About

I am an Affiliate Professor at the Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, Professor in the School of Economics and affiliate member of the ARC Centre for Research Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) at The University of Queensland. I am an internationally recognised expert in the field of health economics of ageing, having contributed as a chief investigator to projects worth over $28million across economics, medicine and social science. As the lead economist on projects in areas such as dementia, emergency care and paediatric care, I work to ensure that interventions and health care services are efficient and equitable.

I have provided advice to government at senior levels, including to the Minister for Health, via the Medical Services Advisory Committee, which advises the Australian Minister for Health on the safety, efficacy, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of new and existing items listed on Australia's Medicare Benefits Schedule. I regularly serve on panels for grant reviews for the Medical Research Future Fund and National Health and Medical Research Council, reviewing the quality of proposed research projects that are funded through these schemes.

Research interests

Health economics: allocating resources in healthcare, measuring the effectiveness of existing and proposed solutions on health outcomes and efficiency of the health system.

Economics of ageing and longevity: studying the health and care needs of individuals as they age, with particular emphasis on late-life experiences as well as the consequences of population ageing.

Applied econometrics: using econometric techniques and empirical studies to find solutions for complex real-world problems.

Research impact

My work has been influential in the development of programs for falls prevention and informing policy on disability and social inclusion by governments and other healthcare organisations. This includes influencing guidelines developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK and numerous policy documents by the World Health Organization. I work extensively in interdisciplinary research with clinicians, gerontologists, and methodologists. Through this impact, my work has positively impacted the health of many older people across the world.

Featured projects

Project titleFunding amountDuration
ED waiting time predictions in real-time: development of data acquisition systems and performance evaluation of advanced statistical models
Emergency Medicine Foundation
~$40k2021 - 2022
NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Women and Non-Communicable Disease (CRE WaND)
NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence
$2.5m2019 - 2024
Implementing the Tailored Activity Program for people with dementia and their family living at home: i-TAP (Australia)
NHMRC Boosting Dementia Research Grant
$1m2018 - 2022
Nasal Highflow for Paediatric Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure
NHMRC project grant
$2.6m2018 - 2022

Contact

To discuss my research and opportunities to collaborate, please email me. I am also active on social media.
Follow Brenda on Twitter