iHEA

International Health Economics Association

8th World Congress: Transforming Health and Economics

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Training

June 17, 2010

Empirical Methods in Health Economics: Analysis of Efficiency and Consumer Choices

Location: Lugano
Venue: University of Lugano
Date: June 17 to 21, 2010
Registration: Online until 29 May 2010

Prof. William Greene (New York University)
Prof. Massimo Filippini (University of Lugano)
Dr. Mehdi Farsi (University of Lugano, ETH Zurich)

Presentation:

This laboratory offers an intensive course on the theory and practice of productive efficiency and consumer choice in the health care sector. Both conceptual and methodological issues will be addressed. The course focuses on stochastic frontier analysis and a selection of discrete choice models. The students will have the opportunity of applying these models to several data sets and acquire the econometric skills to initiate their own research in the related topics. A selection of empirical studies in health economics will be discussed.

Objectives:

At the end of the laboratory, participants should have acquired the following skills:

  1. Use econometric approaches with cross-sectional and panel data to model and measure technical, allocative and scale efficiency, assess the appropriate use of parametric approaches, and understand the advantages and drawbacks of different model specifications and functional forms.
  2. Econometric analysis of consumer preferences with discrete choice models considering unobserved heterogeneity across individuals and estimating the probabilities and marginal effects using various cross-section and panel data models.

Course homepage: http://www.ssphplus.ch/phdcourses-hep

permalink June 17, 2010: PhD

June 18, 2010

Understanding and Critiquing Health Economic Models: York Health Economics Consortium, University of York

Location: York, UK
Date: 18 June 2010

Further information can be found at: http://php.york.ac.uk/inst/yhec/?q=content/health-economic-models

If you have any queries about YHEC courses please contact Julie Glanville (e-mail: jmg1@york.ac.uk) or YHEC Support Services, tel: 01904-433620.

permalink June 18, 2010: Training

June 25, 2010

PhD Studentship: University of Leicester

Location: Leicester, England, UK
Department: Health Sciences, University of Leicester
Stipend: £15,090 pa + UK/EU tuition fees
Supervisors: Professor Alex Sutton ajs22@le.ac.uk and Dr Nicola Cooper njc21@le.ac.uk
Application deadline: 25th June 2010

To determine how effective and cost-effective are a range of strategies for preventing unintentional falls, poisonings and scald injuries in pre-school children.

Applications are invited for a four year full time PhD studentship as part of the ‘Keeping Children Safe at Home’ Research Programme funded via a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) programme grant. The programme comprises of 6 research questions:

Q1) Which interventions are effective in protecting against Falls (F), Poisonings (P) & Thermal (T) injuries?
Q2) What are the NHS and family costs of F, P & T injuries?
Q3) What injury prevention interventions are being undertaken by Children’s Centres (as part of their role in delivering child health services) and partner organisations (PCTs, Fire and Rescue Services, Voluntary Agencies, etc) to prevent F, P & T injuries?
Q4) What are the barriers and facilitators to implementing F, P & T injury prevention interventions amongst agencies, professionals and community members?
Q5) How effective and cost-effective is implementing an Injury Prevention Briefing (IPB) for one exemplar injury prevention intervention?
Q6) How effective and cost-effective are a range of strategies to maximise uptake of interventions for preventing F, P & T injury based on decision analytic models incorporating data generated from research questions 1-5 and systematic reviews of the published literature.

This PhD will focus on Q6 (above) and the main objective will be to develop and evaluate decision analytic models to assess the most cost-effective strategies to prevent F, P & T injuries. Specific tasks will include:

  • Review previous literature on decision modelling in accident prevention
  • Develop decision model structures for different types of injury (e.g. falls, poisonings and thermal)
  • Parameterise the decision models using data obtained from:
    • A review of systematic reviews of quantitative evidence, updated with evidence from recent primary studies, the case-control studies (Q1),
    • the survey of injury prevention activity (Q3),
    • surveys of injured and uninjured children (Q2), and
    • data on costs of interventions will be obtained from existing safety equipment schemes.

Data analyses will be customised for different populations (e.g. deprivation, ethnicity, single-parent families etc) where there is evidence of differential uptake, or effectiveness of interventions amongst those groups. Data on differential effectiveness will be obtained from recent meta-regression analyses undertaken by the applicants and from more recent primary studies. Models will be stochastic and will take account of uncertainty around, and correlation between, parameter estimates.

The findings from these analyses will inform Injury Prevention Briefings produced for all interventions found to be cost-effective.

Applications including a Curriculum Vitae, brief research statement outlining why you are interested in the PhD, and names and contact details of two academic referees should be sent to Branka Besevic bb100@le.ac.uk by 25th June 2010.

Funding Notes

The studentship will cover full time tuition fees (at the UK/EU rate only) for four years and provide a tax-free stipend starting at £15,090 each year. A Research Training Support Grant will also be available.

Applicants must have, or expect to obtain, a first or upper-second class honours degree in a relevant subject from a UK university or the equivalent. Applicants whose first language is not English must have achieved an IELTS score of at least 6.5 or hold a degree taught in English.

permalink June 25, 2010: PhD

June 29, 2010

Risk sharing and patient access schemes (PAS): The Office of Health Economics

Location: London, UK
Date: 29 June 2010

Master the theory and practice of risk sharing and patient access schemes (PAS) at our one-day expert practitioner workshop

This one-day workshop focuses on how to implement risk sharing and patient access schemes within a market access strategy. Delivered in a highly interactive format, the day includes ample opportunity for lively discussion, group break-outs, role play scenarios and the sharing of experiences.

“Patient access schemes can deliver mutual benefits to patients, payors and industry. Managed correctly, they improve speed of access to new medicines and provide real opportunity for developing partnerships.”

Led by Dr Francois Lucas, Principal, Pope Woodhead and Associates, and Professor Adrian Towse, Director, Office of Health Economics.

A high-impact event with high-value outcomes

  • Understand the ‘theory’ and range of possible ‘risk sharing’ schemes
  • Evaluate scheme options and decide when to use one
  • Managing stakeholder relationships
  • Implement feasible and cost-effective schemes

For more information about the workshop or to book your place contact below:

Telephone: +44 (0)1480 300300
Facsimile: +44 (0)1480 497970
Email: reception@popewoodhead.com

permalink June 29, 2010: Short Course

June 30, 2010

Economic Evaluations in Clinical Trials

Location: Glasgow, UK
Dates 30th June till 2nd July 2010

The Health Economic Appraisals Team (HEAT) at the University of Glasgow, together with researchers in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Centre for Health Economics at Monash University will again run a three day workshop on conducting economic evaluations in clinical trials.

This course will be based around the recently published book ‘Economic Evaluation in Clinical Trials’ by Henry Glick, Jalpa Doshi and colleagues, part of the Handbooks in Health Economic Evaluation series (see: http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780198529972)

Lectures and hands-on workshops (using STATA) will cover the basics of economic evaluation (analysis of cost and outcome data) and some of the more advanced issues surrounding cost-effectiveness analysis (uncertainty and heterogeneity).

The course is suitable for people undertaking health economic evaluations in academia, consultancies and industry, as well as those involved in the design and analysis of clinical trials (statisticians and health service researchers).

The course will provide a practical guide to conducting economic evaluations alongside clinical trials. It will cover issues and techniques related to the collection of both cost and outcome data, the analysis of these data, as well as a framework for reporting and interpreting economic reports from clinical trials.

A range of supporting materials, examples, exercises and solutions - including a copy of the book - will be provided to participants.

The cost of the 3 day course is £950 for public/academic, and £1,480 for those from the commercial sector. Fees are fully inclusive of tuition, lunch, course dinner, and course materials but do not include accommodation. VAT is not payable.

More information can be found on the course webpage see: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/healtheconomicappraisalsteam

Further details and booking information are available from Anne Marie McLean: a.m.mclean@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

permalink June 30, 2010: Short Course

July 1, 2010

Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Training in Mental Health Policy and Economics Research

Location: online
Date: July 2010

Final Prgram is available at http://www.icmpe.org/

The Training is sponsored by the Section on Mental Health Economics of the World Psychiatric Association.

The entire Training will be conducted through the website http://www.icmpe.org/

The Training material and the related references, are available to the Participants through password on the ICMPE website upon registration. It will enable participants to receive substantial information prior of the interactive events to be held at http://www.icmpe.org/ in July 2010.

The Training is comprised of the following courses:

MAPPING OF MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES WITHIN COUNTRIES Shekhar Saxena M.D., Co-ordinator of the Team Mental Health: Evidence and Research at World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

MENTAL HEALTH POLICY, SERVICES AND EVALUATION RESEARCH Howard H. Goldman MD, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA

ECONOMIC EVALUATION FOR HEALTH CARE DECISION MAKING Michael Drummond Ph.D., Professor of Health Economics, Centre for Health Economics, University of York, UK

MENTAL HEALTH FINANCING POLICY AND OUTCOMES ANALYSIS Teh-wei Hu Ph.D., Professor in Graduate School, Professor Emeritus of Health Economics, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

ECONOMIC EVALUATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS Martin Knapp Ph.D., Professor of Health Economics, Centre for the Economics of Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London; and Professor of Social Policy, LSE Health & Social Care, London School of Economics, London UK

permalink July 1, 2010: Postgraduate/Non-Degree

July 7, 2010

Topics in Microeconometrics with Professor William Greenestern from the School Of Business, New York University: University of Queensland

Location: Brisbane Australia
Dates: 7th, 8th, 9th July 2010
Early-bird registration: prior to 1st June, 2010

Course Outline

This is a course in econometric analysis of cross section and panel data that will be useful to anyone in the general area ofapplied microeconometrics, including health and laboreconomists. There are a huge variety of models that are used in this context. We will focus on five which arguablycomprise the foundation for the area: the linear regression model, the fundamental model of binary choice (and a number of variants); models for ordered choices; the multinomial logit model. The cross sectional case will be extended to the panel data case for some of these models. In addition, some attention will be paid to modeling parameterheterogeneity.

Prior knowledge is assumed to include calculus at the level assumed in the first year of a Ph.D program in economics and a course in econometrics at the beginning Ph.D level using a textbook such as; Greene, W.H. Econometric Analysis, 6th edition.

About the Presenter

William Greene is the Toyota Motor Corp. Professor of Economics at the Stern School of Business, New York University. He received his Ph.D. in Econometrics at the University of Wisconsin in 1976. His fields of study are econometrics, health economics, transportation, and the entertainment and media industries. He has authored numerous articles on econometric theory and applications, the textbook Econometric Analysis, and the software packages NLOGIT and LIMDEP. He has consulted to numerous universities, government agencies including the National Science Foundation, and businesses including American Express Corp. and ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. In addition to NYU, he has affiliations with York University, Monash University and the Institute for Transport and Logistics at Sydney University.

For more details of the course outline see: http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/wgreene/Queensland2010.htm

Registration

Non students: Early-bird* $1000; Ordinary $1200
Fulltime students: Early-bird* $500: Ordinary $600

Registration includes course tuition, notes, morning/afternoon tea and GST. Lunch is not included.

*Early-bird registration is prior to 1st June, 2010

Please register with Louise West louise.west@uq.edu.au

Course Dates

Wednesday 7th July 2010 Thursday 8th July 2010 Friday 9th July 2010

For further information, please contact Grace Lordan at g.lordan@uq.edu.au

permalink July 7, 2010: Short Course

July 15, 2010

WinBUGS in Health Economic Evaluations Two Day Course

Location: Cambridge, UK
Venue: MRC Biostatistics Unit
Dates: Thursday 15, Friday 16 July 2010

http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/bayescost

  • This course provides an introduction to Bayesian analysis and MCMC methods using WinBUGS, as applied to cost-effectiveness analysis and typical models used in health economic evaluations.

  • The emphasis throughout is on practical examples: software and code to carry out all the analyses will be provided.

  • We assume a basic knowledge of standard methods in health economics, and familiarity with a range of probability distributions, regression analysis, Markov models and random-effects meta-analysis.

  • No knowledge of WinBUGS will be assumed.

Course instructors

  • Dr Chris Jackson (MRC Biostatistics Unit)
  • Dr Richard Nixon (Novartis, Basel)

Costs: £150 (student), £260 (public sector), £500 (commercial)

For further information and registration, see

http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/bayescost

permalink July 15, 2010: Short Course

July 17, 2010

Phd Studentship in Health Economics and Ophthalmology: University College London

Location: Bloomsbury, London, UK

The UCL Grand Challenge PhD Studentships in Biomedicine scheme is an elite PhD training programme designed to attract researchers with the highest intellectual and scientific skills. A total of 100 Grand Challenge Studentships will be available over the next 3 years through funding provided by the UCL Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres at UCLH, Moorfields and Great Ormond Street Hospitals. Studentships are currently being advertised on a range of topics.

As part of this scheme the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and the Health Care Evaluation Group in the Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at UCL are offering a three-year PhD Studentship in Health Economics or Ophthalmology on the topic of:

“Developing a New Methodology for Evaluating Health-Related Quality of Life when Assessing the Cost Effectiveness of Treatments for Age-related Macular Degeneration”

The studentship, which includes payment of fees plus a full stipend, is expected to start in October 2010. The supervisors will be Professor Gary Rubin from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Professor Steve Morris from the Health Care Evaluation Group, Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health.

The Topic

The current method for cost effectiveness analysis recommended by NICE measures the effectiveness of a new treatment with a generic health related quality of life questionnaire - the EQ-5D. The EQ- 5D asks five questions about the impact of the health condition on five dimensions of quality of life. Typically, members of the general public without the eye condition are then asked to value the imagined health state using experimental methods (time trade-off´,standard gamble´ techniques). The resulting utility score is multiplied by the life expectancy of the patient to calculate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). By comparing QALYs, and also costs, with and without treatment, the health economist can evaluate the cost effectiveness of treatment. Since it does not contain a `vision´ dimension, it has been suggested that the EQ-5D is not sufficiently sensitive to measure improvements in vision. Alternative methods have been proposed to map visual acuity to utility measures, but these have been criticised because they ignore important aspects of visual impairment that are not captured by acuity measurements.

The student will develop a model that links acuity, contrast sensitivity, and visual fields to health-related quality of life measures suitable for calculating QALYS. As part of the studentship this new methodology will then be compared to the conventional NICE protocol in a separately funded clinical trial of rehabilitation for patients with AMD.

The studentship is likely to involve empirical data collection and statistical analysis of quantitative data, including cost-effectiveness modelling. Given the nature of the topic, students with interests and/or experience in health economics, use of Excel, and quantitative analysis will be at an advantage.

Details of the studentship, along with others that are available as part of this scheme, are available here (see studentship number 32):

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slms/courses/research-degrees/ucl-gc/project/

Application requirements, including details of funding and how to make an application, are described here:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slms/courses/research-degrees/ucl-gc

Further details about the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology are available here:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioo/index.htm

Further details about the Health Care Evaluation Group and the Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health are available here:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hceg/

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/epidemiology/

If you wish to discuss the studentship further please contact either Professor Gary Rubin g.rubin@ucl.ac.uk or Professor Steve Morris steve.morris@ucl.ac.uk.

permalink July 17, 2010: PhD

July 18, 2010

Part 1 Global Health Leadership Forum: An international executive short course: successful approaches and innovation in health policy and management.

Location: Barcelona, Spain
Dates: July 18-23, 2010

The Global Health Leadership Forum: An international earned certificate course on solutions in health policy and management.

An offering from the University of California, Berkeley, the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and the Center for Research in Health Economics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

The University of California, Berkeley, Barcelona GSE and UPF CRES announce the seventh annual cycle of the Global Health Leadership Forum. This unique certificate program focuses on key health policy and management issues which have been converging internationally. Participating leaders learn about policies and implementation approaches that work and about current innovations. Participants join in small group discussions with global experts, receive leadership training, and become part of the GHLF alumni network of 180 past participants. These leaders hail from 43 countries in a wide variety of occupations such as executives of service delivery, insurance and pharma organizations; professors; ministers of health; and NGO leaders.

Part 1 of The Global Health Leadership Forum will be held in Barcelona, Spain from July 18-23, 2010 and Part 2 will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area from April 9-13, 2011 with an optional extended Kaiser Permanente Study Tour through April 15 2011.

For more information, visit the website: http://ghlf.berkeley.edu

permalink July 18, 2010: Short Course

July 19, 2010

A Problem Based Introduction to Mental Health Services Research A Social Sciences and Medicine Allied in Research and Teaching (SMART) Workshop

Location: Toronto, Ontario Canada
Dates: July 19 - 23, 2010
Registration deadline: May 14, 2010

This 5-day workshop is designed for clinicians and researchers interested in a problem based introduction to mental health services research.

Participants will learn how to develop a mental health services research project through a mix of lectures and small group exercises and projects.

The curriculum for this unique workshop was developed over a 2 year period to provide an innovative introduction to mental health services research.

It uses an integrated and interactive teaching approach in which faculty work with learners to immediately apply what is being taught.

The Workshop faculty are members of the University of Toronto’s SMART Program which is comprised of international researchers and clinicians who are expert teachers. The mission of the SMART Program is to promote research and teaching excellence through the collaboration and integration of clinicians and researchers.

Program

Each morning begins with a presentation by one of the SMART faculty supplemented by small group exercises. Topics to be covered include the key elements of health services research, needs assessment, creating a framework for evaluation and planning, the contribution of health economics to health services research and steps to communicating research results to decision makers.

In the afternoons, learners work collaboratively on group projects designed to give them the opportunity to master the material presented in the classroom, applying what they are learning in real life settings. Learners will be assigned to groups based on their interests. Each group will be linked to one of five different mental health programs such as Assertive Community Treatment, Early Intervention, Collaborative Care, Inpatient Services and Geriatric Outreach. A clinical and research faculty advisor will be assigned to each group. During the week, groups will work with their advisors to develop a proposal for a mental health services research project.

Location

The workshop will be held at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

Dates

July 19 - 23, 2010

Registration Costs

Early registration until April 2, 2010: $1,000 (CDN)

Registration after April 2, 2010: $2,000 (CDN)

Registration costs include course materials and breakfast and lunch during the workshop.

Registration Deadline

May 14, 2010

Contact

Carolyn S. Dewa, MPH, PhD (SMART Program Head) University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry carolyn_dewa@camh.net

permalink July 19, 2010: Short Course

July 23, 2010

PhD Opportunity In Economic Evaluation Methods: Centre for Health Economics (CHE) at the University of York

Location: York, UK
Application deadline: 23th July 2010

The Centre for Health Economics (CHE) at the University of York is offering a three-year fully funded PhD studentship to start in 2010 or early part of 2011. The project will focus on assessing and further developing methods for long-term extrapolation of cost-effectiveness estimates to inform resources allocation decisions in healthcare. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Dr Andrea Manca (CHE), and be registered in either the Department of Economics and Related Studies or the Department of Health Sciences. While working on her/his PhD the student will be based in the Team for Economic Evaluation and Health Technology Assessment (TEEHTA), which is part of one the various research programs operating within CHE. Further details can be found at: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/che

The Project

Economic evaluation is increasingly used to inform policy making decisions concerning the adoption of new healthcare technologies. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for England and Wales is an example of the type of agency that requires cost-effectiveness information to issue guidance regarding the use of health technologies undergoing the Institute’s appraisal process.

One of the key elements of any economic evaluation is the time horizon over which the analysis is conducted. While many national guidelines are silent on this respect, some (including NICE) explicitly indicate that the time horizon for estimating cost effectiveness must be sufficiently long to reflect important differences in costs and outcomes between the health technologies being evaluated. In many cases, the appropriate time horizon for the analysis will be the patient’s lifetime.

Most randomised controlled clinical trials, however, have follow-up durations that are shorter than the patient’s expected lifetime. To produce cost effectiveness evidence to support healthcare policy decisions the analyst will have to use some form of modelling to extrapolate the trial data beyond the observed follow up period.

As part of this studentship the successful candidate is expected to review, assess and further develop the methods used to generate long-term cost-effectiveness estimates to inform resources allocation decisions in healthcare. The project offers a unique opportunity to develop cutting edge statistical methods for economic evaluation applied to health policy decisions, while working in close contact with researchers in one of the most successful health economics research groups in the UK.

Research Environment

Established in 1983, the Centre for Health Economics has a leading international reputation, and is now one of the world’s largest health economics research units, employing about 40 researchers and having associations with at least 200 academics forming the broader community of health economics specialists at the University of York. CHE attaches high importance to scientific quality, and its researchers play a leading role in the national and international arena.

Our staff publish in the leading international journals in their field, and the two leading international health economics journals are edited from York. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, CHE staff made a major contribution to the University’s submission to the Health Services Research unit of assessment, which was ranked first for quality in the UK. The average number of publications per year is approximately 130. CHE also has a very strong policy impact both nationally and internationally.

CHE engages in a variety of teaching activities. Its researchers contribute to the long-standing master program in health economics at York and to masters courses in the Department of Health Sciences. CHE plays a leading role in the York distance learning courses in Health Economics, and has a vibrant PhD program of about 12 research students. CHE delivers specialist expert workshops in a variety of fields, including economic evaluation, health technology assessment, econometric methods and efficiency measurement.

We are at the centre of a large network of health service researchers including the, the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, the Department of Economics and Related Studies, Hull York Medical School, York Health Economics Consortium and the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre based at the Universities of Manchester and York. The health-related research and teaching activity in York encompasses a large network of research and support staff with a community of around 200 health service researchers. Further details of CHE’s activities can be found on our web site: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/che/ .

The University of York is widely recognised as one of the leading research universities in the UK. The University is also at the top of the teaching quality rankings. It has high levels of demand for undergraduate and postgraduate places from the UK, Europe and across the world. The University was described by The Sunday Times as “one of Britain’s academic success stories, forging a reputation to rival Oxford and Cambridge in the space of 40 years”.

How To Apply

A complete graduate application form should be sent to Dr Andrea Manca, Centre for Health Economics, Alcuin A, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK.

Details on how to apply can be found at http://www.york.ac.uk/graduatestudy/applying/

Please indicate clearly on the form that you wish to be considered for this scholarship.

Deadline For Application

The deadline for applications is 23th July 2010. Shortlisted candidates can expect to be interviewed.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must have been ordinarily resident in the UK throughout the 3-year period preceding the date of the award. Due to funding restrictions the full award is available to UK and EU residents only. Candidates should have a strong quantitative background (e.g. mathematics, statistics, operational research and quantitative economics) and an interest in developing statistical methodology in the area of healthcare cost-effectiveness analysis.

Award

Funding will include a yearly stipend (currently £13,290), as well as PhD registration fees (equivalent to EU or UK applicants level) and research expenses. The stipend will be based on 2010/2011 research council rates.

permalink July 23, 2010: PhD

July 28, 2010

Advanced Modelling Methods for Health Economic Evaluation (3-day Workshop)

Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Dates: 28-30 July 2010

This 3-day modeling course is to be held in the Millennium Hilton Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

The short course has run over a period of 7 years as a successful collaboration between the Universities of York and Glasgow in the UK, and McMaster University in Canada. The Bangkok course will also involve researchers from the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP) in Thailand.

The teaching faculty for the modeling course will be:

  • Mark Sculpher (University of York, UK)
  • Andrew Briggs (University of Glasgow, UK)
  • Elisabeth Fenwick (University of Glasgow, UK)
  • Ron Goeree (McMaster University, Canada)

Tutoring will also be provided by researchers at HITAP.

This is an advanced course focusing specifically on decision modelling and intended for people currently undertaking modelling for health economic evaluation within the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, consultancy, academia or the health service. It is also appropriate for those reviewing or preparing economic evaluation evidence for public health authorities.

By the end of the course participants will be expected to:

  • Develop and populate a decision model
  • Populate a Markov model with and without time-dependent probabilities
  • Undertake probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) to reflect parameter uncertainty
  • Present the results of a PSA using net monetary benefits and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves
  • Assess expected value of perfect information.
  • Model developed in Microsoft Excel and in Treeage
  • Gather experience relating to the use of economic evaluation in public policy decisions

The course will provide an introduction to decision models including decision trees and standard Markov models. Greater sophistication will be added as building blocks over the 3-day workshop.The course involves a mixture of lectures and computer based exercises. Participants will need to bring their own laptop computers for the exercises.

Participants are expected to have attended a general advanced course in economic evaluation or be comfortable with the contents of “Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programs” by Drummond et al (Oxford University Press, 2005).

As an addition to the main teaching modules on modeling, we will have sessions at the end of Days 2 and 3 on the use of HTA in decision making. On Day 2 the focus will be on the use of model-based economic evaluation to inform policy decisions about the adoption of health technology. On the final day a session will consider the use of systematic reviews in HTA. HITAP will be leading these sessions: Dr.Yot Teerawattananon (program leader of HITAP), Dr. Sripen Tantivess (senior researcher of HITAP) and Miss Jomkwan Yothasamut (researcher).

Cost of the 3-day workshop:

PRIOR to March 1, 2010: Public/Academic Sector: $2,000 (Canadian dollars) Commercial Sector:$2,500 (Canadian dollars)

AFTER March 1, 2010: Public/Academic Sector: $2,500 (Canadian dollars) Commercial Sector:$3,000 (Canadian dollars)

If you would like more information or would like to register for the course in Toronto please contact Christine Henderson hendersc@mcmaster.ca.

To find more details about the Bangkok course and to register go to http://www.path-hta.ca/workshop.htm

A version of this course is also being run at:

permalink July 28, 2010: Short Course

August 4, 2010

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Direct, Indirect and Mixed Treatment Evidence: University of Glasgow

Location: Glasgow, UK
Dates: 4th-6th August 2010,

The Health Economics Appraisals Team (HEAT) at the University of Glasgow are pleased to announce a three day course on conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Through a series of lectures and hands-on workshops (using Stata and WinBUGS), this course will cover the principles and practice of conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of a variety of measures of treatment effects. In addition, participants will learn the important aspects of network meta-analysis, going beyond traditional pairwise techniques when comparing multiple treatment options.

The course is suitable for clinicians, health service researchers and other healthcare professionals who are involved in systematic reviews and meta-analyses as a piece of independent work or an integral part of a health technology assessment.

Participants should have knowledge of basic medical statistics. A basic appreciation of research design would be helpful, as would basic knowledge of Stata and WinBUGS. A half day introduction to Stata is available on 3 August for those less familiar with the software.

More information can be found on the course webpage see http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/healtheconomicappraisalsteam/

Further details and booking information are available from the HEAT administrator: heat@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

permalink August 4, 2010: Short Course

August 9, 2010

HRH Labor Markets Course: University of California, Berkeley

Location: Berkeley, California, USA
Dates: August 9-13, 2010

Analyze and Plan Human Resources for Health

The Global Health Workforce Economics Network (GHWEN) will teach a weeklong course in HRH labor markets at the University of California, Berkeley, August 9-13, 2010. GHWEN promotes research and training in the field of health workforce economics. It is housed within the Global Center for Health Economics and Policy Research, which is a WHO Collaborating Center, and is also affiliated with the World Bank.

This course will teach economic models and tools used to es-timate workforce needs, demand, and supply. The course will provide an overview of key topical areas centered on increasing productivity, skill mix, distribution, and incentives. It will analyze HRH policies that have strengthened health systems, such as im-proving health worker effectiveness, increasing recruitment and retention, and reducing urban-rural imbalances.

Who should attend: This course is for managers, planners, ana-lysts, and others who work in the human resources for health field in organizations such as Ministries of Health, health care facilities, aid organizations, and academic institutions. The prin-ciples taught in the course will be applicable to all countries, but the case studies will focus on low-income countries. The case studies will include quantitative exercises, such as analyzing data.

Qualifications: Applicants must have good quantitative skills, and be proficient (read, write, converse) in English.

Application: Individuals who are interested in admission to the course need to submit an application and curriculum vitae by. Apply at:

http://ghwen.org/training/hrh/register

Applicants are responsible for obtaining visas.

Fee: $3,200 (includes lodging, breakfasts and lunches, one dinner, and course materials).

Scholarships: GHWEN is approaching several international agencies trying to find funding for partial scholarships to help qualified applicants to attend the course. Please contact the Logistics Coordinator, Amy Nuttbrock, if your ability to attend would depend on such support. In addition, applicants are en-couraged to look for possible support on their own, for example, by contacting the WHO office in their country, or its counterpart in the country’s Ministry of Health.

Amy Nuttbrock
Logistics Coordinator
Telephone: +1-510-643-4100
Facsimile: +1-510-643-4281
amynuttbrock@berkeley.edu

Brent D. Fulton, PhD, MBA
Academic Coordinator
Telephone: +1-510-643-4102
email: fultonb@berkeley.edu

permalink August 9, 2010: Short Course

September 1, 2010

PhD in Economics: Economics Department at IUPUI

Location: Indiana, USA
Start date: Fall 2010

The Economics Department at IUPUI is pleased to announce a new PhD in Economics. We will be accepting our first entering PhD class for Fall of 2010. Fellowship support will be offered on a competitive basis.

The program will specialize in Health Economics. Students will begin with PhD core training in economic theory and econometrics, emphasizing microeconomic theory and microeconometrics. Specializing in health economics will allow us to offer a two-course field sequence in health economics as well as a course focusing on the institutional context of health, health care, and health insurance. Importantly, students will also take elective courses such as biostatistics, epidemiology, bioethics, or health policy, giving them a background that will facilitate working in the interdisciplinary teams with whom health economists often interact. In addition to econometric theory, we will also offer a year-long empirical econometrics sequence, emphasizing statistical packages, working with large datasets, and problems in applied econometrics. We plan strong disciplinary training in micro theory, econometrics, and health economics enhanced with exposure to other related disciplines central to health and health care.

More information on the department and the program is online at http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/~econ. Questions can be emailed to econphd@iupui.edu.

permalink September 1, 2010: PhD

MSc Health Economics and Health Policy: University of Birmingham

Location: Birmingham, UK
Start date: September 2010

Health care systems worldwide confront the challenge of meeting seemingly unlimited patient needs and demands with constrained and limited resources. Health economics is playing an increasing role, providing analysis to inform health care decision making and policy formation.

This course is suitable for:

  • People currently working in the health care sector (in both the public and private sectors, including the pharmaceutical industry) who wish to improve their understanding of and skills in health economics

  • Graduates who wish to pursue a career in health economics and/or health services research

The course will enable you to:

  • Explore the key principles and theories upon which health economics is based

  • Understand some of the key concepts in market theory and their applicability to health care

  • Apply introductory and advanced methods of economic evaluation, including modelling and Bayesian approaches

  • Recognise approaches to rationing and tackling scarcity from theoretical and practical perspectives

  • Distinguish between alternative approaches to organising and financing health care systems

  • Critically review, and interpret appropriately, applied health economic analyses

  • Have an in-depth understanding of the equity issues faced in resource allocation and how these may be addressed

  • Develop an understanding of the underlying concepts in statistical analysis and information handling

  • Explore the perspective of health policy and the role of economic analysis in shaping policy

For more information on the programme please go to our web pages where you can see module information and access our online application form: http://www.mds.bham.ac.uk/healtheconomics

permalink September 1, 2010: Masters

September 9, 2010

Eliciting Probability Distribution from Experts

Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK
Venue: The Centre for Bayesian Statistics in Health Economics, University of Sheffield
Date: 9th September 2010

Course faculty

Dr Jeremy Oakley, Professor
Anthony O’Hagan
Mr John Stevens

Background

Decision analytic models such as economic models submitted to NICE and similar reimbursement authorities around the world often incorporate evidence in the form of expert opinion. Experts’ beliefs about unknown quantities of interest can be described using probability distributions following a process of elicitation. This practical course aims provide participants with the skills required to elicit experts’ probability distributions about unknown quantities of interest. The course is based around the SHELF package: a set of templates and software routines in R for conducting elicitation.

Who will benefit from the course?

The course is suitable for health economists, statisticians, systematic reviewers and decision-makers interested in the elicitation of experts’ probability distributions about unknown quantities of interest to populate economic models. The course is also suitable for researchers in other disciplines who wish to learn about expert elicitation. No previous knowledge of elicitation or of the software package R is assumed.

What does the course deliver?

At the end of this course, participants should:

  • Understand the use of probability distributions to represent uncertainty
  • Be familiar with the techniques available to elicit experts’ probability distributions
  • Be able to facilitate the elicitation of a probability distribution from a single expert and from multiple experts
  • Be able to fit univariate probability distributions to experts’ judgements using the SHELF routines and the software package R
  • Know how to document the elicitation process using the SHELF package

Course content

Five lectures, including practical exercises

  • Using subjective probability distributions to represent uncertainty
  • The psychology of elicitation
  • Eliciting univariate probability distributions from a single expert using SHELF
  • Eliciting probability distributions from groups of experts using SHELF
  • Multivariate elicitation

Cost

Commercial £200
Academic/Government £150

Course fees include lunch and refreshments. Participants will each need a laptop, if you are unable to provide this then we can arrange one for you.

Further information and bookings can be found at http://www.shef.ac.uk/scharr/shortcourseunit/courses_new/elic2010.html

Or contact Jacquie Bennett at jacquie.bennett@sheffield.ac.uk Tel. +44 (0)114 222 2968

permalink September 9, 2010: Short Course

September 12, 2010

Economic Evaluations and Economic Evidence in Healthcare: Finding Information to Inform Technology Assessments and Economic Models: York Health Economics Consortium, University of York

Location: York, UK
Date: 12 October 2010

Further information can be found at: http://php.york.ac.uk/inst/yhec/?q=content/finding-info

If you have any queries about YHEC courses please contact Julie Glanville (e-mail: jmg1@york.ac.uk) or YHEC Support Services, tel: 01904-433620.

permalink September 12, 2010: Training

September 15, 2010

Advanced Modelling Methods for Health Economic Evaluation A Computer Based Course

Location: Glasgow and York, UK
Dates: York: March 29 - 31, 2010; Glasgow: September 2010 (dates to be confirmed)

The Public Health & Health Policy Section at the University of Glasgow and the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York are jointly running three-day courses on advanced modelling methods to be held at venues in Glasgow and York. The next course will be held in 2010, the course will be run at the University of York from 29th - 31st March 2010. Booking forms are online now. The course will be also run in Glasgow in September 2010. Dates to be confirmed. Please contact The Public Health & Health Policy Section at the University of Glasgow directly if you would like to attend the September 2010 course.

This is an advanced course focusing specifically on decision modelling and intended for people currently undertaking modelling for health economic evaluation within the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, consultancy, academia or the health service. Participants would be expected to have attended an advanced course in economic evaluation such as the Expert Workshops in the Socio Economic Evaluation of Medicines run by the University of York.

Further details and booking information is available from the following links York based course or Glasgow based course.

permalink September 15, 2010: Short Course

September 20, 2010

Indirect And Mixed Treatment Comparisons: 3-day course

Location: Leicester, UK
Venue: Vaughan College
Dates: September 20-22 2010

Overview

This course is for health economists, statisticians and decision modellers, and systematic reviewers interested in the extension of pair-wise meta-analysis to indirect and mixed treatment comparisons, in the context of either clinical effectiveness or economic evaluation.

The course focuses on Bayesian methods for statistically combining evidence from networks of trials, integrating statistical estimation within a probabilistic modeling framework. The assumptions underlying both pair-wise meta-analysis and mixed treatment comparisons are critically examined. The course also covers methods for detecting and managing heterogeneity and inconsistency.

This is an informal, hands-on course, based on a mixture of lectures and practical work on published datasets using the Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo package WinBUGS. Course tutors are available throughout to answer questions and help with exercises.

It is a collaboration between the Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester and the Department of Community Based Medicine, University of Bristol.

Intended Audience

  • Anyone undertaking or managing health technology assessments, including in the context of cost-effectiveness analysis,
  • Statisticians, familiar with the principles of meta-analysis, who wish to learn about Bayesian methods for evidence synthesis particularly in the context of cost-effectiveness analysis,
  • Anyone responsible for managing systematic reviews.

Course Faculty

Prof Keith Abrams,
Prof Tony Ades,
Debbi Caldwell,
Nicola Cooper,
Sofia Dias,
Prof Alex Sutton and Nicky Welton

Course Pre-Requisites

Participants should be familiar with the basic principles of meta-analysis, and have a good working knowledge of logistic regression and statistical interaction. Experience with probabilistic decision analysis in cost effectiveness analysis would be an advantage, but is not necessary.

Further Details and Registration Forms from:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/cobm/research/mpes

permalink September 20, 2010: Short Course

September 30, 2010

Leadership for Productivity and Health Management: Issues, Innovations, and Solutions

Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Date: September 30 - October 1, 2010
Link: https://ccpe.sph.harvard.edu/programs.cfm?CSID=IPHM0000&pg=cluster&CLID=1&utm_source=iHEA&utm_medium=Calendar
Contact: ccpemarketing@hsph.harvard.edu

Leadership for Productivity and Health Management: Issues, Innovations, and Solutions, a new program, is designed to enable participants to identify, characterize, and propagate efficient and effective health programs within employment based health insurance. Focusing on process improvements for C-Suite executives, HR professionals, and company stakeholders, this program will help participants benchmark best practices and implement specific strategies for improving programs, structure company health benefits on empirically sound practices, and learn strategies to maintain and improve individual health, improve productivity, and moderate industry payer costs.

permalink September 30, 2010: Short Course

October 31, 2010

PhD Scholarships in Health Economics: Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne

Location: Melbourne, Australia
Application deadline: 31 October 2010

The Department of Economics and Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne wishes to fill three PhD scholarships in Health Economics, commencing February 2011. Applicants must have a first class (H1 equivalent) undergraduate degree in economics with honours and/or a masters degree, and with a focus on applied microeconometrics, health economics or labour economics. A dynamic and supportive research environment exists with a strong group of 24 economists working in health. PhD topics would be in the following areas: the social and economic determinants of health and wellbeing (Prof. Michael Shields: mshields@unimelb.edu.au); health, education and development or the determinants and consequences of risky health behaviors (A/Prof. Jenny Williams: jenny.williams@unimelb.edu.au); and the economics of the health care system (Prof. Anthony Scott: a.scott@unimelb.edu.au). Applications for a place can be made at any time, but applicants must submit their application by 31 October 2010 (for entry to Semester One in February 2011) in order to be considered for a scholarship. Scholarships include a living allowance and fee remission. The successful student may also be eligible to receive additional funds through teaching and research assistant activities. Further details of how to apply are at: http://www.gsbe.unimelb.edu.au/research/. Those interested should contact Prof. Michael Shields, or A/Prof. Jenny Williams, or Prof. Anthony Scott.

permalink October 31, 2010: PhD

April 9, 2011

Part 2 Global Health Leadership Forum: An international executive short course: successful approaches and innovation in health policy and management.

Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Dates: April 9-13, 2011 with an optional extended Kaiser Permanente Study Tour through April 15, 2011.

The Global Health Leadership Forum: An international earned certificate course on solutions in health policy and management.

An offering from the University of California, Berkeley, the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and the Center for Research in Health Economics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

The University of California, Berkeley, Barcelona GSE and UPF CRES announce the seventh annual cycle of the Global Health Leadership Forum. This unique certificate program focuses on key health policy and management issues which have been converging internationally. Participating leaders learn about policies and implementation approaches that work and about current innovations. Participants join in small group discussions with global experts, receive leadership training, and become part of the GHLF alumni network of 180 past participants. These leaders hail from 43 countries in a wide variety of occupations such as executives of service delivery, insurance and pharma organizations; professors; ministers of health; and NGO leaders.

Part 1 of The Global Health Leadership Forum will be held in Barcelona, Spain from July 18-23, 2010 and Part 2 will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area from April 9-13, 2011 with an optional extended Kaiser Permanente Study Tour through April 15, 2011.

For more information, visit the website: http://ghlf.berkeley.edu

permalink April 9, 2011: Short Course

Contact

iHEA 902-461-4432
902-461-IHEA
416-352-1395 fax

Tom GetzenExecutive Director and CEO
215-242-1196

Bill SwanDeputy CEO