London School of Economics, Centre for Economic Performance
Sara Evans-Lacko is a mental health services researcher with a particular interest in the role of health services and social support in the prevention and treatment of mental illness. Her research focuses on developing innovative methods to improve access to and quality of mental health care for young people and cross-cultural applications of this in addition to the evaluation of public health interventions such as the Time to Change anti-stigma campaign which aim to improve important changes at the population level. Recently, she received an ERC Starting grant which investigates how to improve access to care for young people already experiencing or at risk of developing psychiatric disorders. The project, APPLAUSE (Adolescent Precursors to Psychiatric Disorders – Learning from User Service Engagement) is based in the UK and Brazil and looks at the relative value of formal mental health services and informal social and familial support structures in promoting fruitful engagement with care. Previously, she worked as a health care consultant for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, USA). She has a PhD in Health Policy and Management, with an emphasis in health services research, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.