Barbara McPake

Professor Barbara McPake is a faculty member at the Nossal Institute for Global Health within the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne. She served as Director of the Nossal Institute from 2014 to 2023. Previously, she held positions at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (2005-2014) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1991-2005), where she led the Health Policy Unit and directed DFID-supported programs.

Her research focuses on applying economic theories to health system strengthening in low and middle-income countries, with particular emphasis on health financing, workforce development, hospital reform, and conflict-affected health systems. Current investigations examine health system responses to economic/demographic transitions, infectious diseases, and chronic disease epidemics.

Professor McPake has secured research funding from DFID, European Union, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, and Australian/UK research councils. She has significantly contributed to training health system economists and authored a leading international health economics textbook used by thousands of students since 2001.