Economics and Implementation Research
Implementation science is the study of methods to promote the uptake of research findings and evidence-based interventions into routine practice and policy. A gap persists between evidence generation and its real-world application, despite advancements in both fields of health economics and implementation science.
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.
Aim and objectives
The purpose of this SIG is to provide members access to implementation science specific professional networks, peer support, and opportunities to collaborate with clinical, policy, and research partners. The SIG will prioritise activities that build community, drive collaboration, and support capacity-building in implementation science and health economics.
- SIG Launch event
- Publication award
- Collate a repository of resources
- Networking and collaboration
If you would like to join the SIG and receive future updates, please complete our short membership form: https://qsurvey.qut.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_3VIl2QlnqC8UsWG.
For membership enquiries contact: Thomasina.Donovan@qut.edu.au
Conveners
Dr Zoë Szewczyk is a health economist and dietitian based at the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, where she holds dual appointments as Health Economics Lead at Sydney Health Partners and Conjoint Research Fellow with Western Sydney Local Health District. Her research specialises in applied health economic evaluation of population health and health services interventions, with a focus on implementation and scale-up. In her role at Sydney Health Partners, she leads a capacity building initiative designed to strengthen health economic literacy and improve the commissioning and interpretation of economic evidence across the network. Dr Szewczyk collaborates with government, industry, non-profit, health service, and academic partners to assess the health, economic, and social value of interventions, providing rigorous evidence to inform policy and investment decision-making.
Dr Marina Pinheiro is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health and the University of Sydney, with expertise in health economics, implementation science, and physiotherapy. Her research focuses on the evaluation, implementation, and scale-up of physical activity and falls prevention interventions, particularly through pragmatic implementation trials. She leads an internationally recognised program of research spanning WHO-commissioned reviews and economic evaluations embedded within NHMRC and MRFF-funded implementation studies. Marina is an NHMRC Fellow, Sydney Health Partners Implementation Science Fellow, and lead of the SydMSK Health Economics Support Hub. Her work aims to strengthen the integration of health economics and implementation science to improve the translation of evidence into practice.
Lane Meredith is a Research Fellow in Health Economics at the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), Monash University. She specialises in economic evaluation, implementation science, and innovative clinical trial design. Her work focuses on value-based critical care, with a particular emphasis on adaptive and platform trials. Lane established ImplementEcon in 2024, an international research network that now includes over 360 active members. The network represents a growing interest in the intersection of health economics and implementation science. Since inception, the network has submitted a methodological guidance publication, drafted international collaborative grant applications, and hosted educational seminars to support emerging research in this space.
Dr Thomasina Donovan is an early career Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation based at the Queensland University of Technology. Her work focuses on health services research in which she applies her implementation science and costing expertise to a variety of projects. Her PhD combined the fields of health economics and implementation science to develop a costing implementation strategies (Cost-IS) instrument. Cost-IS aims to enable implementation costing which is important to support appropriate resourcing. The Cost-IS instrument can be found here: https://cost-is.github.io/instrument/.