Research
Health preferences, behaviour and policy
My research develops and applies methods for understanding health-related decisions, with particular attention to preference heterogeneity, information processing and the design of public policy.
Health preferences and choice modelling
I use discrete choice experiments and related stated-preference methods to examine how patients and the public value treatments, services and policy designs. The work spans kidney transplantation, metastatic prostate cancer, diabetes technology, loneliness support, telehealth, vaccine policy and broader public-health interventions.
A central theme is heterogeneity: people differ in the outcomes they value, the risks they are willing to accept and the trade-offs they are prepared to make. My work develops models and empirical strategies that make those differences visible and policy-relevant.
Selected publications include The role of heterogeneity of patients’ preferences in kidney transplantation, Priority for self or others?, and Choice consistency in discrete choice experiments.
Behaviour in complex decisions
I study what happens inside choice tasks: where people look, how they process cost and benefit information, whether feedback improves later choices, and how numeracy and attribute order shape decision quality. This programme combines choice modelling with eye tracking, experimental methods and behavioural economics.
The methodological aim is to improve both the validity of stated-preference evidence and the interpretation of estimated preferences. Recent work examines attention to cost, aggregation and weighting of attributes, dominance-task feedback and robustness to changes in experimental design.
Selected publications include Keeping an eye on cost, Weighting or aggregating?, To pay or not to pay?, and Guidance or misdirection?.
Public health policy and evaluation
My applied research examines vaccination policy, vaccine mandates, non-pharmaceutical interventions, preventive care, telehealth and programme evaluation. The work uses discrete choice experiments, quasi-experimental designs and economic evaluation to identify both behavioural responses and distributional consequences.
I am a site lead on the MRFF-funded MandEval programme, which studies the effectiveness and consequences of vaccine mandates in Australia and internationally. I also led economic work for the World Bank business case on scaling Field Epidemiology Training Programs in India.
Selected publications include Are we ready for the next pandemic?, Time preferences and COVID-19 vaccination uptake, and Vaccine uptake in the context of mandate announcement and removal.
Major programmes
MandEval
Medical Research Future Fund · 2023–2026
Effectiveness and consequences of Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates, including uptake, equity, public preferences and policy design. Total programme funding: approximately A$4.57 million; University of Newcastle allocation: A$808,440.
Field Epidemiology Training Programs in India
World Bank · 2025
Economic and implementation analysis supporting a business case for scaling Field Epidemiology Training Programs in India. University of Newcastle funding: A$416,000.