Varsha Bangalee holds a BPharm, MPharm (Pharmacoeconomics) and PhD qualifications, all obtained from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is currently an academic in the Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). She additionally has a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (UKZN), a Professional Diploma in Pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepidemiology (James Lind Institute) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Health Economics for Health Professionals (University of Aberdeen).
Prof Bangalee joined the university in 2011. She currently lectures to undergraduate students in the Division of Pharmacy Practice and is the module coordinator on two online Masters pharmacoeconomics courses. She annually supervises undergraduate students in their honors level research projects and postgraduate students whose topics center on health systems strengthening. To date, she has successfully graduated 15 Masters students and 2 PhD students.
Her priority research area is in health systems strengthening- with a particular focus on health/pharmaceuticals policy analysis and development; medicine pricing and availability and pharmacovigilance policy/systems. Despite not being her priority research area, Prof. Bangalee also publishes and presents collaborative work in higher education research. To date, she has 40 publications in DHET and Scopus accredited journals.
She has been the recipient of several research grants, awarded by the NRF (i.e. NRF Sabbatical Grants for Completion of Doctoral Degrees, NRF Study Support for Completing PhD Studies Part-time and NRF Thuthuka) and by the UKZN College of Health Sciences i.e. (Masters Scholarship and College Research Development Grant). In 2016, she was awarded a post-doctoral NIH Developing Research Innovation, Localization and Leadership in South Africa (DRILL) Fellowship Grant. She additionally has been awarded teaching and learning grants which include: University of Louisiana Monroe – College of Pharmacy Faculty Research Seed Fund and the UKZN University Capacity Development Funding.
Prof Bangalee occupies various advisory positions on the following executive committees: KwaZulu-Natal Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee; The Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences ; The Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa and the UKZN Biomedical Research Ethics Committee.
