Health Economics and Economic Evaluation

Overview

Students taking subjects from this specialisation will be trained to apply economic theory and analytic tools to address public health problems. The specialisation equips students with essential knowledge and skills in microeconomics to allow them to analyse and discuss key policy issues in public health from an “economic” perspective. Within this specialisation students will learn how to interpret and apply economic evidence, they will also have the opportunity to develop the skills to conduct their own health economics research. They may focus on developing skills and knowledge necessary to evaluate whether new interventions or services offer value for money (through Economic Evaluation 1 and 2) and/or to scrutinize public health policies and health care systems (through Health Economics 1 and 2).

The skills and knowledge developed in this stream will help students understand and lead in areas of resource allocation including public health management and policy making. These skills can be applied in an Australian and international setting. Possible roles in the field of health economics include health analysist, health economist, health economics project officer, policy advisor, pharmacoeconomic or market access analyst, clinical audit, health economics research assistant, research fellow and PhD student. Future roles which either directly or indirectly involve health care resource allocation and budgeting will benefit from the analytical skills and expertise developed within both health economics and economic evaluation.

Organisations that employ people with skills in health economics are diverse and include national, regional, state/provincial governments (e.g. health departments, Productivity Commission), non-profit/non-government organisations (e.g. Red Cross, World Bank, World Health Organisation, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)), large health care services providers (including hospitals, managed care organisations and private health insurance companies); consultancy sector, pharmaceutical industry and health technology industries, private consultancy companies, research institutions (including charities and think tanks), and academic institutions.

Last updated: 5 March 2024