GHID at the Australian Health Economics Society Annual Conference 2024

Ms Yingying Wang presented her research on “The Influence of Cost- Effectiveness and Other Factors on Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) Recommendations in Australia,” providing insights into the decision-making processes surrounding pharmaceutical funding. The study utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to facilitate the extraction of information from policy documents.

A/Prof Angela Devine shared her systematic review titled “A Systematic Review of Methods for Estimating Productivity Losses Due to Illness or Caregiving in Low- and Middle-Income Countries”, focusing on productivity loss estimation methodologies in resource-limited settings.

Mr Patrick Abraham and A/Prof Natalie Carvalho presented research in the organized session on the Economic Evidence of Infectious Disease Management and Control, which explored the economic implications of managing infectious diseases in various contexts. In this session, Mr Patrick Abraham presented his research on The Economic Burden of Zoonotic Plasmodium knowlesi Malaria on Households in Malaysia and Indonesia Compared to Human-Only Malaria and Other Patients with Acute Febrile Illness, shedding light on the economic challenges faced by households affected by febrile diseases. The next two presentations were from Dr Sophy Shih and A/Prof Anthony Newall from UNSW, followed by A/Prof Natalie Carvalho contributed her findings on Cost-Effective Boosting Allocations in the Post-Omicron Era of COVID-19 Management in the Western Pacific Region, sharing insights from her experience working with a model of models as part of a multidisciplinary team. The session was moderated by A/Prof Angela Devine.

Ms Marie-Anne Boujaoude participated in an organized session on Equity in Australian Health Technology Assessments (HTA), alongside Dr Anita Lal from Deakin University and Dr Anagha Killedar from the University of Sydney, with A/Prof Sarah Norris from the University of Sydney moderating. The session began with Ms Marie-Anne Boujaoude presenting her review, “What role does equity play in Australia’s HTA process? A review of the pharmaceutical Benefit Advisory Committee recommendations regarding vaccines” and showcasing how equity was incorporated in the evidence supporting vaccine funding decisions. Dr Anita Lal then presented a tool designed to triage the need for equity-informative economic evaluations for First Nations People, followed by Dr Anagha Killedar, who presented an example of an economic evaluation incorporating equity for newborn genomic testing.

The AHES conference provided an excellent opportunity for the unit members to share their research, engage with peers, and further the conversation on global health economics and infectious disease management.