William Leung
Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 4 918 4617
- william.leung@otago.ac.nz
- Position
- Senior Lecturer
- Department
- Department of Public Health (Wellington)
- Qualifications
- MSc (Op Res), MSc (Comp Sci), MSc (Health Econ)
- Research summary
- Health Economics
Research
William is the University of Otago, Wellington School of Medicine’s health economist. Recent projects have included meta-analyses of the effect of calcium intake on fracture and bone mineral density (with Distinguished Professor Ian Reid), and within-trial and decision-analytic cost-effectiveness analyses in areas such as CVD, diabetes, mental health, oncology, physical activity, respiratory disease, smoking cessation, and sun safety. He is leading the economic component of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded Southern Hemisphere Influenza and Vaccine Effectiveness Research and Surveillance (SHIVERS) multi-agency project, and is part of several international health economics collaborations eg Single Pill to Avert Cardiovascular Events, multiple sclerosis, and neuro-endocrine tumours.
Within New Zealand, he is involved with external consultancy work for government agencies, often with health economist colleagues in Dunedin campus. For example, The Royal Society of New Zealand’s 2017 evidence update of antimicrobial resistance, and peer reviewing, for the Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (Families Commission), PwC’s economic evaluation of the Prime Minister’s $64m Youth Mental Health Project.
Before training as a health economist at the University of York, he was an operational research analyst (working with Professor Val Belton, Dr. Mark Elder and others) in the British National Health Service applying discrete-event simulation and other tools to modelling cancer treatment pathways.
Publications
Gordon, L. G., Leung, W., Johns, R., McNoe, B., Lindsay, D., Merollini, K. M. D., … Whiteman, D. C. (2022). Estimated healthcare costs of melanoma and keratinocyte skin cancers in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in 2021. International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 19, 3178. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063178
Leung, W., Roberts, V., Gordon, L. G., Bullen, C., McRobbie, H., Prapavessis, H., … Maddison, R. (2017). Economic evaluation of an exercise-counselling intervention to enhance smoking cessation outcomes: The Fit2Quit trial. Tobacco Induced Diseases, 15, 21. doi: 10.1186/s12971-017-0126-y
Leung, W., Kvizhinadze, G., Nair, N., & Blakely, T. (2016). Adjuvant trastuzumab in HER2-positive early breast cancer by age and hormone receptor status: A cost-utility analysis. PLoS Medicine, 13(8), e1002067. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002067
Bolland, M. J., Leung, W., Tai, V., Bastin, S., Gamble, G. D., Grey, A., & Reid, I. R. (2015). Calcium intake and risk of fracture: Systematic review. BMJ, 351, h4580. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h4580
Tai, V., Leung, W., Grey, A., Reid, I. R., & Bolland, M. J. (2015). Calcium intake and bone mineral density: Systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 351, h4183. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h4183
Gordon, L. G., Leung, W., Johns, R., McNoe, B., Lindsay, D., Merollini, K. M. D., … Whiteman, D. C. (2022). Estimated healthcare costs of melanoma and keratinocyte skin cancers in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in 2021. International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 19, 3178. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063178
Journal - Research Article
Leung, W., Roberts, V., Gordon, L. G., Bullen, C., McRobbie, H., Prapavessis, H., … Maddison, R. (2017). Economic evaluation of an exercise-counselling intervention to enhance smoking cessation outcomes: The Fit2Quit trial. Tobacco Induced Diseases, 15, 21. doi: 10.1186/s12971-017-0126-y
Journal - Research Article
Leung, W., Kvizhinadze, G., Nair, N., & Blakely, T. (2016). Adjuvant trastuzumab in HER2-positive early breast cancer by age and hormone receptor status: A cost-utility analysis. PLoS Medicine, 13(8), e1002067. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002067
Journal - Research Article
Bolland, M. J., Leung, W., Tai, V., Bastin, S., Gamble, G. D., Grey, A., & Reid, I. R. (2015). Calcium intake and risk of fracture: Systematic review. BMJ, 351, h4580. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h4580
Journal - Research Article
Tai, V., Leung, W., Grey, A., Reid, I. R., & Bolland, M. J. (2015). Calcium intake and bone mineral density: Systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 351, h4183. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h4183
Journal - Research Article
Bennett, J., Zhang, J., Leung, W., Jack, S., Oliver, J., Webb, R., … Sika-Paotonu, D., Harwood, M., & Baker, M. G. (2021). Rising ethnic inequalities in acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, New Zealand, 2000-2018. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 27(1), 36-46. doi: 10.3201/eid2701.191791
Journal - Research Article
Bristow, S. M., Bolland, M. J., Gamble, G. D., Leung, W., & Reid, I. R. (2021). Dietary calcium intake and change in bone mineral density in older adults: A systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 76, 196-205. doi: 10.1038/s41430-021-00957-8
Journal - Research Other
Hale, L., Devan, H., Davies, C., Dean, S. G., Dowell, T., Grainger, R., Gray, A. R., … Ingham, T., Jones, B., Leung, W., Mills, J., … Shipton, E., & Perry, M. (2021). Clinical and cost-effectiveness of an online-delivered group-based pain management programme in improving pain-related disability for people with persistent pain: Protocol for a non-inferiority randomised controlled trial (iSelf-help trial). BMJ Open, 11(2), e046376. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046376
Journal - Research Other
Bennett, J., Rentta, N., Leung, W., Anderson, A., Oliver, J., Wyber, R., Harwood, M., … Baker, M. G. (2021). Structured review of primary interventions to reduce group A streptococcal infections, acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health, 57, 797-802. doi: 10.1111/jpc.15514
Journal - Research Other
Gage, R., Leung, W., Gurtner, M., Reeder, A. I., McNoe, B. M., & Signal, L. (2022). Generating political priority for skin cancer primary prevention: A case study from Aotearoa New Zealand. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 33, 740-750. doi: 10.1002/hpja.545
Journal - Research Article
Bennett, J., Rentta, N. N., Leung, W., Atkinson, J., Wilson, N., Webb, R., & Baker, M. G. (2021). Early diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease as part of a secondary prevention strategy: Narrative review. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health, 57, 1385-1390. doi: 10.1111/jpc.15664
Journal - Research Other
Byrnes, C. A., Trenholme, A., Lawrence, S., Aish, H., Higham, J. A., Hoare, K., … Leung, W., … Stewart, J. (2020). Prospective community programme versus parent-drive care to prevent respiratory morbidity in children following hospitalisation with severe bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Thorax, 75, 298-305. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2019-213142
Journal - Research Article
Gage, R., Leung, W., Stanley, J., Reeder, A., Mackay, C., Chambers, T., Smith, M., Barr, M., & Signal, L. (2019). Studying third-parties and environments: New Zealand sun-safety research. Health Promotion International, 34(3), 440-446. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dax094
Journal - Research Article
Nghiem, N., Leung, W., Cleghorn, C., Blakely, T., & Wilson, N. (2019). Mass media promotion of a smartphone smoking cessation app: Modelled health and cost-saving impacts. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 283. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6605-8
Journal - Research Article
Anderson, Y. C., Leung, W., Grant, C. C., Cave, T. L., Derraik, J. G. B., Cutfield, W. S., … Sullivan, T. A. (2018). Economic evaluation of a multi-disciplinary community-based intervention programme for New Zealand children and adolescents with obesity. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, 12(3), 293-298. doi: 10.1016/j.orcp.2018.04.001
Journal - Research Article
Sarfati, D., McLeod, M., Stanley, J., Signal, V., Stairmand, J., Krebs, J., Dowell, A., Leung, W., Davies, C., & Grainger, R. (2018). BetaMe: Impact of a comprehensive digital health programme on HbA1c and weight at 12 months for people with diabetes and pre-diabetes: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 19, 161. doi: 10.1186/s13063-018-2528-4
Journal - Research Other
Gage, R., Leung, W., Stanley, J., Reeder, A., Mackay, C., Smith, M., Barr, M., Chambers, T., & Signal, L. (2018). Sun protection among New Zealand primary school children. Health Education & Behavior, 45(5), 800-807. doi: 10.1177/1090198117741943
Journal - Research Article
Gage, R., Barr, M., Stanley, J., Reeder, A., Mackay, C., Smith, M., Chambers, T., Leung, W., & Signal, L. (2018). Sun protection and shade availability in New Zealand's outdoor recreation spaces. New Zealand Medical Journal, 131(1484), 30-37. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
Nghiem, N., Cleghorn, C. L., Leung, W., Nair, N., van der Deen, F. S., Blakely, T., & Wilson, N. (2018). A national quitline service and its promotion in the mass media: Modelling the health gain, health equity and cost-utility. Tobacco Control, 27(4), 434-441. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2017-053660
Journal - Research Article
Gage, R., Leung, W., Stanley, J., Reeder, A., Barr, M., Chambers, T., Smith, M., & Signal, L. (2017). Clothing protection from ultraviolet radiation: A new method for assessment. Photochemistry & Photobiology, 93(6), 1513-1518. doi: 10.1111/php.12803
Journal - Research Article
Maddison, R., Pfaeffli, L., Whittaker, R., Stewart, R., Kerr, A., Jiang, Y., … Leung, W., … Rawstorn, J. (2015). A mobile phone intervention increases physical activity in people with cardiovascular disease: Results from the HEART randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 22(6), 701-709. doi: 10.1177/2047487314535076
Journal - Research Article
Maddison, R., Roberts, V., McRobbie, H., Bullen, C., Prapavessis, H., Glover, M., … Leung, W., … Tsai, M. (2014). Exercise counseling to enhance smoking cessation outcomes: The Fit2Quit Randomized Controlled Trial. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 48, 194-204. doi: 10.1007/s12160-014-9588-9
Journal - Research Article
North, N., Leung, W., & Lee, R. (2014). New graduate separations from New Zealand's nursing workforce in the first 5 years after registration: A retrospective cohort analysis of a national administrative data set 2005-2010. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(8), 1813-1824. doi: 10.1111/jan.12339
Journal - Research Article
North, N., Leung, W., & Lee, R. (2014). Aged over 50 years and practising: Separation and changes in nursing practice among New Zealand's older Registered Nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(12), 2779-2790. doi: 10.1111/jan.12426
Journal - Research Article
Milsom, S., Leung, W., Twigden, V., Mitchell, P., Nowitz, M., & Cornish, J. (2013). Does insufficient access to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) stifle the provision of quality osteoporosis care in New Zealand? Archives of Osteoporosis, 8, 120. doi: 10.1007/s11657-013-0120-9
Journal - Research Article
North, N., Leung, W., Ashton, T., Rasmussen, E., Hughes, F., & Finlayson, M. (2013). Nurse turnover in New Zealand: Costs and relationships with staffing practises and patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Management, 21(3), 419-428. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2012.01371.x
Journal - Research Article
Leung, W., Ashton, T., Kolt, G. S., Schofield, G. M., Garrett, N., Kerse, N., & Patel, A. (2012). Cost-effectiveness of pedometer-based versus time-based Green Prescriptions: The Healthy Steps Study. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 18(3), 204-211. doi: 10.1071/PY11028
Journal - Research Article
Brown, P., McNeill, R., Leung, W., Radwan, E., & Willingale, J. (2011). Current and future economic burden of osteoporosis in New Zealand. Applied Health Economics & Health Policy, 9(2), 111-123.
Journal - Research Article
Patel, R., Sulzberger, L., Li, G., Mair, J., Morley, H., Ng-Wai Shing, M., O'Leary, C., Prakash, A., Robilliard, N., Rutherford, M., Sharpe, C., Shie, C., Sritharan, L., Turnbull, J., Whyte, I., Yu, H., Cleghorn, C., Leung, W., & Wilson, N. (2015). Smartphone apps for weight loss and smoking cessation: Quality ranking of 120 apps. New Zealand Medical Journal, 128(1421). Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Other
Wilson, N., Selak, V., Blakely, T., Knight, J., Nghiem, N., Leung, W., … Jackson, R. (2016). Decision-making in an era of cancer prevention via aspirin: New Zealand needs updated guidelines and risk calculators. New Zealand Medical Journal, 129(1431), 85-92. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Other