Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Bernice is a health economist, specialising in the evaluation of disability policies and interventions in Australia. She completed her PhD from the Centre for Health Economics at Monash Business School in 2024 and now serves as a Research Fellow at Monash University’s Health Economics Group within the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Her research is dedicated to advancing evidence-based policymaking, with a strong focus on policy evaluation and the methodologies used to conduct such evaluations. Bernice's work spans critical issues in disability policy, mental health, and the well-being of marginalised communities. Prior to joining Monash University as a research fellow, she had worked at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), where she led research and evaluations of NDIS-funded programs and interventions.
Research interests
Health economist, policy evaluation, disability policies, mental health
Research area keywords
- Disability
- Mental health
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Rapid review of changes that occurred on 1 November 2025 to the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) initiative (Better Access)
Mihalopoulos, C. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Pirkis, J. E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ozols, I. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Harris, M. G. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Johnson, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bassilios, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Chatterton, M. L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Le, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ride, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ma, B. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Tan, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Hall, N. (Chief Investigator (CI))
19/02/26 → 24/07/26
Project: Research
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The impact of enhancing social care on healthcare use for people with disability: evidence from Australia
Ma, B. H., Badji, S., Petrie, D. & Chen, G., Feb 2026, In: Health Economics. 35, 2, p. 212-228 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Exploring the impact of a personalised disability reform on people with disability and their primary carers: evidence from the Australian national disability insurance scheme
Ma, B. H., Badji, S., Chen, G. & Petrie, D., May 2025, In: PLoS ONE. 20, 5, 18 p., e0321377.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Disability Wellbeing Index: Items Development & Scoring Algorithms Appendix
Chen, G., Petrie, D., Llewellyn, G., Ratcliffe, J., Bulkeley, K., Badji, S., Woode, M. E., West, R., Howe, K., Hines, M., Olsen, J. A., Ma, B. H., Aydin, G., Harris, A. & on behalf of the Disability Wellbeing Index (DWI) Research Team, Dec 2024, Melbourne Vic Australia: Monash University. 217 p.Research output: Book/Report › Other Report › Other
Open Access -
Disability Wellbeing Index: Items Development & Scoring Algorithms
Chen, G., Petrie, D., Llewellyn, G., Ratcliffe, J., Bulkeley, K., Badji, S., Woode, M. E., West, R., Howe, K., Hines, M., Olsen, J. A., Ma, B. H., Aydin, G., Harris, A. & on behalf of the Disability Wellbeing Index (DWI) Research Team, Dec 2024, Melbourne Vic Australia: Monash University. 99 p.Research output: Book/Report › Other Report › Research
Open Access -
Mapping the 12-item World Health Organization disability assessment schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) onto the assessment of quality of life (AQoL)-4D utilities
Ma, B. H., Chen, G., Badji, S. & Petrie, D., 2024, In: Quality of Life Research. 33, p. 411-422 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
Press/Media
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The NDIS shifts almost $27m a year in mental health costs alone, our new study suggests
14/11/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature