معرفی
Dr. Jonas Fooken is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at The University of Queensland's Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, a joint initiative of UQ's faculties of Business, Economics & Law; Health and Behavioural Science and the Mater Hospital. With over 15 years of professional experience spanning academic research, industry collaboration, and public policy development, he applies behavioral and health economics to improve understanding of individual behavior in healthcare contexts.
Dr. Fooken earned his PhD in economics from Queensland University of Technology in 2013. Prior to joining UQ in 2016, he worked for the Behavioural Economics Team of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, focusing on behavioral aspects of health and tax policies. Before that, he served as an economist for KPMG Germany.
His research program centers on three interconnected themes:
- Private health insurance and its contribution to healthcare systems
- Health as a determinant of economic productivity, particularly examining how nutrition, health, and stress management affect worker performance
- Economic and financial decisions of older adults, investigating how aging affects risk, social, and time preferences
Dr. Fooken's publication record demonstrates a strong methodological focus on experimental and behavioral economics applied to real-world healthcare challenges. His recent work examines housing insecurity and mental health (2025), private health insurance effects (2024), and innovative approaches to veteran healthcare (2021-2023). His research often employs sophisticated econometric techniques and experimental designs to address complex questions in health policy, with particular attention to the Australian healthcare system.
Dr. Fooken actively contributes to research that enables healthcare organizations to develop more efficient, effective, and equitable policies and programs. His applied work includes collaborations with West Moreton Oral Health Service, the Department of Veteran Affairs, and indemnity insurers to address practical challenges in healthcare delivery.
As an educator and mentor, Dr. Fooken serves as an Associate Advisor for multiple PhD students working on topics including health economics, mental health, and health literacy. His current supervision includes projects on:
- Investing in health as a pathway to improved economic performance
- Does Social Capital Attenuate Negative Mental Health Shocks? Evidence From a Natural Experiment
- The Economics of Social Connection and Health Literacy on Health
Dr. Fooken has secured significant research funding for projects including:
- Impact of children's not-for-profit services in rural and remote Queensland (2022-2025)
- Cost benefit analysis of centralised equipment sterilisation procedures for West Moreton Hospital (2019-2020)
- Active Choices program for Department of Veterans' Affairs clients (2019-2021)
- Economic preferences and decision making of older adults (2019-2021)
