Dr. Zanfina Ademi is a Professor of Health Economics and she leads the Health Economics and Policy Evaluation Research (HEPER) Group, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University. Her research vision is to improve health and reduce inequities in society by using high-quality epidemiological and health economic evidence for decision-making.

Professor Zanfina Ademi is internatianally recognised for her work in the health economics of prevention, population genomic screening, disease management, and the development of innovative health metrics like Productivity Adjusted Life Years (PALYs) to inform population-level decision-making.

Her research also includes using epidemiological modelling, such as Mendelian Randomisation in Health Economics, to overcome challenges in long-term prevention studies. She and her team developed the novel Primary Prevention of CardioVascular Disease Health Economic (HEM-PPCVD) model to guide interventions for individuals at risk of heart attack and stroke.

She specialises in Health Technology Assessments (HTAs), economic evaluations alongside clinical trials and registries, and decision health economic modelling, and has led funded research projects in Australia, Finland, and Switzerland that provided evidence on effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and return on investment, enabling key decision-makers globally to enact effective healthcare funding. Her research has impacted policy decision-making processes and attracted $45 million in funding (category 1 NHRMC and MRFF).

She has authored >200 peer-reviewed publications, including in the top-ranking journals European Heart Journal, BMJ, New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, JAMA Cardiology, JAMA Pediatrics, JAMA Network Open, Stroke, Diabetes Care, Hypertension, Value in Health, and PharmacoEconomics.

Currently, she serves in a number of reputable national and international committees with translational impact, such as the Economics Sub-Committee (ESC) of Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), where she provides expert advice on the cost-effectiveness of treatments seeking reimbursement on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS); Lp(a) International Task Force where she leads health economics initiative to drive global efforts in addressing the economic impact of cardiovascular health.

Previously at the University of Basel, Switzerland (2014-2018), she oversaw the health economic domain of the national health technology assessment (HTA) programme, directly impacting policy-relevant decision-making processes in cooperation with the Swiss Medical Board (SMB). 

Due to her global standing and leadership in her field, she has been an invited keynote speaker at numerous international conferences.

She is passionate about teaching and coordinates several units across Monash about Evidence-Based Medicine and Health Economics.