
Overview
Background
Isaac koomson is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Business and Economics of Health (CBEH). He also serves in an adjunct role as a Faculty Director with the Center for Social Development at the Brown School in the Washington University in St. Louis, United States. He is a guest lecturer in Quantitative Research Methods in the University of North Carolina and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States.
He holds a PhD degree in Economics (Applied Econometrics) from the University of New England, Australia; Master of Philosophy degree in Economics from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana; and a BSc (Hons) degree in Economics (Social Sciences) from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Apart from research, he has more than 10 years of teaching experience at the University of New England, Australia, the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and the University of Professional Studies, Accra, Ghana.
Dr Koomson’s current research is in the areas of health and development economics and cuts across topics such as child health (i.e., malnutrition), healthcare utilisation, out-of-pocket health expenditure, mental health, disease outbreak resilience, poverty, vulnerability, food insecurity, and energy poverty. He has worked on projects as a consultant to organisations such as the World Bank, the United Nations, and other policy-oriented research institutes.
His experience in producing translational research outputs. He was part of a three-member research team on the UNE/BUPA Health System Project which assessed students' access to the Australian Health System. He also led a team of researchers from the United States to introduce a novel multidimensional disease outbreak resilience index (DORI).
Availability
- Dr Isaac Koomson is:
- Available for supervision
Research impacts
- Health economics: drivers of healthcare utilisation, catastrophic and out-of-pocket health expenditure, mental health, obesity, disease outbreak resilience, social determinants of health
- Development economics and personal finance: how personal finance affects, health and wellbeing, poverty and vulnerability, food insecurity and energy poverty, among others
- Applied econometrics: application of econometrics and emerging data science/analytic techniques to build evidence on how to enhance health and socioeconomic welfare and wellbeing outcomes
Works
Search Professor Isaac Koomson’s works on UQ eSpace
2025
Journal Article
Racial diversity, interracial trust, and mental distress in post-apartheid South Africa
Koomson, Isaac, Adonteng-Kissi, Obed, Ayentimi, Desmond Tutu and Osuagwu, Uchechukwu Levi (2025). Racial diversity, interracial trust, and mental distress in post-apartheid South Africa. Ethnicity and Health, 30 (2), 215-231. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2024.2429411
2025
Journal Article
Local area crime and alcohol consumption: longitudinal evidence from Australia
Churchill, Rejoice E. A., Koomson, Isaac and Churchill, Sefa Awaworyi (2025). Local area crime and alcohol consumption: longitudinal evidence from Australia. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 79 (3) 222470, 159-164. doi: 10.1136/jech-2024-222470
2025
Journal Article
Improving our understanding of the longitudinal relationship between health-related quality of life and multimorbidity: The role of personality traits
Kuwornu, John Paul, Afoakwah, Clifford, Koomson, Isaac, Tyack, Zephanie, Brain, David, Naicker, Sundresan, Xia, Qing and McPhail, Steven M. (2025). Improving our understanding of the longitudinal relationship between health-related quality of life and multimorbidity: The role of personality traits. Social Science & Medicine, 368 117820, 117820. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117820
2025
Journal Article
Technological and Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing Telemedicine Literacy in Trinidad and Tobago: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Multidimensional Approach
Ezinne, Ngozika E., Koomson, Isaac, Anyasodor, Anayochukwu E., Antwi-Adjei, Ellen K., Bhattarai, Dipesh, Armitage, James and Osuagwu, Uchechukwu L. (2025). Technological and Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing Telemedicine Literacy in Trinidad and Tobago: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Multidimensional Approach. Health Science Reports, 8 (2) e70420. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70420
2025
Journal Article
Recovery trajectories after a serious injury or illness: a longitudinal evaluation of health-related quality of life in an Australian cohort
Afoakwah, Clifford, Kuwornu, Paul, Koomson, Isaac, Brain, David, Xia, Qing, McPhail, Steven and Vallmuur, Kirsten (2025). Recovery trajectories after a serious injury or illness: a longitudinal evaluation of health-related quality of life in an Australian cohort. Quality of Life Research. doi: 10.1007/s11136-025-03919-w
2025
Journal Article
Employment-related time poverty, time stress and food away from home behaviour: Panel evidence from Australia
Koomson, Isaac, Martey, Edward and Temoso, Omphile (2025). Employment-related time poverty, time stress and food away from home behaviour: Panel evidence from Australia. Appetite, 204 107734, 107734. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107734
2024
Journal Article
Can health financing programmes reduce food insecurity in a developing country?
Kofinti, Raymond Elikplim, Koomson, Isaac and Baako-Amponsah, Josephine (2024). Can health financing programmes reduce food insecurity in a developing country?. International Journal of Health Economics and Management, 24 (4), 595-621. doi: 10.1007/s10754-024-09380-5
2024
Journal Article
Club convergence in regional labor productivity: how do Australian states and territories compare to the US, UK, and Canadian subnational regions?
Temoso, Omphile, Koomson, Isaac and Thomy, Buyani (2024). Club convergence in regional labor productivity: how do Australian states and territories compare to the US, UK, and Canadian subnational regions?. Journal of Productivity Analysis. doi: 10.1007/s11123-024-00738-y
2024
Journal Article
Racial diversity, child stunting and underweight: policies design and promotion in South Africa
Koomson, Isaac, Afoakwah, Clifford and Twumasi, Martinson Ankrah (2024). Racial diversity, child stunting and underweight: policies design and promotion in South Africa. Journal of Policy Modeling, 46 (6), 1243-1262. doi: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2024.05.009
2024
Book Chapter
Financial inclusion and adoption of integrated crop-livestock farming systems in India
Koomson, Isaac and Ahmad, Shabbir (2024). Financial inclusion and adoption of integrated crop-livestock farming systems in India. Financial inclusion and sustainable rural development. (pp. 381-399) edited by Isaac Koomson and Renato A. Villano. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-6132-6_16
2024
Journal Article
Informal care and financial stress: Longitudinal evidence from Australia
Koomson, Isaac, Lenzen, Sabrina and Afoakwah, Clifford (2024). Informal care and financial stress: Longitudinal evidence from Australia. Stress and Health, 40 (4) e3393, 1-20. doi: 10.1002/smi.3393
2024
Journal Article
Energy innovation investment and renewable energy in OECD countries
Osei Opoku, Eric Evans, Acheampong, Alex O., Dogah, Kingsley E. and Koomson, Isaac (2024). Energy innovation investment and renewable energy in OECD countries. Energy Strategy Reviews, 54 101462, 1-15. doi: 10.1016/j.esr.2024.101462
2024
Journal Article
Toward vulnerability-responsive climate adaptation decision making: group inclusiveness as prime driver of local participation
Koomson, Paul and Koomson, Isaac (2024). Toward vulnerability-responsive climate adaptation decision making: group inclusiveness as prime driver of local participation. Climate and Development, 1-14. doi: 10.1080/17565529.2024.2368173
2024
Journal Article
Women’s empowerment in integrated cattle-farming systems in Indonesia
Villano, Renato Andrin, Koomson, Isaac, Thei, Stella, Taqiuddin, Moh, Prameswari, Febrina, Fachry, Anwar, Fatah, Luthfi, Sumantri, Ika and Burrow, Heather (2024). Women’s empowerment in integrated cattle-farming systems in Indonesia. Applied Economics. doi: 10.1080/00036846.2024.2364090
2024
Journal Article
Entrepreneurship and subjective wellbeing in China: Exploring linkages and potential channels
Koomson, Isaac, Zhang, Quanda and Prakash, Kushneel (2024). Entrepreneurship and subjective wellbeing in China: Exploring linkages and potential channels. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 21 e00449, e00449. doi: 10.1016/j.jbvi.2024.e00449
2024
Journal Article
Energy poverty and mental distress in South Africa: assessing linkages and potential pathways
Koomson, Isaac (2024). Energy poverty and mental distress in South Africa: assessing linkages and potential pathways. World Development Sustainability, 4 100116. doi: 10.1016/j.wds.2023.100116
2024
Journal Article
Financial inclusion, vulnerability coping strategies and multidimensional poverty: Does conceptualisation of financial inclusion matter?
Bukari, Chei, Koomson, Isaac and Annim, Samuel Kobina (2024). Financial inclusion, vulnerability coping strategies and multidimensional poverty: Does conceptualisation of financial inclusion matter?. Review of Development Economics, 28 (2), 462-498. doi: 10.1111/rode.13062
2024
Journal Article
How financial resilience shapes social and public health policy choices in sub-Saharan Africa: Empirical insights from the COVID-19 pandemic
Okumu, Moses, Ansong, David, Koomson, Isaac and Chen, Ding-Geng (2024). How financial resilience shapes social and public health policy choices in sub-Saharan Africa: Empirical insights from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 15 (1), 43-67. doi: 10.1086/717770
2024
Journal Article
Borrower discouragement and multidimensional child deprivation in Ghana
Kofinti, Raymond Elikplim, Koomson, Isaac and Peprah, James Atta (2024). Borrower discouragement and multidimensional child deprivation in Ghana. The Journal of Economic Inequality, 22 (1), 49-67. doi: 10.1007/s10888-023-09578-6
2024
Book Chapter
Digital literacy and financial inclusion among smallholder farmers: exploring gender dichotomy in Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria
Karakara, Alhassan Abdul-Wakeel, Daudu, Abdulrazaq Kamal and Koomson, Isaac (2024). Digital literacy and financial inclusion among smallholder farmers: exploring gender dichotomy in Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria. Financial inclusion and sustainable rural development. (pp. 201-227) edited by Isaac Koomson and Renato A. Villano. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-6132-6_9
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Isaac Koomson is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Physical Activity and Obesity in Later Life
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Gregore Iven Mielke
Media
Enquiries
For media enquiries about Dr Isaac Koomson's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team: