Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Nicole Black (née Au) is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Health Economics, Monash Business School.
She is a chief investigator on an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project, which aims to investigate the economic causes and consequences of child maltreatment and its associated harms, and a chief investigator on an ARC Discovery Project which aims to investigate the socioeconomic inequities in access to mental healthcare in Australia.
From 2018-2023 Nicole was awarded an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) to investigate how children and adolescents spend their time, and how this relates to their health and cognitive development.
From 2013-2018 she was supported by an Australian National Preventive Health Agency Research Fellowship to investigate the economic consequences of childhood and adolescent obesity over the life-course. Her research has contributed to understanding the health care costs attributable to childhood obesity and the impact of childhood obesity on human capital development. Nicole received her PhD in Health Economics from Monash University, and received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research by an Early Career Researcher in 2016. She was a co-editor of the journal, Health Economics 2019-2025.
Research interests
Nicole’s broad research interests are in health economics and labour economics, with particular interests in the economics of child health and cognitive development; the economics of mental health; and, inequalities in health and access to health care.
Work in Progress
Dzulkipli, A., Black, N., Johnston, DW., Segal, L. Safer in School? Compulsory Schooling Reduces Maltreatment and Associated Harms. Accepted at The Review of Economics and Statistics
Black, N., Deer, L., Johnston, DW, Kunz J. Are You Okay? The Effects of a National Peer-Support Campaign on Mental Health. R&R at Journal of Marketing
Black, N., Harris, A., Johnston, D. W., & Trinh, T. A. (2024). Workforce Impacts of Subsidised Mental Healthcare: Evidence on Supply, Earnings, and Geographic Distribution. R&R at Journal of Health Economics
Black, N., Johnston, DW., Shields, MA., Trinh, TA. Inequity in Child Mental Healthcare Use
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):
Education/Academic qualification
Health Economics, Doctor of Philosophy, Obesity in Australia: An Economic Perspective
Award Date: 10 May 2012
Research area keywords
- mental health
- child health
- child development
- obesity
- health economics
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
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Economic analysis of child maltreatment and child protection
Black, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Johnston, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Trinh, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Segal, L. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/08/24 → 31/07/27
Project: Research
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Embedding modular data assets in MADIP
Petrie, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Kunz, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Jayawardana, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Black, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Badji, S. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) (Australia)
1/10/23 → 30/06/24
Project: Research
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High inflation and implications for health
Black, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Harris, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Johnston, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Jayawardana, D. (Chief Investigator (CI))
12/09/23 → 30/06/24
Project: Research
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Department of Health Mental Health Modelling
Petrie, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), de New, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Black, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Kunz, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Saxby, K. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Avdic, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Shilling, C. (Partner Investigator (PI))
19/05/22 → 30/06/22
Project: Research
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Microeconometric Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequity in Mental Healthcare
Johnston, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Shields, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Black, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Harris, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Lubman, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Knapp, M. (Partner Investigator (PI))
18/03/21 → 31/12/24
Project: Research
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Children's access to mental healthcare: parental perceptions and resource constraints
Black, N., Johnston, D. W. & Ride, J., Apr 2025, In: Social Science & Medicine. 370, 10 p., 117853.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus) -
Horizontal inequity in the use of mental healthcare in Australia
Black, N., Johnston, D. W., Knapp, M., Shields, M. A. & Wong, G. H. Y., Feb 2025, In: Health Economics. 34, 2, p. 297-315 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Safer in school? The impact of compulsory schooling on maltreatment and associated harms
Dzulkipli, A. A., Black, N., Johnston, D. W. & Segal, L., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: The Review of Economics and Statistics. 40 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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The gender gap in children’s educational time investments in informal settlements
Escobar Carías, M., Black, N., Johnston, D., Sweeney, R., Barker, S. F., Rosnaena, Syamsul, S. & Waka, T., 2025, In: Review of Economics of the Household. 23, p. 1133-1153 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Children's time allocation and the socioeconomic gap in human capital
Black, N., Jayawardana, D. & Heckley, G., Sept 2024, In: European Economic Review. 168, 22 p., 104821.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Prizes
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Australian Health Economics Society Early Career Researcher Prize
Black, N. (Recipient), 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research by an Early Career Researcher
Black, N. (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Vice-Chancellor's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence
Black, N. (Recipient), 2012
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Press/Media
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Undernourished, stressed and overworked: cost-of-living pressures are taking a toll on Australians’ health
Black, N., Harris, A., Jayawardana, D. & Johnston, D.
14/03/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Pre-committing to a grocery list may help in the battle of the bulge
12/09/13
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blogs, Podcasts and Social Media › Blogs