Jonathan Karnon

Jonathan Karnon

School of Public Health

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Professor Jonathan Karnon - BA(Hons) Economic and Social History, MSc. Health Economics, PhD Health Economics.

Professor Karnon has undertaken applied evaluation research in a wide range of clinical areas. Analyses he has undertaken or led have informed decisions around the funding of new pharmaceuticals for heart disease, breast cancer, and thalassaemia, patient safety programs, and screening programs for cervical and colorectal cancer and various antenatal and neonatal conditions. More recently, an NHMRC funded simulation model of glaucoma services led to practice change to address increasing demand and won best Australian Health Services Research paper of 2014.

Over the last five years, he has also developed methods for the extraction and analysis of routinely collected health care and mortality data to assess the causes and consequences of variation in clinical practice. The developed methods have been published in high ranking journals, the subject of multiple invited presentations, and are currently being applied to the evaluation of the major Transforming Health initiative being rolled out in South Australia. They will inform areas of success, as well as identifying priority areas for action.

Jon's contribution to the field of cost-effectiveness modelling includes papers comparing alternative decision modeling techniques (including a textbook on discrete event simulation for HTA), development of novel methods for model calibration, and reviews of methods for evaluating screening programs, priority setting, model performance evaluation and the value of reference models. His methodological work around modelling techniques and model calibration is internationally recognised, being cited in modelling good practice guidelines.

He is currently leading NHMRC research projects estimating the cost-effectiveness threshold to inform funding decisions and developing methods for the appropriate extrapolation of survival data. 

Jon has undertaken applied evaluation research in a wide range of clinical areas. Analyses he has undertaken or led have informed decisions around the funding of new pharmaceuticals for heart disease, breast cancer, and thalassaemia, patient safety programs, and screening programs for cervical and colorectal cancer and various antenatal and neonatal conditions. More recently, an NHMRC funded simulation model of glaucoma services led to practice change to address increasing demand and won best Australian Health Services Research paper of 2014.

Over the last five years, he has also developed methods for the extraction and analysis of routinely collected health care and mortality data to assess the causes and consequences of variation in clinical practice. The developed methods have been published in high ranking journals, the subject of multiple invited presentations, and are currently being applied to the evaluation of the major Transforming Health initiative being rolled out in South Australia. They will inform areas of success, as well as identifying priority areas for action.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2009 - ongoing Professor of Health Economics University of Adelaide
    2007 - 2008 Associate Professor of Health Economics University of Adelaide
    2002 - 2007 Senior Research Fellow University of Sheffield
    2001 - 2002 Principal Health Economist Health and Safety Laboratory
    1995 - 2016 Research Fellow Brunel University
  • Awards and Achievements

    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2011 Recognition Distinguished service award International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research - -
    1997 Fellowship North Thames R&D Training Fellowship NHS Executive United Kingdom -
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    1997 - 2000 Brunel University England PhD Health Economics
    1994 - 1995 University of York England MSc. Health Economics
    1989 - 1992 University of Leeds England BA(Hons) Economic and Social History
  • Research Interests

As principal investigator, Jon has won 13 major (10 Category 1 equivalent) research grants in the UK and Australia, including 4 NHMRC project grants, an ARC linkage grant, and an HCF Foundation grant. As non-principal investigator, Jon is CIB on an NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence on frailty and the lead health economist CI on an NHMRC capacity building grant in health services research, as well as contributing to a wide range of applied research projects, ranging from a $50,000 charitable foundation grant on sarcoma surveillance to a $2 million project grant on localised knowledge translation.

Jon is Program Co-ordinator for the post-graduate program in health economics at the University of Adelaide. He teaches courses in Health Economic Evaluation and Decision Making (PubHlth 7082) and Applied Health Economic Evaluation (PubHlth 7085). He also teaches onto Health Economics (PubHlth 7082) and Health Technology Assessment (PubHlth 7147). PubHlth 7082, 7081 and 7147 are available as online extended short courses, see the School of Public Short Courses webpage for details.

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2016 Principal Supervisor Variation in Clinical Practice: An approach for transforming health and continuous improvement Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Ingy Mohamed Fikry Farid Abdelshafei
    2015 Principal Supervisor How can Routinely collected Clinical Data be used to Screen Clinical Services for Important Capacity for Improvement? Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mrs Aubyn Mary Pincombe
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2018 - 2023 Principal Supervisor Management of hypertension in Australian general practice Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Jackie Roseleur
    2017 - 2022 Co-Supervisor Investigating an alternative regulatory and reimbursement framework for antimicrobials in Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Nadine Therese Hillock
    2016 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Impact of Non-Technical Skills on Performance and Effectiveness of a Rapid Response System Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Richard Chalwin
    2014 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Adaptation and Validation of an Individualised Paediatric Health-Related Quality of Life Measure (Paediatric Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile) and its Evaluation in a Clinical Setting Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Sana Ishaque
    2014 - 2016 Co-Supervisor Setting Basic Standards in a Developing Ambulance Service: A qualitative description of the impact of the Intermediate Ambulance Care course on prehospital care practice in Penang, Malaysia Master of Philosophy (Public Health) Master Full Time Mr Matt Perry
    2013 - 2022 Co-Supervisor A Person-Centred Approach to Performance Measurement in the Health System Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr David Mark BANHAM
    2012 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Evaluation of Services for the Preoperative Assessment and Management of High-Risk Surgical Patients Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Clarabelle Thuymai Pham
    2012 - 2013 Co-Supervisor Non-Invasively Obtained Central Blood Pressure: Barriers and Strategies to its Use in Practice Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Hao-min Cheng
    2012 - 2017 Principal Supervisor The Implementation of Interventions to Prevent Musculoskeletal Injury at Work and the Stage of Change Approach Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time APrf Paul Rothmore
    2009 - 2014 Principal Supervisor Optimising follow-up for women after primary treatment for early breast cancer Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Taryn Bessen
    2009 - 2013 Principal Supervisor Trust, Constraints and the Counterfactual: Reframing the Political Economy of New Drugs Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Brita Pekarsky
    2008 - 2013 Co-Supervisor What is needed for telehealth to deliver sustainable value to the routine operations of health care in Australia? Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Tori Wade

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