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Update on the 2027 Congress: IHEA Confirms Santiago, Chile
As announced in the March newsletter, the IHEA Board made the difficult decision to reconsider the 2027 IHEA Congress, originally planned for Guayaquil, Ecuador, in light of government travel advisories and other circumstances affecting the feasibility of holding the Congress there. We are grateful for the patience of IHEA members while alternative options were explored, with the primary goal of retaining the Congress in Latin America.
The Board is now pleased to announce that the 2027 IHEA Congress will be held in Santiago, Chile, on the campus of the Universidad de Chile. Founded in 1842, the Universidad de Chile is the oldest and among the country’s most prestigious institutions. The Congress will be hosted by the Facultad de Economía y Negocios (Faculty of Economics and Business, FEN), which has generously donated some of its facilities for the event.
The Board’s final decision to relocate the Congress to Santiago followed careful consideration of multiple options, including thorough efforts to assess whether it could be kept in Ecuador. The decision reflects practical considerations related to venue configuration, accommodation, transport logistics, timelines, and the ability to deliver the full scientific programme successfully. IHEA is particularly grateful to Bernard Moscoso, colleagues in Ecuador, the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and members of the Latin American Advisory Group for their commitment, enthusiasm, and constructive engagement throughout this process.
We are confident that Santiago will provide an outstanding setting for the 2027 Congress. As Chile’s capital city, Santiago combines convenient international connections, modern public transport, and a rich cultural environment. The Universidad de Chile campus offers excellent conference facilities and good access to a range of participant accommodation options. Our local organizers are committed to working in partnership with IHEA and with colleagues across Latin America to deliver a successful Congress.
Beyond the Congress itself, Santiago serves as a gateway to some of Chile’s most celebrated destinations. Within a short journey, visitors can explore renowned vineyards, picturesque coastal communities, and the spectacular Andes Mountains, offering opportunities for hiking, sightseeing, and winter sports.
We will confirm the final July dates for the Congress as soon as the contracts have been signed.
We look forward to welcoming the global health economics community to Santiago in 2027 for the first IHEA Congress in Latin America.
2026-27 Mentoring Program Cohort
IHEA’s Mentoring Program supports early- and mid-career health economists in their professional development and personal wellbeing. The program began with a 2019-2020 cohort of 56 mentees and has expanded significantly since then. Our most recent 2026-2027 cohort matched 89 mentees with 71 mentors, based on the mentee’s career goals, professional development needs, and research interests. Of the mentees, 12 participated in the program previously. All prospective mentees were successfully matched to a mentor and all mentors were matched to at least one mentee.
This year’s mentee cohort consists of 72 early-career and 17 mid-career health economists. The highest degree already earned by mentees range from bachelor’s or master’s degree (N=31) to doctorate, including medical doctorates (N=58). Economics or another social science was the field of study for 60 of the 89 mentees and health professions was the field of study for the others. IHEA’s mentee and mentor cohorts are diverse, respectively identifying with 35 and 30 countries from all inhabited continents.
The three areas for professional development support requested most often by mentees were developing networks and collaborations (56%); strategic career / individual development planning (54%); and publications, including writing, finding appropriate journals, and managing ‘rejection’ (48%). The top three institutional environments in which mentees were interested in working in the future were academia (university or non-university research organization), listed by 85%; multi-lateral international organizations such as WHO (62%); and consultancy groups (51%).
Surveys will be distributed to all mentors and mentees at the conclusion of the program to assess the effectiveness of the program and identify areas for further improvement. Findings will be published in the IHEA newsletter and in a report on the IHEA website.
We look forward to a productive 2026-2027 program and wish to express our deep appreciation for the generosity of our mentors, who play a critical role in supporting the next generation of senior health economists by sharing their experience and wisdom.
Call for Conference Papers: Health Economics and Policy in Emerging Markets
We invite policymakers and researchers to contribute to a two-day workshop focused on one of the most pressing questions for developing economies: What lessons from local and international evidence can help emerging markets address constrained fiscal space, unequal access to health care, and rising disease?
Kenneth Leonard, a professor from the University of Maryland, and applied development economist with extensive experience in Africa, will deliver the keynote address.
Focus Areas:
ERSA encourages submissions that deepen the understanding of health economics and policy in emerging markets, with a particular emphasis on generating insights that can inform South African health policy.
Submitted papers should align with one or more of the following themes:
- Health System Performance and Financing
- Health Service Design, Costing, and Implementation
- Health Technology Assessment
- Equity, Access, and Social Determinants
- Behavioural and Informational Economics in Health
- Global and Comparative Health Economics
Submissions should be original research papers or advanced working papers. There are no restrictions on data sources or empirical methods; however, papers using novel data, including household-level or survey data, and those providing credible causal evidence will be prioritised. All submissions must be explicitly relevant to economics and health policy in emerging markets. More on these topics is available on our website.
Paper submission deadline: October 1st, 2026
To learn more about this Call for Conference Papers, the Submission Guidelines, the Funding, or to submit your paper, please visit our website.
Authors of successful submissions will be notified by November 2nd, 2026.
Should you know any colleagues that may be interested, please forward this information on to them.
Learn more and submit here: https://econrsa.org/events/call-for-conference-papers-health-economics-and-policy-in-emerging-markets/#form-2
Kind regards,
The ERSA team
Call for Submissions – Regional News
Do you have news to share from your region for our IHEA newsletter? Our newsletter is disseminated to thousands of health economists around the world each month, and we are eager to share relevant news from all regions of the world.
Regional news items can be sent to ihea@healtheconomics.org by the 20th of each month.
Upcoming Events
ASHEcon 2026 Annual Conference
Date: June 7 – June 10, 2026
Location: Hyatt Regency Minneapolis – Minneapolis, MN
Development Assistance for Health at a Crossroads: Navigating Aid Cuts, Fragility, and Financing Trade-offs for Universal Health Coverage
Date: June 29, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm UTC+0
Speakers: Peter Binyaruka – Health Economist, Ifakara Health Institute, Newton Chagoma – Research Fellow, University of Birmingham, Jacopo Gabani – World Bank, Health Economist, Felix Obi – Country Director for Nigeria & Senior Program Director, Global Health Practice, Results for Development (R4D), Sakshi Mohan – Research Fellow, Centre for Health Economics (CHE), University of York, Sophie Witter – Professor of International Health Financing and Health Systems, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.
Croatian Health Economics Workshop (CHEW)
Date: September 23, 2026
Health Inequality Aversion in Asia – Early Findings, Methodological Challenges and Next Steps
Date: September 23, 2026
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm UTC+0
Speakers: Dr. Xiaoning He – Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Dr. Sitanshu Sekhar Kar – Professor in the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, Dr. Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai – Secretary General and Senior Researcher of the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program Foundation (HITAP), Thailand and Affiliated Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, in Canada, Dr. Stéphane Verguet – Associate Professor of Global Health in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a core faculty member of Harvard University’s Center for Health Decision Science, Dr. Richard Cookson – Professor at the Centre for Health Economics, and Co-Director of the Equity in Health Policy (Equipol) research group.
Stay tuned for more on upcoming IHEA webinars! You can view all upcoming events here.
Check out our website here.