The aim of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) is to connect members of AHES who have a similar research interest, allowing exchange of knowledge, facilitating cooperation on grants, joint conference submissions, submissions to parliamentary inquiries, and meetups (for example an organised meeting at AHES), thereby building research capacity and policy impact. All activities should relate to a common interest, for example a specific research area, method or teaching initiatives.

Existing Special Interest Groups

Cancer economics

This SIG covers the topic of cancer economics from primary prevention, early detection, to diagnosis, treatment, cancer survivorship, supportive and palliative care.

Health Preference Research

This SIG focuses on understanding preferences of key stakeholders, including patients, clinicians and decision-makers using choice experiment methodology.

Health equity

This SIG focuses on developing evidence to monitor, understand and reduce unfair differences in health and healthcare.

Economics of mental health

This SIG brings together health economists working on issues in mental health including services, policy, outcomes, and determinants.

Aged care, ageing and dementia

The SIG will focus on topics related to aged care, ageing, cognitive decline/ dementia as well as loneliness and social isolation in old age.

Financing, funding and organisation of health and care in Australia

The SIG will include members interested in the financing and organisation of health care, aged care, and disability care.

The Health Economics of Palliative Care

This SIG will help to promote increasing research into the health economics of palliative care, including economic evaluations alongside clinical trials; quasi-experimental analysis using administrative datasets; and qualitative work and choice experiments to provide further knowledge of how palliative care outcomes can be captured and measured.

Economics of Infectious Diseases

This SIG focuses on employing health economics methodologies to tackle infectious diseases. It covers a broad spectrum, from economic evaluations of interventions to comprehensive analyses targeting infectious disease mitigation.

Economics and Implementation Research

This SIG will explore the integration of implementation science into health economics. It will focus on strengthening the integration of economic methods within implementation research to enhance the value, efficiency, and sustainability of health system improvements. Key areas of interest include economic evaluation of implementation studies, methods for evaluating and costing complex and adaptive interventions, policy translation, and scale-up.

Economics of Innovation and Digital Health

This SIG aims to generate high-quality evidence on the economics of health innovation, digital health technologies, AI applications (machine learning and natural language processing), new organisational practices and data‑driven decision‑making.

Terms of reference

AHES welcomes proposals to establish SIGs that can be submitted at any point. All proposal will be reviewed by the AHES Executive Committee at regular intervals.

Proposals to establish new SIGs should include the following information:

  • Proposed name of the SIG
  • Description of the health economic policy area, clinical interest, and/or methodology
  • Aim and objectives of the SIG
  • Expected activity plan (max 2000 characters) for the ensuing 12 months
  • Brief bio (max 2000 characters each) for at least 2 initial convenors
  • List of members and their AHES membership status willing to contribute to SIG activities.

Please use this  form and submit your proposal to news@ahes.org.au.

All SIGs approved by the AHES Executive Committee will be offered:

  • Support in communicating activities by the SIG via the AHES mailing list and social
    media channels
  • Advertisement and promotion on the AHES website
  • Opportunity for organized sessions at AHES annual conference
  • Admin support to confirm membership status

The convenors and at least five other members of the SIG must be current AHES members.

There should be a minimum of two co-convenors for each SIG and we recommend maintaining a gender balance plus a combination of senior and Early and Mid-Career (EMCR) AHES members, where possible. We recommend each SIG to consider additional convenors to assist in: communications, membership, EMCR support, and conference activity. Convenors should rotate every two years and be voted by a simple majority of SIG members who are also current AHES members. Convenors may self- nominate if there are no other candidates.

SIGs should provide an annual report, using this Annual Report form, one month prior
to the annual AHES conference detailing:

  1. Number of members and convenors (AHES and non-AHES members),
  2. Number and type of activities over the prior 12 months,
  3. Number of SIG meetings over the prior 12 months, and
  4. Activities planned for the ensuing 12 months.

Please submit your annual report to news@ahes.org.au.

All external communications concerning the AHES SIG should be pre-approved by the AHES Executive. Please direct any inquiries to news@ahes.org.au.