an article he authored for NextBillion, a WDI affiliated site.

Pascale R. Leroueil

Leroueil said she is thrilled to lead the talented, knowledgeable and experienced Healthcare Initiative team.

“We’re an academically minded group that’s focused on providing practical solutions to healthcare-related challenges,” she said. “While our work in supply chain, market dynamics and healthcare delivery has historically been our bread and butter, we’re excited to branch out into health information systems, too. I think there are a lot of opportunities on the horizon for us as an initiative, particularly as the private sector begins to play a larger role in healthcare, and donors and governments look to identify new health-related business models to decrease their costs.”

WDI President Paul Clyde said Leroueil’s diverse background will help to advance the Initiative.

“Pascale brings an unusual combination of scientific research skills and an understanding of business that fits very well with our mission,” Clyde said. “She also has good relationships with important global health organizations and experience with health care delivery organizations on the ground.  She is well positioned to bring different areas of work in global health together and move it forward.”