Grant News!

ARC Discovery Project Grant

Dr Katharina Hauck from the Centre for Health Economics has recently been awarded a $235,944 ARC Discovery Project Grant for 'Modelling the Quality of Hospital Care in Australia' which runs from 2008 to 2011.  The aim of the study is to provide policy makers with scientifically rigorous methods to promote the quality of hospital care in Australia. Substandard quality of care causes substantial mortality and morbidity to patients each year. The study measures the quality of care with state of the art econometric techniques, determines the factors which have the highest potential to promote quality, and facilitates the use of performance data in practice.

For further information regarding this grant, contact Dr Katharina Hauck: katharina.hauck@buseco.monash.edu.au

ARC Discovery Project Grant

The Centre for Health Economics, together with the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics, have recently been awarded a $176,500 ARC Discovery Project Grant for 'Effects of Socioeconomic and Lifestyle Factors on Health Status' which runs from 2008 to 2010.  We propose a thorough investigation into the socioeconomic and lifestyle determinants of individual level health and health production in Australia, using advanced microeconometric techniques and unit-record data from the comprehensive national and Victorian health surveys. We examine empirical relationships relating lifestyle decisions, medical service utilization and various measures of health status. We also endeavor to link the micro-level econometric findings to existing economic studies of the Australian health sector to evaluate macro-level economic and policy implications. The results will inform Government health policies and promotion campaigns.

For further information regarding this grant, contact A/Prof Bruce Hollingsworth: bruce.hollingsworth@buseco.monash.edu.au

ARC Discovery Project Grant

The Centre for Health Economics, together with the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics and the Department of Economics, have earlier been awarded a $230,000 ARC Discovery Project Grant for Modelling Inequalities in Health in Australia in the Area of Obesity' which runs from 2007 to 2009.   Obesity is one of the most important medical and public health problems of our time.  We aim to: develop underlying models of how economics can be useful in the study of the growth of obesity, and; use available datasets to model econometrically this growth in obesity and the determinants of this rapid increase.  This will involve examining which groups in society in may be most useful to target, in terms of behavioural change, using health promotion and public health interventions, especially testing the impact of WHO boundaries and definitions of who is obese.

For further information regarding this grant, contact A/Prof Bruce Hollingsworth: bruce.hollingsworth@buseco.monash.edu.au

NHMRC Health Services Research Grant

The Centre for Health Economics, together with the Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, have earlier been awarded a $1.8 million NHMRC Health Services Research grant for  'Better targeting of preventive services using epidemiological modelling' which runs from 2007 to 2011.

The purpose of this program of research is to improve the effectiveness of chronic disease prevention in Australia.  The focus is to develop epidemiological models that can assist policy-makers to make more informed choices of which preventive programs to fund, improve the ability of clinicians to provide accurate preventive advice and to increase the ability of consumers to make decisions about preventive activities (that may relate to themselves or their communities).  Australian population trends over coming years will be dominated by increasing numbers of elderly and a continuing increase in average lifespan.  A priority for preventive healthcare is to maintain the elderly in a healthy active state, free of chronic disease, for as long as possible.  Options to achieve this are increasing but vary in terms of likely effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.  Since many of the costs and benefits of preventive programs occur beyond the time-scale of major intervention trials, the prediction of long-term benefits requires the integration of information from multiple sources including trials, epidemiological studies, risk-factor surveys and demography through a process referred to as epidemiological modelling.  This project has major relevance to consumers, allied health professionals and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  One outcome of the project will be to allow consumers to make informed decisions about their preventive health care and will assist allied health professionals providing preventive advice to patients.  These include occupational health nurses, health promotion officers, Aboriginal health workers and nurse practitioners.

For further information regarding this grant, contact A/Prof Bruce Hollingsworth: bruce.hollingsworth@buseco.monash.edu.au

NHMRC Health Services Research Grant

The Centre for Health Economics, together with the Centre of Policy Studies (Monash University), and NATSEM (University of Canberra), have earlier been awarded a $3.5 million NHMRC Health Services Research grant for 'Modelling the economics of the Australian health care system for policy analysis'.

The five year program will build a suite of economic models capable of providing timely relevant analysis of almost any major health policy option or issue, providing expertise in government and academia to use the kind of sophisticated quantitative tools of analysis common in sectors of the economy of an equivalent size to health. Through a PhD and postdoctoral program, it will increase capacity in quantitative health economics in Australia to answer key questions in health services, health promotion and illness prevention, developed with partners in government, clinicians and industry.

For further information regarding this grant including associated PhD scholarships and employment opportunities, contact A/Prof Anthony Harris: Anthony.Harris@buseco.monash.edu.au