Australian-Canadian Dialogue on Optimising the Value of Genomic Medicine

The Economics of Genomics and Precision Medicine Unit was delighted to host A/Prof Dean Regier, Dr Kasmintan Schrader, Deirdre Weymann, Emanuel Krebs and Morgan Ehman, from the University of British Columbia for a visit focused on strengthening international collaboration in genomic medicine research.

During their time in Melbourne, we convened an Australian–Canadian dialogue on optimising the value of genomic medicine. The workshop featured targeted talks and facilitated discussions on the evaluation and implementation of genomic medicine, with broader relevance to health technology assessment, real-world evidence, Indigenous health, and equity.

Bringing together researchers across health economics, genomics, clinical medicine, and policy, the dialogue explored shared methodological and system-level challenges. Discussions considered how evaluation frameworks can better capture genomic utility, how real-world evidence can inform funding and policy decisions, and how implementation strategies can support equitable access — particularly for Indigenous communities and underserved populations.

The visit also provided a valuable opportunity to deepen collaboration between our teams. Several priority areas for joint work were identified, including advancing methods for economic evaluation, strengthening approaches to incorporating real-world data, and pursuing cross-country comparative analyses and collaborative funding opportunities.

We look forward to continuing this collaboration!