Public Health: Charlotte Ramage

Where do you currently work and what is your role?

I work as a Consultant at Quantium Health Outcomes – a joint venture between the data analytics company Quantium, and Discovery, a South African health insurer. Our work is typically related to health, with a strategy or analytics focus, bringing insights to our clients, including government departments, universities, not-for-profits and private providers.

What does your role entail?

I work on a range of projects which involve lots of data analysis, PowerPoint slide production (I never knew there could be so much to it!) and report writing. Recently, I completed an economic evaluation of clinical trial networks which was published by the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care. I’ve also assisted in the development of a new operating model and structure for one of the Department of Health divisions who ensure Medicare’s integrity is maintained.

As part of my role, I assisted in the development and delivery of communications for the Department of Family and Community Services who are evaluating their social housing and child protection programs to Treasury. I’ve also enjoyed the chance to assist a private hospital chain to move towards value-based health care where health service providers are paid for actual patient outcomes, rather than individual services or procedures.

What are some of your professional highlights since graduating?

I worked in London for a year for the exciting start-up company Babylon (GP in your pocket), with a CEO who would come in with a new idea each day for us to deal with. They’ve since raised $60 million in funding to build AI functionality to diagnose health conditions and have launched with the UK National Health Service (NHS). I also spent time in Canberra working at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Here, I learned an enormous amount about the way departments work, national datasets and got my name in a couple of published reports.

What are some highlights from your life as a student at The University of Melbourne?

I loved hearing the career stories from the all amazing lecturers the University offers – that’s the part I’ve missed most since leaving, listening to the greats like Rob Moodie. I think the Public Health degree also exposes students to people from so many different backgrounds and it’s really cool to have friends who now work around the world.