History

The development of the Health Economics Unit (HEU) was made possible by the recruitment of a Health Economist (Professor Di Mcintyre) to work in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at UCT in the late 1980s. A number of public health specialists (Drs Steve Taylor, William Pick and Max Bachmann) collaborated with Prof Mcintyre to establish the HEU at the beginning of 1990.

The unit was initially envisioned as primarily a research organisation, but the urgent need for developing health economics capacity both within South Africa and the African region more generally was soon recognised and training activities were initiated. From modest beginnings of a single full-time health economist and part-time inputs from supportive public health colleagues, the HEU has developed a thriving and diverse research portfolio, substantive postgraduate programmes at the masters and doctoral level and extensive technical support activities.

• Download more information about completed HEU research projects as well as course and capacity development since 1990.
• Read about the HEU’s 20th anniversary that took place in 2010.