Navneeth Murali

My name is Navneeth Murali, and I'm a sophomore majoring in neuroscience and sociology. In high school, most of my research was in biomedical and bioinformatics projects, which gave me an early appreciation for science at the molecular level. At the same time, I had a longstanding interest in policy, though I didn’t have the chance to formally pursue it through research. When I came to Penn, my experiences in community health convinced me that I wanted to more deeply explore the upstream structural drivers of health: the financial, institutional, and policy choices that shape outcomes long before patients enter the clinic.

Since then, I’ve explored research from different angles. One stream of research focuses on how financial and organizational incentives in the pharma and managed care industries shape where money flows, and how those choices affect innovation and the availability of treatments. Another has taken the form of health services and outcomes research, where I investigate topics such as hospital price variation and patterns of care utilization, answering questions about how system-level decisions influence efficiency and equity in healthcare. I've also pursued bench neuroscience research using Drosophila models to study neural development, regeneration, and tumorigenesis, keeping me connected to the biology underlying the diseases and treatments that policy and delivery systems must ultimately address.

Outside of research, I enjoy watching soccer (despite being a Man United fan), writing, and spending time with friends. If you’re curious about starting research, exploring different streams, or figuring out how to align your research work with your academic goals, I’d be happy to share what I’ve learned.

• Health Policy Research: Pharmaceuticals and Managed Care (Penn Medicine)
• Health Services and Outcomes Research (Penn Medicine/VA)
• Bench Neuroscience Research (CHOP)