IMPACCT and CHERE appoint new health economist

IMPACCT and CHERE are pleased to welcome Dr Irina Kinchin, Senior Research Fellow, who has commenced a joint appointment with the two research centres.

Dr Kinchin is a health economist experienced in research and evaluation projects in government, NGO, industry and community sectors with a particular interest in vulnerable populations including people at risk of suicide, Indigenous Australians, people with mental illness, experiencing homelessness, substance abuse, or frailty.

Dr Kinchin's research in palliative, aged, chronic care, mental health and health services aims to ensure that committed investments are cost-effective and spent in ways leading to greatest improvements in target populations' health and wellbeing.

As our population ages, we face a number of critical health, social and economic challenges. People are living longer but they are increasingly coping with a wide range of chronic diseases.

Dr Kinchin said, 'As a society, we need to make choices about funding to meet future health challenges. Health economists consider available research and identify the cost impact of health interventions. Many people think economics is focused on cost cutting but it is actually about providing information so that as a community we make choices that provide better value for money.'

Through this joint appointment, Dr Kinchin's work will maximise the likelihood of good evidence-based decisions about the adoption of new health technologies. She will apply a broad range of health economics methods that ensure efficiency and effectiveness of supportive care needs in symptom management and models of health service delivery.

'I thoroughly enjoy the enthusiastic and dynamic environment at UTS. I am looking forward to working collaboratively with IMPACCT and CHERE to produce high quality outcomes. My vision is to use applied economics to help the health and wellbeing system adopt cost-effective initiatives that work.'

Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation (IMPACCT) focuses on interdisciplinary collaborative research optimising the health and wellbeing of individuals living with life-limiting illnesses, and their families. The Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE) is a national and international leader in health economics, health services and health policy research.