Health Inequality and Health Care Equity Research Workshop

This one-day research workshop will bring together Australian and international researchers to present and discuss work on health inequality, inequity, and equity in health care access, utilisation, and financing. A key aim is to identify shared interests and future collaborative opportunities across methodological and empirical research programmes, with particular attention to what Australia's emerging integrated data infrastructure — including the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) — can offer for health inequality research.

The workshop takes advantage of a visit to Australia by Professor Guido Erreygers (University of Antwerp), whose work over the past two decades has made fundamental contributions to the methodological foundations of health inequality measurement, and will feature the participation of Professor Emily Lancsar, Chief Health Economist at the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. The workshop is being organised by Professor Philip Clarke, Chair in Health Economics at the University of Melbourne.

We welcome abstract submissions (300–500 words) on any aspect of health inequality or health care equity research, including both methodological and empirical work, with work in progress encouraged.

Abstract submissions open on 6 July and close on 7 August.
Registrations close on 9 October.

Optional Short Course: Health Inequality Measurement — Concepts, Methods and Applications
20th October 2026, 9am–3:30pm | University of Melbourne

Running in conjunction with the workshop, this 1-day in-person short course is taught by Professor Clarke and Professor Erreygers and is open to all — you do not need to be presenting at the workshop to attend. The course covers the theoretical foundations and empirical practice of health inequality measurement, including core concepts and indices, health poverty frameworks, and practical approaches to designing and conducting health inequality analyses. It is particularly well suited to postgraduate students and early-career researchers looking to build or consolidate skills in this area.

Participants are welcome to register for the workshop only, the short course only, or both.

For further information and to submit an abstract, please contact Melbourne Health Economics, Centre for Health Policy, University of Melbourne at health-economics@unimelb.edu.au .