Dr. Sisira K. Sarma

Dr. Sarma

My current research focuses on the economics of primary health care (access, health care utilization, costs, and outcomes), the social and environmental determinants of health and economic evaluation of health interventions. Given my training in economics, a major methodological focus of my research is has been to deal with unobservable confounders encountered in health services and epidemiological research.

What current positions do you hold?

Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University
Adjunct Scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
Associate, Canadian Centre for Health Economics

What is your educational background?

  • B.A. Economics (Honours), Berhampur University, India
  • M.A. Economics, Berhampur University, India
  • MPhil. Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
  • PhD Economics, University of Manitoba, Canada

Why did you decide to pursue a career in this field?

About three decades ago, I decided to study economics as it was the most interesting subject dealing with the day-to-day decision making processes of individuals, governments and society. As I grew older, I narrowed my interest to “Health Economics” as this is one of the applied branches in economics highly relevant to decision making. Given secular rise in health care costs and uncertain health outcomes, health economics is becoming more relevant today than in the past decades.

Recent grants:

  • S. Sarma. The impact of physician mode of remuneration on healthcare utilization, costs and quality of care in Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation: 2015-2020).
  • S.Sarma et al. Do primary care reforms influence physician performance and patient outcomes? Econometric analyses of Ontario's primary healthcare delivery models (CIHR; 2013-2017)

Selected Publications:

  • S. Larose, K.A. Kpelitse, M.K. Campbell, G. Zaric, S. Sarma. Does obesity influence labour market outcomes among working-age adults? Evidence from Canadian longitudinal data. Economics and Human Biology, 20, 2016, 26-41.
  • S. Sarma, R.A. Devlin, J. Gilliland, MK. Campbell. G. Zaric. The Effect of leisure-time physical activity on obesity, diabetes, high BP and heart disease among Canadians: Evidence from 2000/01 to 2005/06. Health Economics, 24(12), 2015, 1531–1547.
  • S. Sarma, G. Zaric, M.K. Campbell and J. Gilliland. The effect of physical activity on adult obesity: Evidence from Canadian NPHS panel. Economics and Human Biology, 14, 2014, 1-21.
  • S. Sarma, R.A. Devlin, B. Belhadji and A. Thind. Does the way physicians are paid influence the way they practice? The case of Canadian Family Physicians’ work activity. Health Policy 98(2-3), 2010, 203-217.
  • S. Sarma, R. A. Devlin and W. Hogg.  Physician’s production of primary care in Ontario, Canada.  Health Economics 19(1), 2010, 14-30.
  • R.A. Devlin and S. Sarma. Do physician remuneration schemes matter? The case of Canadian family physicians. Journal of Health Economics 25(7), 2008, 1168-1181.

Additional information?

Publications in PubMed

Research impact by Google Scholar