Deakin Health Economics

As one of Australia’s largest teams of health economists, we consider it important to understand both health economics and its application in a particular topic area or setting.

We focus on the efficient allocation of health sector and non-health sector resources to achieve policy objectives and inform both health service design and implementation.

DHE undertakes work that spans prevention and treatment across the community and health sectors to ensure efficient allocation of health resources. Our expertise ranges from the design and implementation of economic evaluation and health technology assessment, to economic modelling and priority setting. We also undertake methodological research to ensure our approach is informed by best practice in economic evaluation.

Further to its research, DHE is a teaching centre of excellence for those wishing to embark on, or upskill, in health economics. It is one of the largest Australian health economics program with graduates working across government, research and public and private industry. DHE values supporting the next generation of health economists to excel in their field.    

Deakin Health Economics Director
Professor Suzanne Robinson

Senior Administrative Officer
Sophie Di Falco

Professor and Associate Professor
Prof Jennifer Watts
Prof Lisa Gold 
A/Prof Jaithri Ananthapavan
A/Prof Lan Gao
A/Prof Nikki McCaffrey
A/Prof Silva Zavarsek

Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr Bernard Asare
Dr Marufa Sultana
Dr Victoria Brown

Senior Research Fellow
Dr Anita Lal
Dr Ha Le
Dr Sean Randall
Elena Gospodarevskaya
Francis Ip
Sandra Younie

Research Fellow
Dr Ann Livingstone
Dr Clement Wong
Dr Feby Savira
Dr Julie Abimanyi-Ochom
Dr Kidane Gebremariam
Dr Phuong (Pam) Nguyen
Dr Peter Lee
Dr Shalika Bohingamu Mudiyanselage
Brandon Nguyen
Dieu Nguyen
Elise Tan
Jessica Bucholc
Michelle Tran
Oxana Chiotelis
Sil-ling Pruis
Utsana Tonmukayakul (PhD student)

Associate Research Fellow
Eliza Mudford
Madison Frith
Mary Rose Angeles
Sithara Wani Arachchige Dona (PhD student)

PhD Students
Anh Ho
Atsuko Yamada
Bedasa Taye Merga
Ebisa Turi Jambola
Ishani Majmudar
Katherine Pye
Lauren Sheppard
Mohsen Ghaffari Darab
Moosa Al Subhi
Nanati Alemu
Neha Das
Nicole Ward
Sangita Shakya
Tadesse Daba
Thu Ha Bui
Yordanos Gixachew Yeshitila

Honoraries
Professor Cathy Mihalopoulos
Professor Hanny Calache
Tan Nguyen
Katy Theodore

Emeritus Professors
Emeritus Professor Marj Moodie
Emeritus Professor Rob Carter

With over 35 researchers, Deakin Health Economics is one of the largest teams of health economists in the country. Based in Deakin University’s School of Health and Social Development in the Faculty of Health, Deakin Health Economics is a founding member of the Institute for Health Transformation and was previously part of Deakin’s longstanding and successful Centre for Population Health Research.

The standing of the Deakin Health Economics team is affirmed by many years of research activity, with an impressive track record in both competitive grants (national and international) and commissioned research.

The team also delivers Deakin’s Master of Health Economics course, maintaining the connection between teaching and research while providing the opportunity to encourage new researchers into the field of health economics.

Deakin Health Economics is a highly sought after partner by government, NGOs and health organisations. We can partner with you to include an economic component to your research.

Our expertise includes:

• the design and implementation of economic evaluation alongside trials
• economic modelling ranging from cohort to microsimulation models
• systematic and critical appraisal of the literature
• large scale priority setting projects
• cost of illness and disease burden studies
• methodological research around cost and outcome measurements for economic evaluation

We’re also commissioned to provide health technology assessments to both the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and the Medical Services Advisory Committee.

At any one time, we have more than 60 currently active research projects across a range of research streams. These are funded via a wide range of sources including the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Research Council, government bodies, and a variety of non-government organisations.

Our research includes grants that we lead, as well as grants where we lead aspects of the research such as the economic evaluation of interventions being evaluated for effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in various clinical or community-based trials and studies.

Deakin Health Economics offers a broad and exciting PhD supervision program that can be tailored to individual student needs through the Faculty of Health’s PhD Xtra program.

Current Health Economics PhD students include:

Anh Ho
Atsuko Yamada
Bedasa Taye Merga
Ebisa Turi Jambola
Ishani Majmudar
Katherine Pye
Lauren Sheppard
Mohsen Ghaffari Darab
Moosa Al Subhi
Nanati Alemu
Neha Das
Nicole Ward
Sangita Shakya
Tadesse Daba
Thu Ha Bui
Yordanos Gixachew Yeshitila

Master of Health Economics

Deakin’s Master of Health Economics gives graduates from a range of areas – from nursing and pharmacy to business administration and health management and beyond – a strong theoretical foundation, plus analytical and quantitative skills to understand the complexities of health care financing.

You will learn skills in health technology assessment, economic evaluation of health interventions, resource allocation and priority setting, healthcare financing, health systems research and the health economics/health policy interface.

Apply now for full-time PhD scholarships at Deakin University with Deakin Health Economics.

Scholarship applications are open to Australian residents and international students currently living in Australia with H1 Honours or equivalent (e.g. Masters degree with HD in research project).

Project description
Deakin Health Economics is one of Australia’s largest teams of health economists. We’re calling for multiple full-time PhD student applications to improve understanding of health economics and its application in both prevention and treatment in a particular topic area or setting of our key research streams.

Example topics include (but are not limited to):

• The economics of mental health
• The economics of interventions in primary school: impacts on health, learning and equity
• The economics of public health implementation and scale-up
• Where next for efficiency and equity in violence-prevention policy?
• The cost-effectiveness of cancer control public education mass media campaigns
• The economics of smoking cessation for priority populations
• The economics of secondary prevention interventions for cardiovascular disease
• The economics of digital health technologies
• The economics of environmentally sustainable health care systems
• The economics of endometriosis (across the lifespan)
• The economics of osteoporosis and fracture prevention strategies

Interested applicants should provide an expression of interest (maximum one page) that includes nominating their preferred topic area, Weighted Average Mark, University transcript and CV.

Email your application to Deakin Health Economics: dhe@deakin.edu.au

Issue 7, September 2024

Issue 6, December 2023

Issue 5, March 2023

Issue 4, November 2022

dhe@deakin.edu.au
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