Centre for the Business and Economics of Health

Dr Sabrina Lenzen

Research Fellow
Centre for the Business and Economics of Health
+61 7 344 31320
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Sabrina Lenzen in Great court

About

I am a Health Economist at The University of Queensland’s Centre for the Business and Economics of Health (CBEH). My expertise lies in applied economics, using econometric and discrete choice modelling techniques. I also apply economic evaluation methods to assess health policy, conduct cost-effectiveness analyses, and evaluate the scalability of public health and service innovations.

I’m particularly passionate about enhancing the lives of older individuals, with a focus on cognitive decline, dementia, and aged care—both informal and formal. I currently lead the health economics analyses on several MRFF-funded projects aimed at improving care for people with cognitive decline, chronic pain, and young adults at risk of alcohol-related harm.

Research interests

Applied Econometrics: Applying econometric techniques to large administrative and survey datasets, stuying the impact of health policies on health outcomes and complex real-world problems.

Discrete Choice Modelling (DCE): Utilising experimental designs, stated preference techniques, and choice experiments to estimate the value people place on alternative attributes of health and services in order to understand why people behave in a certain way and to predict future behaviour.

Health Economics: Studying issues related to efficiency, effectiveness, value and behaviour in the production and consumption of health and health care to determine how to improve health outcomes and lifestyle patterns.

Aged Care: Examining the significant reform agenda of the aged care sector in Australia, as well as considering broader policy issues, existing challenges and future implications.

 

Research impact and partnership

My work has been influential in informing and impacting health policy.

  • In an evaluation for the QLD Government, I led the perinatal data analysis of a trial that increased nurse-to-patient ratios in several QLD public hospitals. By applying modern econometric methods to large administrative datasets, I analysed the increase in the midwife-to-woman-and-baby ratios on the midwife experience, maternal health outcomes, and maternity ward operations. Based on my findings, the QLD Government enacted state legislative changes in early 2024, leading to permanent increases in midwife ratios in public hospitals.
  • I served as a technical advisor for UQ’s Centre for Health Services Research, reviewing the risk adjustment methodology for quality indicators in the newly implemented residential aged care star ratings. Commissioned by the Department of Health and Aged Care, my contributions informed the final report and policy recommendations.
  • I am co-founder and convenor of the special interest group on Aged Care, Ageing and Dementia within the Australian Health Economics Association (AHES) and I work closely with aged care providers on several external grants.

Contact

To find out how we can collaborate and bring value to your organisation, I can be contacted via:
 Email - s.lenzen@uq.edu.au
Connect with Sabrina on LinkedIn or

https://sites.google.com/view/sabrina-lenzen/

Publications

Journal Articles (13)
Thesis (1)

Journal Articles

Gurteen, Helen, Toomey, Melinda, Wilson, Lana, Franco, Bronwyn, Gu, Yuanyuan, Heine, Chyrisse, Lenzen, Sabrina and Dawes, Piers (2025). The impact of cognition on hearTest administration in older adults receiving home care. International Journal of Audiology, 1-7. doi: 10.1080/14992027.2025.2573033
Lenzen, Sabrina, Connelly, Luke, Whittaker, William and Birch, Stephen (2025). Trends in physical and mental health needs across generations in Australia. The European Journal of Health Economics, 1-22. doi: 10.1007/s10198-025-01791-6
Toomey, Melinda, Gurteen, Helen, Franco, Bronwyn, Wilson, Lana, Coleman, Marianne, El-Saifi, Najwan, Gu, Yuanyuan, Heine, Chyrisse, Keay, Lisa, Kumaran, Sheela, Lenzen, Sabrina, Leroi, Iracema, Meyer, Carly J., Mitchell, Leander, Pachana, Nancy A., Scanlan, Emma and Dawes, Piers (2025). “Aged care is more than wiping bums and giving medication” – a qualitative study of the sensory support care needs of older Australians with hearing and/or vision impairment. Disability and Rehabilitation, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-10. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2523971
Dou, Xiaoxue, Lenzen, Sabrina, Connelly, Luke B. and Lin, Ruozhou (2025). Generational differences in age-specific dementia prevalence rates. JAMA Network Open, 8 (6) e2513384, 1-12. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.13384
Gurteen, Helen, Toomey, Melinda, Franco, Bronwyn, Bennett, Rebecca, Cenin, Dayna R., El-Saifi, Najwan, Ferguson, Melanie, Gu, Yuanyuan, Heine, Chyrisse, Keay, Lisa, Kumaran, Sheela, Lenzen, Sabrina, Leroi, Iracema, Lowthian, Judy A., Meyer, Carly J., Mitchell, Leander K., Newall, John, Pachana, Nancy A., Piano, Marianne, Raichand, Smriti, Scanlan, Emma, Sohrabi, Hamid R. and Dawes, Piers (2025). Protocol for the Process Evaluation of the SENSE-Cog Sensory Support Intervention Field Trial to Improve Quality of Life for Older People Receiving Home Care in Australia. Health Expectations, 28 (3) e70305, e70305. doi: 10.1111/hex.70305
Pocuca, Nina, Campbell, Gabrielle, Barnett, Anthony, Beck, Alison K., Ellem, Rhiannon, Quinn, Catherine A., Kelly, Peter J., Larance, Briony, Baker, Amanda L., Connor, Jason P., Marsden, John, Chan, Gary C. K., Connelly, Luke, Lenzen, Sabrina, Farrell, Michael, Stirling, Robert, Hudson, Suzie and Hides, Leanne (2025). A mixed‐methods study of staff perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of patient‐reported routine outcome measures and feedback in alcohol and other drug treatment. Drug and Alcohol Review, 44 (3), 759-771. doi: 10.1111/dar.14007
Pocuca, Nina, Tisdale, Calvert, Campbell, Gabrielle, Beck, Alison K., Ellem, Rhiannon, Quinn, Catherine A., Kelly, Peter J., Larance, Briony, Baker, Amanda L., Connor, Jason P., Marsden, John, Chan, Gary C. K., Connelly, Luke, Lenzen, Sabrina, Farrell, Michael and Hides, Leanne (2025). Routine outcome monitoring and feedback in alcohol and other drug treatment: a qualitative study of client perspectives on implementation. Drug and Alcohol Review, 44 (1), 226-238. doi: 10.1111/dar.13962
Lenzen, Sabrina, Gannon, Brenda, Norman, Richard, Bennett, Sally, Clemson, Lindy and Gitlin, Laura (2024). Exploring the social value and design preferences for a home-based dementia community program in Australia. The European Journal of Health Economics, 26 (5), 777-795. doi: 10.1007/s10198-024-01738-3
Koomson, Isaac, Lenzen, Sabrina and Afoakwah, Clifford (2024). Informal care and financial stress: Longitudinal evidence from Australia. Stress and Health, 40 (4) e3393, 1-20. doi: 10.1002/smi.3393
Lenzen, Sabrina, Gannon, Brenda, Rose, Christiern and Norton, Edward C. (2023). The relationship between physical activity, cognitive function and health care use: a mediation analysis. Social Science and Medicine, 335 116202, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116202
Lenzen, Sabrina and Birch, Stephen (2023). From population numbers to population needs: Incorporating epidemiological change into health service planning in Australia. Social Science and Medicine, 328 115972, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115972
Lenzen, Sabrina, Bakx, Pieter, Bom, Judith and van Doorslaer, Eddy (2021). Health care use and out-of-pocket spending by persons with dementia differ between Europe and the United States. Medical Care, 59 (6), 543-549. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001539
Lenzen, Sabrina, Gannon, Brenda and Rose, Christiern (2020). A dynamic microeconomic analysis of the impact of physical activity on cognition among older people. Economics and Human Biology, 39 100933, 100933. doi: 10.1016/j.ehb.2020.100933

Thesis

Lenzen, Sabrina (2021). Microeconomic models of physical activity, cognition and health care utilization in the aging population. PhD Thesis, School of Economics, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/91ddc43

Areas of research

Enhanced models of care and prevention
Future-focused health workforces