Economics Sub-Committee (ESC)

Page last updated: 27 October 2025

The Economics Sub-committee (ESC) of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) assesses clinical and economic evaluations of medicines submitted to the PBAC for listing, and advises PBAC on the technical aspects of these evaluations.

ESC contact details can be found in PBS Contacts

Current Membership

Professor Kirsten Howard (Chair) - Health Economics

Professor Kirsten Howard (BSc (Hons1), MAppSc (Biopharm), MPH, MHlthEc, PhD, FAHMS) is the Chair of the Economics Sub-committee (ESC) of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). She is also a Professor of Health Economics at the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and a Co-Director of the Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and data. Her research interests centre on health economics and health policy, with a focus on patient and consumer preferences, Quality of Life/Wellbeing measurement and economic evaluation. She is a current member of PBAC. Her research, funded by National Health and Medical Research Council and Medical Research Future Fund, targets the development of new nationally relevant preference-based wellbeing measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and youth, quality of life measurement and valuation in children and young people, and the development of evaluation frameworks for gene therapies. Professor Howard provides expertise in the field of health economics.

Professor Zanfina Ademi - Health Economics

Professor Zanfina Ademi (MPharm, MPH, PhD) is Professor of Health Economics and leads the Health Economics and Policy Evaluation Research group at Monash University. Professor Ademi previously worked in the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) space with the Swiss Medical Board and the Federal Office of Public Health (Switzerland), evaluating investment and disinvestment in health technologies, and she has built global health-economic models for industry to support multi-country HTA submissions. She leads a multidisciplinary team of health economists, epidemiologists, and pharmacists. Her vision is to advance population health and reduce inequities through rigorous evidence for real-world decisions. Professor Ademi provides expertise in the field of health economics.

Professor Emily Callander - Health Economics

Professor Emily Callander (BA, PhD) is a Professor of Women’s Health Economics at Monash University’s Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation. She is also the Head of Discipline of Health Services Management at the University of Technology Sydney. Her research focuses on the application of administrative data, economic evaluation alongside clinical trials and modelled economic analysis within maternal and women’s health. She is a member of the Medical Services Advisory Committee’s Evaluation Sub-committee (MSAC ESC). Professor Callander provides expertise in the field of health economics.

Associate Professor Hannah Carter - Health Economics

Associate Professor Hannah Carter (BEc, PhD) is a health economist based at the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation, Queensland University of Technology. Her research informs value based healthcare decision making, with a particular focus on the end-of-life setting. She is also a member of the National Health and Medical Research Council Targeted Call for Research Prioritisation Working Committee. Dr Carter provides expertise in health economic evaluation, including cost-effectiveness modelling.

Dr Geoffrey Herkes - Neurology

Dr Geoffrey Herkes (MBBS, PhD, FRACP, GAICD) is a Consultant Neurologist with clinical and teaching appointments at Royal North Shore Hospital, Adventist Health Care, University of Sydney and The Australian National University. He has clinical research interests in neurophysiology, epilepsy and electroencephalography. He is a member of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and has previously held Chair positions within the New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee and Therapeutic Goods Administration Advisory Committees. Dr Herkes provides expertise in the field of neurology.

Associate Professor Kate Mahon - Medical Oncology

Associate Professor Kate Mahon (BSc (Med), MBBS (Hons), PhD, FRACP) is the Director of Medical Oncology at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Sydney. She conducts extensive clinical research at the University of Sydney and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, specialising in colorectal, appendiceal, and prostate cancers. She is also a member of Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). Associate Professor Mahon provides expertise in the field of medical oncology.

Dr Kylie Mason - Haematology

Dr Kylie Mason (MBBS, PhD) is a Clinical Haematologist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac). Her clinical and research focus is on new treatments for blood cancers, classical haematology, epidemiological models of disease and treatment, and clinical trials of novel agents. She is a member of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), Chair of anticoagulation stewardship committees at Royal Melbourne and Peter Mac and a member of the Human Research Ethics Committee Royal Melbourne Hospital. Dr Mason provides expertise in the field of haematology.

Associate Professor David Newby - Pharmacy

Associate Professor David Newby (BPharm, GDipEpi, PhD) is and Head of Pharmacy at the University of Newcastle, and a community pharmacist. His research and practice are focussed on clinical pharmacology, community pharmacy and evidence-based medicine, supporting pharmacists to provide high-quality, patient-centred and cost-effective care. He is a member of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and is treasurer of the Council of Pharmacy Schools Australia & New Zealand. Associate Professor Newby provides expertise in the field of pharmacy.

Professor Richard Norman - Health Economics

Professor Richard Norman (BA (Hons), MSc, PhD) is Dean of the Graduate Research School at Curtin University. His research explores developing and disseminating cost-effectiveness analyses in healthcare, utilising discrete choice experiments to quantify values to inform policy and decision making. He is a member of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and previously held the role of Program Chair of the International Health Economics Association biannual meeting. Professor Norman provides expertise in the field of health economics.

Dr Kathleen O'Brien - General Practice

Dr Kathleen O’Brien (BSc, GDipStats, MBBS, DCH, FRACGP, AFHEA) is a General Practitioner and Senior lecturer in the Academic Unit of General Practice, School of Medicine and Psychology, at the Australian National University. Previously working as a statistician and data analyst, her academic interests involve the integration of statistics into general practice and primary health care research, while her clinical interests include preventive health, and women’s and children’s health. Dr O’Brien provides expertise in the field of general practice.

Dr Adrian Pokorny - Medical Oncology

Dr Adrian Pokorny (BMed, MPH, PhD, FRACP) is a Medical Oncologist at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Sydney and Alice Springs Hospital. He has research interests in health policy and ethics, exploring the interactions between the pharmaceutical industry and cancer physicians. He is also a member of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC). Dr Pokorny provides expertise in the field of medical oncology.

Professor Alice Richardson - Statistics

Professor Alice Richardson (BA (Hons), MStats, PhD) is Lead of the Statistical Support Network at the Australian National University, providing advice to researchers on the statistical aspects of their projects.  Her research is focussed on linear models, statistical methods applied to large data sets in biomedical sciences, and statistics education. She has previously been a member of the Medical Services Advisory Committee Evaluation Sub-committee (MSAC ESC) and provided advice to the Advisory Committee on Medicines. Professor Richardson provides expertise in the field of statistics.

Clinical Associate Professor Sam Salman - Immunology and Pharmacology

Clinical Professor Sam Salman (MBBS(Hons), PhD, FRCPA, FRACP) is a Clinical Pharmacologist, Clinical Immunologist and Immunopathologist at PathWest Laboratory Medicine.  He is an adjunct Clinical Professor at medical schools at Curtin University and The University of Western Australia and a Research Associate at Telethon Kids Institute. He has extensive experience in the design, implementation, supervision, and analysis of pharmacological clinical trials, both academic and sponsored. Professor Salman provides expertise in the field of immunology and pharmacology

Associate Professor Jean Spinks - Health Economics

Associate Professor Jean Spinks (PhD) is a member of the Centre for the Business and Economics of Health at the University of Queensland. Her research interests include applying economic modelling within various areas of primary care, including workforce planning, culturally appropriate and accessible care, quality improvement and digital innovation. Associate Professor Spinks provides expertise in the field of health economics.

Professor Robyn Ward AM (ex-officio) - Medical Oncologist and Cancer Genetics

Professor Robyn Ward AM (MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FAHMS, FQA) is an ex-officio member of this committee and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) and Senior Vice-President of Monash University. An academic leader, cancer researcher and medical oncologist, she has contributed immensely to the development of Commonwealth and New South Wales health policy, in addition to her pioneering work on the concept of epigenetic changes. Professor Ward was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to medical research and patient care in the field of oncology. She is the Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and an ex-officio member of PBAC Drug Utilisation Sub-committee (DUSC), as well as the former Chair of the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC). Professor Ward has extensive experience in health technology assessment and provides expertise in the fields of medical oncology and cancer genetics.

Adjunct Associate Professor Jo Watson (ex-officio) - Consumer Member

Adjunct Associate Professor Jo Watson (BA (Soc.Sci), MPH, FAICD) is an ex-officio member of this committee and a longstanding consumer nominee and advocate within the health industry. She brings extensive experience in Health Technology Assessment (HTA), specialising in the collaboration between researchers, clinicians, health economists, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies. She is the Deputy Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), Chair of the HTA Consumer Consultative Committee (HTA CCC), and an ex-officio member of the PBAC Drug Utilisation Sub-committee (DUSC) and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. Associate Professor Watson provides expertise in HTA and consumer advocacy.

Ms Heather Wrightman - Industry Representative

Ms Heather Wrightman (BHSc (H&D), GCer (HPS)) is a Senior Manager of Access and Funding at Medicines Australia. Her work is centred on medicines reimbursement policy within the Australian pharmaceutical industry and she is the industry representative nominated by Medicines Australia. She is also the industry representative on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) Drug Utilisation Sub-committee (DUSC) and a member of the Access to Medicines Working Group. Ms Wrightman provides expertise in the field of industry relations.