Veena Sriram is an Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Global Health Policy, with a joint appointment in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) and the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) at the University of British Columbia. Her research sits at the intersection of global health, social science and public policy, and her interests are in understanding power and politics in health policy processes in low- and middle-income countries. She draws upon theory and methodologies from the social sciences in conducting her research, and has a particular focus on qualitative approaches. Her work has been published in journals such as the BMJ, Social Science and Medicine, BMJ Global Health and Health Policy and Planning.

Dr. Sriram has a particular focus on health workforce policy and health sector governance. She has conducted extensive research at the national and state level in India, exploring a range of health policy and system questions, including medical specialization, health workforce policy development, the functioning of national health authorities and emergency care systems. She has also contributed to expanding the application of theory and concepts to study power in health policy and systems research. Dr. Sriram also writes regularly on contemporary issues in global health policy in forums such as International Health Policies, and is involved with Health Systems Global and Emerging Voices for Global Health.

Dr. Sriram has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She has previously been awarded fellowships from the American Institute of Indian Studies and the U.S. Fulbright Program. She has led the design and execution of qualitative research funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (Fogarty International Center and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has also consulted for the World Health Organization.

Selected Reports and Book Chapters 

Sriram V. Ramani S. Prashanth NS. Health policy processes in India: institutions, interests, ideas and contemporary debates. Editors: Agartan T, Beland D, Powell M. Research Handbook on Health Care Policy (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024) 

Sriram V. Brophy S. and  Zong H. Heroes on Strike: Trends in Global Health Worker Protests During COVID-19. Accountability Research Center, Accountability Note No. 10. 2022 Link  

Sriram V. Sheikh K. Bigdeli M. Addressing Governance Challenges and Capacities in Ministries of Health. Editor – Sandy Campbell. Health Systems Governance Collaborative and Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, 2020 Link 

Sriram V. Brokering policies and politics for human resources for health. In ‘A Health Policy and Systems Research Reader on Human Resources for Health’ (Editors: Asha George, Kerry Scott, Veloshnee Govender). Alliance for Health Policy and Systems, World Health Organization, 2017 Link 

Public Writing

Canada’s approach to recruiting internationally educated health workers has a global price, The Globe and Mail, May 27, 2026

Canada can’t stand by while India’s medical system collapses, The Globe and Mail, April 27, 2021

If South Asia’s pandemic isn’t addressed as a whole, India’s COVID-19 crisis could be just the beginning, The Globe and Mail, May 13, 2021

Academic Editor, PLOS Global Public Health Editorial Board