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| Opening Remarks From Executive Director |
| IHEA plays a vital role in advancing health economics globally — supporting rigorous research, strengthening policy impact, and fostering a vibrant and inclusive professional community. I am committed to building on this strong foundation by expanding opportunities for collaboration, enhancing member resources, and deepening engagement across regions and career stages. In the year ahead, we will continue preparations for the 2027 IHEA World Congress, which will bring our global community together in Latin America. The Congress represents a cornerstone of IHEA’s mission — a space to exchange ideas, strengthen networks, and showcase cutting-edge research. I look forward to working with members around the world to ensure it is a dynamic and impactful gathering.  Stay tuned for more details! Your engagement and ideas are essential to IHEA’s continued growth and relevance. I look forward to the work ahead. Susan Ettner IHEA Executive Director |
| Call for Papers: ASHEcon, HERO & IHEA Sessions at ASSA 2027 |
| The International Health Economics Association (IHEA), in collaboration with the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon) and the Health Economics Research Organization (HERO), invites submissions for presentation at the 2027 Allied Social Science Association (ASSA) Annual Meeting, to be held in Washington, D.C., from Sunday, January 3 to Tuesday, January 5, 2027. Based on submitted abstracts, papers will be selected for two IHEA-organized sessions, one ASHEcon-organized session, and five HERO-organized sessions. IHEA seeks abstracts for sessions focused primarily on internationally relevant topics in health economics. ASHEcon seeks abstracts related to U.S.-focused health economics topics, and HERO seeks abstracts addressing issues of broad relevance to the health economics field. Submission Guidelines Abstract submission is open to all. Abstract text must be 3,000 characters (including spaces) or fewer. If you wish to submit your abstract as part of a coordinated group for consideration as a complete session, you must provide suggested discussants for each paper. Please note that submission as a group does not guarantee that all papers in the set will be included in the program. IHEA, ASHEcon, and HERO are independent organizations, each holding affiliate status within ASSA. Please submit abstracts by April 30, 2026 here. |
| Beware of Phishing Emails |
| We’ve been made aware that some IHEA members have recently received phishing emails requesting assistance with transferring funds or completing financial tasks on behalf of the association. Please be advised that IHEA will never contact members with requests of this nature. If you receive any such message, do not respond or engage, and report it as spam through your email provider where possible. If you receive an email that appears to be from IHEA or one of our IHEA Board Members, and are unsure, please do not hesitate to reach out to ihea@healtheconomics.org to confirm its legitimacy before responding. |
| Join one of our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) – Make the Most of your Membership in 2026! |
| Our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide a forum for IHEA members with a common interest in networking, keeping updated on the latest research and sharing ideas and knowledge. SIGs are organized by IHEA members for IHEA members – join a SIG today and start engaging with colleagues across the world working in the same area. There are currently 12 SIGs which focus on a specific research area: – Economics of Children’s Health & Wellbeing – Economics of Digital Health Technology – Economics of Genomics and Precision Medicine (Econ-Omics) – Economics of Obesity – Economics of Palliative and End-of-Life Care – Economics of Risky Health Behaviors – Equity Informative Economic Evaluation – Financing for Universal Health Coverage – Health Preference Research – Health Systems Efficiency – Health Workforce – Mental Health Economics There is also a SIG focusing on Teaching Health Economics and another focusing on supporting Early Career Researchers. If you don’t already belong to a SIG, join by: – Signing in at the member login on the IHEA website – Selecting the Special Interest Group button – Click on “Join Group” next to the SIG that you wish to join |
| 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 |
| Endogenous Screening and Health Behaviors Date: March2, 2026 Time: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm UTC Speakers: Dr. Michael Darden is an Associate Professor at the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University. Learn more here Building a Data System for Health and Labor Economics Research: The U.S. National Dementia Workforce Study Date: March 5, 2026 Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm UTC+0 Speakers: Dr. Joanne Spetz – Professor, University of California – San Francisco. Learn more here Teaching Health Economics SIG Networking Event Date: March 13, 2026 Time: 8:00 am – 9:00 am UTC+0 Speakers: An interactive networking event for SIG members to exchange ideas, discuss current themes and challenges in higher education, and help shape future SIG activities and events. Learn more here |
Stay tuned for more on upcoming IHEA webinars! You can view all upcoming events here.
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