Dr Kim Edmunds
About
I’m a health economist at the Centre for the Business and Economics of Health at The University of Queensland with over eight years experience in applied health economics. My research centres on the economic evaluation of healthcare for chronic disease with specific interests in cancer and exercise oncology, as well as methods for broader economic evaluation of wellbeing impacts on carers and families. I have a strong background in the social sciences where my past work involved numerous multidisciplinary, cross-institutional and cross-cultural collaborations, both within Australia and internationally.
I’m passionate about promoting collaboration between all stakeholders – clinicians, researchers, patients, community members, industry, policymakers and health economists – to ensure evidence-based decisions are made about healthcare provision that results in equitable delivery of an efficient and effective healthcare system.
The application of economic methods to medicine and healthcare provides information for use by healthcare providers and policymakers. In this way, it contributes to improved patient outcomes and more cost-effective healthcare. This benefits researchers, clinicians, the healthcare system and the community.
Research interests
The economics of exercise oncology: measuring the economic impact of exercise medicine for patients with cancer and chronic disease.
Cost analysis of technology in healthcare: economic evaluation of technologies and therapies for cancer and chronic disease.
Health economics and family impact: methods for broader economic evaluation that incorporates implementation, equity, wellbeing and impacts on carers and families.
Research impact
My research enables researchers and clinicians to determine the costs and consequences of their research, intervention or model of care; what it costs to implement an intervention; whether it is cost-effective compared to an existing model of care; the value of the information or whether it is likely to be cost-effective to conduct research; and the return on investment of a new therapy, or implementation of a new intervention or model of care. This information can then be used by policymakers to improve the provision of healthcare.
For example, recently, I’ve been developing a cost and data collection tool with the Moving Through Cancer group, an international collaboration of exercise oncologists. The aim is to capture costs and data efficiently and uniformly as part of routine service delivery, which will enable comparison across exercise centres, encourage shared learning and facilitate future economic evaluation.
Featured projects
| Project title | Funding amount | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Spillover Effects of Military Service on Health and Wellbeing in Veteran Families Gallipolli Medical Research Foundation | ~$100k | 2021 - 2022 |
| Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee Assessment Unit Commonwealth Department of Health | Confidential | 2021 -2025 |
Contact
To discuss my research and opportunities to work together, please email me. I am also active on social media.
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