About
UHC360
An independent advisory firm that informs the design and delivery – and enhances the reach – of health policies, programs and products to bridge the gap between their objectives and the lived reality of people, especially the less researched and reached.
Founder & CEO
Dr Ali Mehdi holds a PhD in Health Policy from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany, and has 21 years of experience conducting and coordinating field research across 13 Indian states and 12 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. His research focuses on universal health coverage, primary health care, health information systems, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), drug regulation as well as global health.
At the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), where he founded the Health Policy Initiative (2014–2022), he led several projects funded by the Governments of India, Japan and the United Kingdom; United Nations agencies like the World Health Organization and the World Bank; industry associations such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA); foundations like the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS); among others.
His NCD research dates back to a 2007 study on the impact of NCDs and their prevention on the profitability and competitiveness of companies in India. The first of its kind, it was released by India’s Health Minister, and led to deductions for preventive health check-ups under Section 80D of India’s Income Tax Act, 1961. The drug regulatory work that he led covers clinical trials, drug quality and safety as well as international cooperation for medicine registration – drawing on 550+ key informant interviews in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. His primary health work includes several hundred in-depth interviews and focus group discussions in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat – the former to strengthen NCD data collection, the latter for an endline evaluation of a Johns Hopkins University-led intervention to advance team cohesion.
Dr Mehdi has also contributed to global health policymaking by collaborating with leading global health experts and stakeholders to develop policy briefs for G7 and G20 Leaders.