Hossein Haji Ali Afzali

I have a background in medicine (MD) and obtained my PhD in health economics from the University of Adelaide. My main area of expertise relates to the economic evaluation of new health technologies with a focus on the application of decision analytic models aiming to improve models of clinical care in the primary care setting and the decision-making process around the public funding of health care interventions. In terms of applied economic evaluations, my major research activity is the design, conduct and analysis of economic evaluations alongside observational studies and clinical trials. This also includes the application of decision analytic models to extrapolate the findings beyond the observed data in order to estimate lifetime costs and outcome of new health technologies. The main focus of my methodological research is on the improvements in the decision-making process with a view to better inform public funding decisions. Examples include the development of diseases-specific models, model structuring (including structural uncertainty) and the estimate of the cost-effectiveness threshold in Australia.

I am a member of the Evaluation Sub-Committee (ESC) of the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) whose role is to advise the Australian government on evidence relating to the safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new medical technologies and procedures. Previously I was an evaluator of submissions to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to determine funding of medicines. I have also been involved in revising MSAC and PBAC Guidelines. Over the past three years, as a chief investigator, I have received over $5 million in research funding from competitive grants and tender submissions.