Prof Hossein Haji Ali Afzali
School of Public Health
College of Health
I am a Senior Research Fellow (health economics) with expertise in the economic evaluation of health technologies with a focus on the application of decision analytic modelling techniques. I am also a medical doctor (MD) and received my medical degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences. 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. In addition, I am involved in a number of research projects aiming to improve the decision making process around the funding of health technologies. Previously I was an evaluator of submissions to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to determine funding of medicines. I also co-lead the Adelaide Health Economics Research Group with expertise in all components of the economic evaluation of health care interventions.
Research Interests
- Economic evaluation of health technologies
- Decision analytic modelling for health economic evaluation
- Improving public funding decision processes
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 - ongoing | Senior Lecturer (Health Economics) | University of Adelaide, Adelaide |
| 2012 - 2016 | Senior Research Fellow (Health Economics) | University of Adelaide |
| 2009 - 2011 | Research Fellow (Health Economics) | University of Adelaide |
| 2007 - 2009 | Senior Research Officer | University of Adelaide |
| 2000 - 2002 | Head (Abourayhan Medical Centre) | The Iranian Social Security Organization |
| 1995 - 2000 | General Practitioner | The Iranian Social Security Organization |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 - 2007 | University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD in Health Economics |
| 2003 - 2004 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Graduate Diploma in Public Health |
| 1987 - 1995 | University of Tehran | Iran | Doctor of Medicine (MD) |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Haji Ali Afzali, H., & Karnon, J. (2014). Specification and implementation of decision analytic model structures for the economic evaluation of health care technologies. In A. J. Culyer (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Health Economics (1st ed., pp. 340-347). Elsevier. DOI Scopus7 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Edney, L. C., Afzali, H. A. H., Cheng, T., & Kamon, J. (2017). ESTIMATING THE REFERENCE ICER FOR AUSTRALIA AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS TOWARD ITS USE. In VALUE IN HEALTH Vol. 20 (pp. A685). ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Gray, J. P., Hajiali Afzali, H., Harris, M., Spooner, C., & Karnon, J. (2015). Countering weight gain in general practice [Plenary presentation]. Poster session presented at the meeting of COMPaRE-PHC forum on obesity prevention and management in primary health care. Sydney, Australia. |
| 2015 | Gray, J. P., Hajiali Afzali, H., Harris, M., Spooner, C., Hunter-Riviere, V., Ross, H., . . . Karnon, J. (2015). Weight management in general practice: Piloting the Counterweight Program in Australia. Poster session presented at the meeting of Population Health Congress. Hobart, Australia. |
| 2015 | Gray, J. P., Hunter-Riviere, V., Hajiali Afzali, H., Harris, M., Spooner, C., Ross, H., . . . Karnon, J. (2015). Engaging practice nurses in obesity management – a clinical academic partnership to pilot the Counterweight Program [Presentation]. Poster session presented at the meeting of PHC Research Conference. Adelaide, Australia. |
| 2015 | Hajiali Afzali, H., Karnon, J., & Sculpher, M. (2015). Should the lambda remain silent?. Poster session presented at the meeting of 12th Annual Conference of Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi).. Oslo: Norway. |
| 2015 | Hajiali Afzali, H. (2015). Structural uncertainty in decision making. Poster session presented at the meeting of Centre for Health Economics. Monash University. Melbourne-Australia. |
| 2014 | Hajiali Afzali, H. (2014). Improving the quality of decisions around the public funding of new health technologies: The value of disease-specific (reference) models. Poster session presented at the meeting of 11th Annual Conference of Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi).. Washington DC: USA. |
| 2013 | • Haji Ali Afzali, H., Karnon, J., Merlin, T., & Hajiali Afzali, H. (2013). Improving the accuracy and comparability of model-based economic evaluations of health technologies for reimbursement decisions: a methodological framework for the development of reference models.. Poster session presented at the meeting of the 10th Annual Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi) Conference. Seoul, South Korea. |
| 2011 | Gray, J. P., Hajiali Afzali, H., & Karnon, J. (2011). A model based evaluation of primary care based initiatives in the management of patients with obesity in Australia [Plenary presentation]. Poster session presented at the meeting of Tri State PHCRED Annual Conference. Adelaide, Australia. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Karnon, J., Afzali, H., & Bonevski, B. (2022). Should rapid antigen tests be government funded in Australia? An economic evaluation. DOI |
Research Support / Grants Held / Consultancy projects Role
Competitive Research Funding
National Competitive Schemes
| Date | Project/No. | Investigators | Funding Body | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 - 2019 | Delivering effective dental healthcare in 2020-2030: A national longitudinal partnership study of burden of oral diseases in Australia |
Hossein Haji Ali Afzali- Associate investigator | National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (Grant ID: 1115649) | $1,056,500 |
| July 2015 - June 2016 | Review of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) Guidelines | Hossein Hajiali Afzail - Chief investigator | Department of Health | $533,000 |
| April 2015 - July 2015 | A critical review of decision analytic models submitted to PBAC and NICE: Need for disease-specific (reference) models | Hossein Hajiali Afzail - Chief investigator | Centre for Health Economics, The University of York (UK) (International visiting research fellowship: The Alan Williams Fellowship) | $10,000 |
| 2015 - 2017 | Estimation of the cost-effectiveness threshold for the Australian health system |
Hossein Hajiali Afzail - Chief investigator | National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (Grant ID: 1084387) | $331,000 |
| 2014 - 2017 | Can e-Health improve post-marketing surveillance of drugs and vaccines? The Stimulated Telephone Assisted Rapid Safety Surveillance (STARSS) randomised controlled trial |
Hossein Hajiali Afzail - Chief investigator (leading the health economics component) | National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (Grant ID: 1067703) | $732,000 |
| The impact of death and disability from invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Australian children. | Hossein Hajiali Afzail - Chief investigator (leading the health economics component) | Pfizer | $835,072 | |
| 2012 - 2015 | Capacity Building Grant in Population Health and Health Services Research: Building capacity for integrated decision-making for improving health services | Hossein Hajiali Afzail - Team Investigator | National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (Grant ID: 56550) | $2,094,000 |
| 2009 - 2011 | Primary Care Services Improvement Project (PCSIP) | Hossein Hajiali Afzail - Project Manager | Australian Research Council (ARC) (Grant ID: LP0883930) | $577,000 |
| 2006 - 2007 | The University of Adelaide Efficiency measurement for hospitals owned by the Iranian Social Security Organisation | Hossein Hajiali Afzail - Chief investigator | Adelaide Graduate Centre Research Abroad Scholarship | $2,500 |
| 2005 - 2006 | The University of Adelaide Postgraduate Travelling Fellowship Award | Hossein Hajiali Afzail - Chief investigator | Faculty of Health Sciences | $5,000 |
Teaching
2014- Ongoing Course coordinator: PUB HLTH 7082 Health Economics (face to face) (Core course: Master of Health Economics and Policy)
2015- Ongoing Course coordinator: PUB HLTH 7082OL Health Economics (fully online) (Core course: Master of Health Economics and Policy
2016-Ongoing Course coordinator: HLTH SC 2012 Hacking Health: Core course for BHlthMedSc (Advanced)
2016-Ongoing Module (economic evaluation) coordinator: PUB HLTH 7091 Knowing What Works - Evaluation for Public Health (Core course: Master of Public Health)
2014-Ongoing Course coordinator: Health economics (for third-year medical students) as part of Medical, Personal and Professional Development III (MPPD III)
2010- Ongoing Lecturer: PubHlth 7082 Health Economic Evaluation and Decision Making (Core course: Master of Health Economics and Policy)
2012- Ongoing Lecturer: PubHlth 7147 (Health Technology Assessment)
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 - 2019 | Co-Supervisor | Improving Adolescent Health Through Immunisation: A Case Study - Invasive Meningococcal Disease | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Dr Bing Wang |
| 2012 - 2014 | Co-Supervisor | Clinical outcomes, costs, knowledge and awareness of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in South Australia | Master of Philosophy (Public Health) | Master | Full Time | Dr Bing Wang |
| Date | Institution | Department | Organisation Type | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 - ongoing | - | - | - | - |
| 2012 - ongoing | Adelaide Health Technology Assessment (AHTA) | - | - | Australia |
| 2012 - 2014 | Australian Catholic University | - | - | Australia |
| Date | Role | Editorial Board Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 - ongoing | Board Member | Applied Health Economics and Health Policy | - | Australia |