Tracey-Lea Laba

Tracey-Lea Laba is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE) within the Faculty of Health at the University of Technology Sydney. As an NHMRC Early Career (Sidney Sax) Fellow and registered pharmacist, she brings extensive clinical experience to her academic work. Her research portfolio spans health economics, pharmacoepidemiology, medication utilization, and health policy with a focus on improving health outcomes for disadvantaged populations through better use of high-value medicines for non-communicable diseases.

Dr. Laba received her PhD from The University of Sydney in 2014 and was a University Medallist for her Bachelor of Pharmacy (2004). Prior to joining UTS, she held positions as a senior research fellow at The George Institute for Global Health and the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, and completed an honorary postdoctoral fellowship at The University of British Columbia. Her clinical background includes hospital and community pharmacy practice as well as pharmaceutical industry experience.

Her research interests focus on health economics, drug utilization and policy, clinical trial translation, and improving medication access for non-communicable diseases. Dr. Laba has secured significant funding for projects including the Centre of Research Excellence in Medicines Intelligence (2020-2025), the ORIENT study on rural access to reproductive health services (2020-2026), and research on medication utilization patterns in cancer care and cardiovascular disease management.

An analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on practical healthcare implementation challenges, with particular attention to medication access, quality improvement in primary care, and health system strengthening. Her work spans both Australian healthcare contexts and global health applications, particularly in low-resource settings in South Asia.

Among her notable professional recognitions, Dr. Laba is the first health economist elected to Asthma Australia's Professional Advisory Council and the first person outside the PBAC chair to serve on both the drug utilization and economics subcommittees of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

Dr. Laba actively supervises Masters and PhD students and has received funding through the NHMRC Early Career Fellowship program. Her research has been supported by multiple grants from the Medical Research Future Fund and NHMRC totaling millions of dollars across various projects focused on medicines intelligence, rural healthcare access, and global health interventions.