Professor Louisa Collins
Group Leader
+61 7 3845 3717louisa.collins@qimrberghofer.edu.au
CAREER HISTORY
Professor Collins is a health economist and Group Lead of Health Economics at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia. She has 20 years research experience performing economic evaluations, decision-analytic modelling and health technology assessments. She holds a PhD and MPH in Public Health from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Bachelor of Economics from University of New England, NSW. Her research is devoted to cancer economics and she currently works in the areas of cancer prevention, supportive care interventions for cancer survivors, and the financial burden of cancer on families. She is a member of the Medical Services Advisory Committee Evaluation Sub-Committee, which assesses new technologies for reimbursement by the Commonwealth Department of Health. She was also the Australian Scientific Council member for the International Agency for Research in Cancer 2021-2024.
CURRENT APPOINTMENTS
June 2020-current: Group Leader, Health Economics, QIMR Berghofer
August 2016-current: Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology
November 2016-current: Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Queensland
PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS
2016-2020: Team Head, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
2011-2016: Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Applied Health Economics, Griffith University
2007-2010: NHMRC Early Career Fellow, Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR)
2006: Health economist, Cancer Council Queensland
ORCID NUMBER
RESEARCHER ID
CURRENT AREA OF RESEARCH
Louisa’s program of research is devoted to evaluating the cost-effectiveness of health interventions for cancer populations and the financial burdens of cancer survivors. Her current health economic projects span the continuum of cancer care ranging from prevention, early detection, treatment and survivorship. She has projects in the areas of supportive care interventions (prostate, pancreatic cancer), genomic sequencing (lung cancers, breast/ovarian cancer, cancers of unknown primary), skin cancer prevention and targeted screening and exercise interventions (ovarian, breast cancers). Louisa is also interested in the social and economic consequences of cancer, reducing health inequities and has research projects in financial hardship following cancer. An emerging interest is e-cigarette policies and the health, economic and equity consequences of regulatory policies in tobacco control.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
- Lead health economist on teams awarded $43 million since 2016 from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), Queensland Genomics, Cancer Australia, among others, with $3.5 million allocated for economics research and a further $5.2 million from research consultancies.
- >180 peer-reviewed research articles published in journals such as Value in Health, Med J Aust, Br J Surg, JAMA Dermatol, Ann Oncol, J Invest Dermatol, and 88 are in the last 5 years (mid 2019 onwards, 50% first or senior author).
- for the Department of Health, she has overseen or led 30 major reports for the MSAC and PBAC and written 5 major reports for NGOs
- 65 conference presentations (9 keynote/plenary talks & 12 invited speaker talks) and written 5 chapters, 3 in Australian clinical practice guidelines.
- Appointed member of (MSAC) Evaluation Sub-Committee (2022-2026) allowing Collins to contribute to the most senior level of health policy in the country.
- Appointed the Australian Scientific Committee Member for the WHO International Agency for Research in Cancer 2021-2024.
Examples of previous research impact from the past five years
- CI Collins has undertaken research on the potential healthcare costs of e-cigarettes (Aust Health Rev 2024 48(1) 52-27) is cited in the current Vaping Reforms Bill 2024 being debated in Parliament (June 2024).
- Funded by the NHMRC, CI Collins led a cost-effectiveness analysis of a small RCT on a psychological support intervention for patients with brain tumour (Tele-MAST). The intervention demonstrated good efficacy and cost-effectiveness (Psycho Oncol 2024 Jan;33(1):e6243) for reducing depression, anxiety and wellbeing and after talks with Cancer Council Qld executives they are now funding the program and roll it out state-wide to patients and families affected by brain tumour.
- CI Collins led a body of research that contributed directly to sunbed regulations to prevent skin cancer. This included a systematic review, meta-analysis, and economic evaluation of the use of solaria, commissioned by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. The findings have had significant impacts on national and global policies and legislation around sunbed use over the last 5 years. Many countries prohibit commercial sunbeds to minors which has led to major declines in the prevalence of sunbed use in the UK and USA (Br J Dermatol. 2020;182(4):849-59). This article prompted new collaborations with UK academics to advocate for tougher legislation on sunbeds (Eden, Gordon Br J Dermatol 2022).
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
2020-current Queensland Skin Cancer Prevention Collaborative
2019-current: Australian Health Economics Society
2023-current: Clinical Oncology Society of Australia
2017-current: Queensland Collaborative for Cancer Survivorship
2017-current: Public Health Association of Australia
2017-current: Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand
2013-current: International Health Economics Association
AWARDS RECOGNITION
2017: Best Abstract of Health Services Research ANZ Conf – Co-author / supervisor
2015: Vice Chancellors Research Excellence Award for a Team, Griffith University
2015: Pro Vice Chancellors (Health) Research Excellence Award – Team, Griffith University
2013: Griffith University Publication of the Year, Population & Social Health Research Program
2013: Griffith University International Travel Fellowship
2011: Pro Vice Chancellors (Health) Research Excellence Award – Team, Griffith University
2008-2012: NHMRC Public Health Early Career Fellowship #496714
2000-2003: PhD Scholarship from the National Breast Cancer Foundation
2000: Best Master of Public Health Dissertation, Public Health Association of Australia (Qld)
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
2001-2005: PhD Public Health, Queensland University of Technology
1998-1999: Master of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology
1990-1992: Bachelor of Economics, University of New England, Armidale