DrNikki McCaffrey

Associate Professor Nikki McCaffrey leads a research program improving the value of health and social care through policy-relevant economic evidence in cancer, supportive care, palliative and end-of-life care, survivorship, ageing and informal care. Her work spans outcomes research, economic evaluation, health services research and implementation, with a focus on what matters most to patients, carers and communities.

Over the course of her career, she has secured more than $24 million in competitive funding from 53 grants, commissioned research and consultancies and built multidisciplinary research teams supporting more than 24 staff and research students over the past three years. Through the Economics of Cancer Collaboration, a partnership with Cancer Council Victoria (CCV), she has built a sustained program of policy-engaged research spanning government, health service, community and consumer partnerships that has returned $3.80 for every dollar invested by CCV. Her program of research has informed government investment decisions, service commissioning, contract renewal decisions, workforce planning, clinical guidelines and the provision of medicines and supportive care services.

Nikki’s research is supported by collaborations across the United Kingdom, Europe, North America and Australia. She is Co-Founder and Co-Lead of the International Health Economics Association (iHEA) Special Interest Group in the Economics of Palliative and End-of-Life Care, and the Australian Health Economics Society (AHES) Cancer Economics Special Interest Group. She serves in international editorial leadership roles and holds leadership and investigator positions on multinational studies spanning palliative care, informal care, symptom management and outcome measurement.

At Deakin University, Nikki serves as Head of Cancer Economics, a member of the Deakin Health Economics Executive, Institute for Health Transformation Partnerships Co-Lead, and Strategic Domestic Partnership Lead within the Faculty of Health. These roles support partnerships between researchers, government, health services, community organisations, patients, carers and people with lived experience to inform policy and improve health and care systems.

At a glance

• $24.4M+ total funding
• 109+ publications
• 53 grants, commissioned research projects and consultancies
• Head of Cancer Economics
• Co-Founder and Co-Lead, iHEA Special Interest Group in the Economics of Palliative and End-of-Life Care & AHES Cancer Special Interest Group