Professor Tracy Roberts PhD, MPhil(Econ), BSc(Econ)(Hons) RGN

Professor Tracy Roberts

School of Health Sciences
Head of the School of Health Sciences
Professor of Health Economics

Contact details

Address
Murray Learning Centre
School of Health Sciences
College of Medicine and Health
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Tracy Roberts is the Head of the School of Health Sciences. Tracy is Professor of Health Economics and was Director of the Institute for Applied Health research for 12 months prior to the new college reorganisation. 

Tracy joined the  University of Birmingham in January 1998 as a Lecturer in Health Economics, having previously worked in health economics research at the University of Oxford. She studied Economics at University College London and subsequently Wolfson College, Oxford. She undertook her PhD whilst a member of staff in Birmingham. Prior to her career in health economics, her career path includes a year in a commodities consultancy and three years as energy economist, both in Oxford. She is also a qualified Nurse. In February 2009 Tracy was appointed Professor of Health Economics.

Tracy has been active in teaching throughout her time in the Birmingham. Her activity here include roles as module coordinator, programme director and head of teaching for the Health Economics Unit, only relinquishing these activities to take on the role as Head of the Health Economics Unit from 2012 to 2023.

Tracy’s main research interests relate to economic evaluation in sexual and women’s health and Global Health. Tracy has published widely in these areas helping to deliver on research projects supported by a diversity of funders including NIHR, Wellcome, MRC and Bill and Melinda Gates. She has been active on a variety of grant funding panels but held the substantial role of NIHR Committee Chair for the Programme Grants for Applied Research (PfGAR) from 2018 to 2022, having been a panel member on this panel for 10 years.

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=YXG3zVgAAAAJ

Qualifications

  • PhD in Health Economics, 2008
  • MPhil(Oxon) in Economics, 1992
  • BSc (Hons) Economics, 1990
  • Registered General Nurse, 1987

Biography

Tracy joined the Health Economics Unit (HEU) in January 1998 as a Lecturer in Health Economics, having previously worked in health economics research at the University of Oxford. She studied Economics at University College London and subsequently Wolfson College, Oxford and completed her PhD as a member of staff in Birmingham. Prior to her career in health economics, her career path includes a year in a commodities consultancy and three years as energy economist, both in Oxford. She is also a qualified Nurse. Tracy’s main research interests are in the area of economic evaluation in sexual and women’s health. Tracy has published widely in these areas and has been a successful applicant to both the MRC and NCCHTA on a wide range of major research projects.

In February 2009 Tracy was appointed Professor of Health Economics.

Tracy has been active in teaching throughout her time in the Birmingham and in 2008 she assumed the role of Director of Teaching and Director of the MSc programme, only relinquishing the role to take on the role of Head of Unit in January 2012. 

Teaching

Teaching Programmes

Postgraduate supervision

Tracy is interested in supervising doctoral research students in the following areas:

  • Measurement and valuation of healthcare benefits/outcomes
  • Economic issues related to sexual, perinatal and women’s health
  • Disutilities and overdiagnosis in screening

 Current PhD Students:

If you are interested in studying any of these subject areas please contact Tracy directly, or 
for any general doctoral research enquiries, please email 
mds-gradschool@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Research

Research themes 

  • Health Economics
  • Economic Evaluation
  • Temporary health states and valuation of outcomes in areas where valuation is challenging: sexually transmitted disease; women’s reproductive and general health
  • Disutilities and overdiagnosis in screening programmes
  • Model based economic evaluation
  • Systematic reviews 

Research activity 

Tracy’s current research activity research is concerned with exploring outcomes in clinical areas where valuation is challenging, such as sexually transmitted diseases where the outcomes may be considered temporary for example and also in areas of women’s reproductive health. She is also exploring the utilities and disutility imposed by overdiagnosis in screening programmes. She is interested developing the methodology of economic evaluation to ensure that the benefits of healthcare interventions are more fully captured. 

Tracy is involved in leading a wide range of applied economic evaluations many of which are in the areas of sexual health and women’s reproductive health and breast cancer. She has collaborated and is the lead health economist on a wide range of grant-funded projects in these areas.

Other activities

  • 2015 - present: Panel member of HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Programme Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship Scheme Review Panel 
  • 2014: Panel member and lead reviewer for the Evaluation Panel for the Welsh Economics Support Service (WHESS)  
  • 2008 - present: NIHR Programme grant Core Methodologist Group as Health Economist (NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme)

Publications

  1. Chu Justin J, Devall Adam J, Beeson Leanne E, Hardy Pollyanna, Cheed Versha, Sun Yongzhong, Roberts, Tracy E , Ogwulu C Okeke, Williams Eleanor, Jones Laura L, …….& Arri Coomarasamy Mifepristone and misoprostol versus misoprostol alone for the management of missed miscarriage (MifeMiso): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The Lancet August 2020. : DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31788-8 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31788-8/fulltext
  2. Coomarasamy A, Harb HM, Devall AJ, Cheed V, Roberts TE, Goranitis I, et al. Progesterone to prevent miscarriage in women with early pregnancy bleeding: the PRISM RCT. Health Technol Assess 2020;24(33)
  3. Abdali, ZI, Roberts TE, Baron P, Hawkey P. Economic evaluation of Faecal microbiota transplantation compared to antibiotics for the treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection(2020). EClinicalMedicine, Volume 24, 100420  
  4. Monahan M, Jowett S, Pinkney T, Brocklehurst P,  Morton DG, Abdali Z, Roberts TE. Surgical site infection and costs in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of the economic burden Published: June 4, 2020  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232960
  5. Tahir W, Monahan M, Dorling …………and Roberts TE Economic evaluation alongside the Speed of Increasing milk Feeds Trial (SIFT) Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition Published Online First: 02 April 2020. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-318346
  6. Ogwulu CB, Goranitis I, Devall AJ, Cheed V, Gallos ID, Middleton LJ, Harb HM, Williams HM, Eapen A, Daniels JP……….. Coomarasamy A, Roberts TE. The cost‐effectiveness of progesterone in preventing miscarriages in women with early pregnancy bleeding: an economic evaluation based on the PRISM Trial. BJOG 2020; https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.16068.
  7. Coomarasamy A. Devall, A . Brosens JJ,  ….including Roberts TE…… Gallos ID.   Micronized vaginal progesterone to prevent miscarriage: a critical evaluation of randomized evidence. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020.
  8. Clarke JL, Ingram J, Johnson D, Thomson G, Trickey H, Dombrowski SU, Sitch A, Dykes F, Feltham M, MacArthur C, Roberts TE, Hoddinott P Jolly K .The ABA intervention for improving breastfeeding initiation and continuation: Feasibility study results. Matern Child Nutr. 2020 Jan;16(1):e12907. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12907. Epub 2019 Dec 2.
  9. HL Bromley, GB Mann, D Petrie, C Nickson, D Rea, TE Roberts. Valuing preferences for treating screen detected ductal carcinoma in situ. European Journal of Cancer (2019) 123, 130-137
  10. Dorling J, Abbott J,  Berrington J, Bosiak B, Bowler U, Boyle E,  Embleton N,  Hewer O, Johnson S, Juszczak E, Leaf A, Linsell L, McCormick K, McGuire W, Omar O, Partlett C, Patel M, Roberts TE, Stenson B, Townend J. Controlled trial of two incremental milk-feeding rates in preterm infants New England Journal of Medicine 381 (15), 1434-1443

For a full list of publications please follow link: http://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55606369800

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