Dr.Nikita Pandey

Public policy professional with a PhD (submitted) from IIT Bombay, working at the intersection of health systems, financing, and quality of care. My work focuses on understanding how large-scale programs like PMJAY translate into real improvements in service delivery and outcomes. I bring experience across government, research, and consulting settings, including field-based work in resource-constrained contexts. Trained in both qualitative and quantitative methods, I am comfortable working with data as well as stakeholders.

This study examines the PMJAY policy cycle, focusing on agenda-setting, formulation, and implementation. It explores the influence of global institutions, particularly the World Bank, on India’s health policy, and analyzes PMJAY as a health financing mechanism for UHC. Using case studies, discourse analysis, parliamentary debates, and key informant interviews, the study highlights how global, national, and subnational factors interact in shaping health policy in India.

• India Health Policy and Systems Research Fellowship (IHPSR), Health Systems Transformation Platform, 2024
• Best Research Poster, Public Policy Dialogues at the ISB, Hyderabad Campus, 01/24
• Senior Research Fellow/Junior Research Fellow, Indian Council of Medical Research, 02/21
• Overall Topper (All four years), Institute of Dental Studies and Technologies, 2014
• BT Sridharan Memorial Award for District Topper, 2006

• A Critique on Participatory Design in Developmental Context: A Case Study, Ulemba Hirom, Shyama V.S, Doke, P., Lobo, S., Sujit Devkar, & Pandey, N., 2017, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 647-658, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57931-3_52
• Participatory Design of Vaccination Services with Less-Literate Users, Shyama V.S, Ulemba Hirom, Lobo, S., Sujit Devkar, Doke, P., & Pandey, N., 2017, Communications in Computer and Information Science, 301-308, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58753-0_45
• Making Government-Funded Health Insurance An Effective Strategy For Universal Health Coverage, Kaul, S., & Pandey, N., 2025, Healthcare For All: Community Action And Public Systems For An Inclusive India, Routledge and Indian School of Business

• Arnab Jana, Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, arnab.jana@civil.iitb.ac.in, +91-22-2576-9331
• Kheya Melo Furtado, Associate Professor, Goa Institute of Management, kheya.furtado@gim.ac.in
• Dr. T. Sundararaman, Ex-Dean, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay, sundararaman.t@gmail.com

• Health Policy Systems Research
• Health Financing
• Policy Process
• Policy Theories
• Discourse Analysis