Ms Tracy Merlin

Biography/ Background

Tracy Merlin is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health and is the Managing Director of Adelaide Health Technology Assessment (AHTA), within the Discipline of Public Health, School of Population Health and Clinical Practice, University of Adelaide (www.adelaide.edu.au/ahta).

Tracy conducts and supervises applied research in the fields of horizon scanning, evidence-based regulation and reimbursement of new health technologies or interventions, the development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, and disinvestment from established health technologies.

She co-founded AHTA in 2001 and leads a large and experienced team of researchers undertaking multi-million dollar applied research on behalf of government and non-government agencies. This includes providing evidence-based health technology assessments on the safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of medical procedures, diagnostic tests and services to the Medical Services Advisory Committee for funding under Medicare; and appraisal of pharmaceutical and vaccine industry submissions to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee for funding under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the National Immunisation Program. 

Tracy has written and co-written numerous systematic literature reviews for the National Institute of Clinical Studies; the National Blood Authority; the Australasian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Beyond Blue, and Baker IDI for the development of different National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)-endorsed clinical practice guidelines; among others.

Tracy is a methodologist and clinical epidemiologist who has been part of working groups for the Department of Health and Ageing, and the NHMRC. She is a member of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) Quality Assurance Working Group, the Cochrane Non-Randomised Studies Methods Group, and the Cochrane Diagnostics Methods Group. She represents Australian HTA internationally (ie as a member of the Scientific and Professional Programs Committee of Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi)) as well as locally (ie  as a member of the South Australian Medicines Evaluation Panel (SAMEP); and the South Australian Health Technology Advisory Group (SA-HTAG).

She consults for the NHMRC and other organisations through teaching the conduct of health technology assessments, systematic literature reviews and the development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. She coordinates the only University course in Australia on Health Technology Assessment - a 1 week intensive.

Tracy has conducted primary research in the areas of health education, aboriginal health, international health, medical education and palliative care. She has a Masters degree in Public Health (epidemiology/ biostatistics stream) and an undergraduate Honours degree in Psychology. She is currently undertaking a PhD on the methodology for evaluating diagnostic tests within a health technology assessment framework.

Qualifications

Master of Public Health, University of Adelaide

Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Psychology), University of Adelaide

Research Interests

Evidence-based health care

Evidence-based health policy

Health technology assessment (HTA), systematic reviews and meta-analysis

Diagnostic tests

Personalised medicine

Developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines

Disinvestment methodology and processes

Entry last updated: Friday, 21 Oct 2011