Laurie Brown and Ann Harding

Dr Laurie Brown is a Principal Research Fellow at the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, University of Canberra, Australia. Laurie Brown joined NATSEM in September 2001, having worked for the previous eight years as a lecturer and senior lecturer in the School of Geosciences, University of Wollongong, where she taught population and health studies. Prior to this, Laurie worked as a health services researcher and epidemiologist at the Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand. Laurie has a PhD in medical geography from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, and has postgraduate certificates in epidemiology from the New England Institute of Epidemiology, Tufts University, Boston, and Cambridge University, UK. Laurie is playing a leading role in NATSEM's health modelling and related projects. She has over fifteen years experience in public policy research and practice, particularly in relation to health and the impacts of social change and economic restructuring. She has extensive knowledge of geodemographic and medical statistics, and spatial analytical techniques. Her current research interests include the modelling of the Australian pharmaceuticals market; corporate transformation (privatisation) of Australian hospitals; impacts of the 'greying' of Australia's population on the demand for health and aged care services; and the provision of and accessibility to health services in rural and remote Australia. Laurie has published numerous papers in both international and national refereed social science and medical journals, and has authored a number of monographs and technical reports.

Professor Ann Harding is Professor of Applied Economics and Social Policy, and inaugural Director of the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, at the University of Canberra, Australia. Ann is the leading Australian exponent of microsimulation modelling. After having constructed Australia’s first dynamic microsimulation model while at the LSE in the late 1980s, Ann returned to Australia in 1991 and subsequently gained funding to establish a national microsimulation modelling centre. Since then she has overseen the development of microsimulation and other models and research spanning tax, social security, health insurance, pharmaceutical benefits, education, child care, effective tax rates, housing, assets, and utility concessions. Ann is particularly experienced in analysing data and constructing models to answer questions about social and economic issues. Ann has made a significant contribution to research on a wide range of issues, including income distribution and inequality, poverty and the distributional impact of government policies and has been a consistent and prolific contributor to public and academic debate on these issues. Prior to joining academia, Ann reached senior executive service level within the Australian Public Service and worked in the Departments of Social Security, Treasury, the Parliamentary Research Service and Health Housing and Community Services. She has published extensively including two books in the prestigious North Holland Contributions to Economic Analysis Series.

National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling,
University of Canberra,
ACT 2601,
Australia.

Email: laurie.brown@natsem.canberra.edu.au
Web: http://www.natsem.canberra.edu.au