Virginia Wiseman

Professor Virginia Wiseman is Professor of Health Economics and Health Systems at the Kirby Institute (Faculty of Medicine, UNSW) and at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Department of Global Health and Development). She leads the Health Economics Research Network (HERN) at UNSW, a cross-Faculty Initiative for generating, reviewing, and disseminating evidence on health economics. With over $49 million in research funding throughout her career, her work focuses on impact evaluations of complex public health interventions and the evaluation of health financing systems to support universal health coverage.

Professor Wiseman's research spans multiple critical areas of global health economics and systems. Her primary focus areas include health economics and health systems research in low- and middle-income countries, with particular expertise in evaluating public health interventions for malaria, HIV and STIs, TB, Hepatitis C, and antimicrobial resistance. She has conducted extensive research on health financing systems and universal health coverage, with significant work in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. Her methodological expertise includes cost-effectiveness analysis, health financing incidence analysis, and the use of standardized patients to assess healthcare quality.

Analysis of Professor Wiseman's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on health systems strengthening in resource-limited settings. Her work demonstrates strong methodological diversity, employing randomized controlled trials, mixed-methods approaches, systematic reviews, and economic evaluations. Geographically, her research concentrates on Southeast Asia (particularly Indonesia), Papua New Guinea, and other low- and middle-income countries. Thematically, her publications address antimicrobial resistance, health insurance systems, pandemic response impacts on health services, and innovative approaches to disease prevention and control.

Professor Wiseman serves as co-chief editor of Health Policy and Planning and is on the board of the International Health Economics Association. She has made significant contributions to capacity development in health economics and health systems research in low and middle income country universities and research institutions. Her extensive grant funding portfolio demonstrates her leadership in major research initiatives addressing critical global health challenges.

Professor Wiseman leads the Health Economics Research Network (HERN) at UNSW, which brings together researchers across multiple faculties to address complex health economics questions. Her work often involves interdisciplinary collaboration with epidemiologists, clinicians, anthropologists, and policy makers to ensure research findings are translated into practical health system improvements. She maintains strong partnerships with institutions in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, where much of her field research is conducted.