HERO Dr Thavorn Group
Team Leader
Kednapa Thavorn
Senior Scientist, Methodological and Implementation ResearchHERO - Health Economics and healthcare Resource Optimization
What We Do
Lead by Dr. Kednapa Thavorn, the HERO group's primary fields of research are health economics, health technology assessment and health equity. Our goal is to combine our knowledge and experience in these areas to improve population health outcomes; reduce health care disparities in vulnerable and marginalized populations; and efficiently allocate health care resources.
Research Activities
The HERO group's primary fields of research are health economics, health technology assessment and health equity. Our goal is to combine our knowledge and experience in these areas to improve population health outcomes; reduce health care disparities in vulnerable and marginalized populations; and efficiently allocate health care resources.
Examples of our research projects include:
- the economic impact of multimorbidity in Ontario;
- the impact of the maximum quantity policy on prescribed drug expenditures;
- economic burden of HIV/AIDs in Ontario;
- cost-effectiveness analysis of health care interventions such as pharmacist-led smoking cessation, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma screening, and routine eye examination.
In addition, they have been involved in systematic review and meta-analysis projects, for example a systematic review of fall prevention programs in elderly population and a systematic review of turmeric in the treatment of digestive disorders.
Glossary
Health Economics
Health economics is a field that focuses on how we use healthcare resources and how healthcare policies affect people, healthcare providers, and society. The main objective is to ensure that healthcare resources are used efficiently and that everyone has equal access to quality healthcare services. Health economists use advanced analytical techniques, like math and statistics, to make recommendations to policymakers in Canada. By providing evidence-based policy suggestions, health economists work to improve the health outcomes of Canadians and ensure that everyone can access high-quality healthcare services.
Economic Evaluations
Economic Evaluations are a specific type of health economic analysis that explicitly compare the costs (use of resources) and consequences (effects) of the health intervention(s) in question to an alternative course of action, known as the comparator. Source: Turner HC, Archer RA, Downey LE, Isaranuwatchai W, Chalkidou K, Jit M, Teerawattananon Y. An Introduction to the Main Types of Economic Evaluations Used for Informing Priority Setting and Resource Allocation in Healthcare: Key Features, Uses, and Limitations. Frontiers in Public Health. 2021;9.
Health Technology Assessment
Heath Technology Assessment is a multidisciplinary process that uses explicit methods to determine the value of a health technology at different points in its lifecycle. The purpose is to inform decision-making in order to promote an equitable, efficient, and high-quality health system. Source: International H-HTA. What is HTA? Intro to HTA HTAi; 2025 [Available from: https://htai.org/what-is-hta/]
Patient Engagement
Patient Engagement is the meaningful and active collaboration between researchers and patient partners in governance, priority setting, conducting research, and knowledge translation. Depending on the context, patient-oriented research may also engage people who bring the collective voice of specific, affected communities. Source: First SfPOR-S-PP. Patient Engagement Framework. 2014