Ms Tracy Merlin

Biography/ Background

Tracy Merlin is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health and is the Manager of Adelaide Health Technology Assessment (AHTA), within the Discipline of Public Health, School of Population Health and Clinical Practice, University of Adelaide.

She has successfully tendered and co-tendered for applied research to be undertaken by AHTA, to the value of approximately $13 million since 2002. 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 also written and co-written systematic literature reviews for the National Institute of Clinical Studies; the National Blood Authority; the Australasian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Beyond Blue, and TRACsa 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, the Cochrane Diagnostics Methods Group, and is on the HTA Council of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR).

She also consults for the NHMRC, teaching external organisations and individuals how to conduct systematic literature reviews and develop evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.

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

Methodology of health technology assessment (HTA)

Entry last updated: Tuesday, 26 May 2009