Rate My Professor Franco Sassi

Professor Franco Sassi holds the Chair in International Health Policy and Economics and directs the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Innovation at Imperial College Business School. He obtained his PhD in health economics from the University of London. Prior to his appointment at Imperial College London in 2016, Sassi served as Senior Health Economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, where he headed the Public Health Programme. In this role, he led analyses on the economics of obesity prevention, non-communicable diseases, harmful alcohol use, and other public health challenges, authoring or editing several influential OECD publications.

Sassi's research focuses on the economic analysis of health services, the economics of chronic disease prevention including obesity, and measuring inequalities in access to healthcare. He is Principal Investigator and Project Coordinator for the European Commission-funded Horizon 2020 project Science and Technology in Childhood Obesity Policy (STOP). His contributions include over 150 peer-reviewed publications. Key works feature 'Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit not Fat' (OECD, 2010), 'Priority actions for the non-communicable diseases crisis' (The Lancet, 2011), 'Tackling unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and obesity: health effects and cost-effectiveness' (PLoS Medicine, 2010), 'Investing in non-communicable disease prevention and management to advance the Sustainable Development Goals' (The Lancet, 2018), and as editor of 'Health Taxes: Policy and Practice' (World Scientific, 2022). Sassi was a Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy (2000-2001). His research has informed global policies on health taxes, food environment regulations, and strategies to combat obesity and chronic diseases.