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Congress Updates and Important Preparatory Information
The 2025 IHEA Congress is less than three weeks away. A few important reminders for those coming to the congress:
- All presenters must upload their presentation via the Speaker Center – all presenters have been sent a link to their “Speaker Center” and guidance on how to upload their PowerPoint or PDF file. This must be done before: Monday July 14, 2025, 11pm UTC (EDT: 7pm; BST: Midnight; AEST: 9am July 15)
- All delegates coming to Bali must complete and submit the following two digital forms using the links below at least 72 hours / 3 days before arrival:
- A Customs Declaration Form
- The SATUSEHAT Health Pass (SSHP)
- Please note that your registration includes access to the social events – please join us for:
- The opening reception on Sunday night in the Bali International Convention Centre (BICC), and
- The main social event at Taman Bhagawan on Tuesday night – there will be wonderful Indonesian food and Balinese dancers.
- There will be a Members’ Meeting on Monday between 12 to 1:30 PM. Lunch will be provided. Updates will be provided on developments and activities in IHEA and our financial status, as well as on progress towards our EDI goals. Most importantly, there will be lots of time for discussion – we want to hear what IHEA members feel could be improved and what the association should be prioritizing. Many delegates signed up for membership when registering for the congress – we would really welcome the participation of all members in this important meeting.
- The mobile app will be launched soon – each delegate will receive an email to assist them in logging in to the app so that you can create a personalized schedule of sessions you want to attend, evaluate sessions, etc. In the meantime, you can access details of all congress session via the web app here.
2025 IHEA Adam Wagstaff Prize Winner Announced
The Adam Wagstaff prize is awarded to the best IHEA congress paper on the economics of healthcare financing or delivery in a low- or middle-income country(ies) that is written and presented by an early career researcher from a low- or middle-income country (LMIC). This prestigious prize is awarded to honour Adam’s lifelong commitment to research that analyzes, promotes and monitors health system efficiency and equity in LMICs and improves the health of the world’s poorest.
Early career researchers from LMICs are invited to indicate their interest in being considered for this prize during abstract submission. Those who fulfil the criteria are invited to submit a full paper, which is reviewed and scored by the Wagstaff Prize Committee.
IHEA is delighted to announce this year’s winner is Rym Ghouma for her paper: “Do Providers Contribute to Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health Care? An Audit Experiment in Tunisia”. We extend our congratulations to Rym on this well-deserved achievement. If you will be in Bali for the congress, you can attend Rym’s presentation on Wednesday, July 23 at 9am.
Rym Ghouma is a Health Economist and Research Fellow at the Institute for Research and Information in Health Economics (IRDES) in France. Her research focuses on applying economic theory and empirical tools to better understand provider behavior and the determinants of healthcare quality in both the public and private sectors. She is particularly committed to informing health policy debates in Tunisia—her home country—and in other low- and middle-income settings, particularly those in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Currently, she is engaged in research on hospital financing, performance, and quality of care in the French healthcare system, with the aim of applying these insights to other contexts.
Rym graduated in 2024 with a PhD in Health Economics from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (University of London) and has a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) from Sciences Po Paris. She also earned an MBA at the South Mediterranean University (SMU) in Tunis and a B.A. in Economics at ESSEC Business School.
In addition to her research, Rym has lectured at Sciences Po Paris and consulted for international organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and various United Nations agencies. Prior to her research career, she held several managerial positions in the healthcare industry across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
Rym’s diverse background and experience inform her commitment to supporting equitable and effective health system reforms in both developing and developed settings.
IHEA would like to thank the members of the Adam Wagstaff Prize Committee:
- Augustine Asante, University of New South Wales and Centre for Health Financing and Systems Innovation Africa
- Edwine Barasa, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
- Damien de Walque, World Bank
- Eeshani Kandpal, Center for Global Development
- Hong Liu, Renmin University of China
- Anne Mills, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Owen O’Donnell, Erasmus University
- Rudi Rocha, São Paulo School of Business Administration
- Aparnaa Somanathan, World Bank
- Winnie Yip, Harvard University
Science for Health Systems Inaugural Conference
The Science for Health Systems Conference is a global forum to share new research on the measurement and improvement of health system performance. This inaugural conference will bring together researchers, policymakers, and implementers from multiple disciplines and regions of the world to share health system research methods and findings to maximize health impact. We especially welcome research that is comparative, large-scale, and focused on health system reform and redesign.
The conference brings together researchers, policymakers, implementers, trainees, and other stakeholders working across multiple disciplines and all regions of the world to engage around health system methods, results, and policies that maximize health impact.
Registration Rates:
Low- or Middle-Income Country – As classified by the World Bank Country and Lending Group.
Student / Early Career Researcher – Postdoctoral fellows and academics in first two years of employment
Click here to register. Early Bird rates end August 1st.
University Member Updates
University of Aberdeen – HERU Short Course
The HERU short course on ‘Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics’ will take place in Aberdeen, Scotland, from 23rd to 25th September 2025.
Now in its 22nd year, the course is aimed at anyone interested in the application of Discrete Choice Applications (DCEs) with a special focus on health. This course provides:
- An introduction to the theoretical and practical basis for the development and application of DCEs in health and care.
- A step-by-step guide to the design of DCEs, survey development, data input, data analysis and interpretation of results – using case studies based on published research.
- An update on methodological issues raised in the application of DCEs in health economics.
The course fee includes teaching material, accommodation, all lunches, a course welcome reception and dinner. The course lasts for three full days (from Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon), with a course meal at the end. Accommodation is provided for four nights (Monday to Thursday).
Registration and further details are available from the DCE course website
Please note that the closing date for registration is 30th August 2025 and there are limited spaces available.
Details
Date – 23rd to 25th September, 2025
Website – https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/dce/
Venue – Park Inn by Radisson hotel, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Monash University – International Visiting Fellowship
Centre for Health Economics, Monash Business School, Monash University
Applications are invited for researchers who wish to visit the Centre for Health Economics at Monash Business School, Monash University in Melbourne for a period of between two and six months in 2026.
Applications from experienced international researchers are particularly welcome, but we will also consider Australian applicants and postdoctoral early career researchers.
A key aim of the visit should be to build or strengthen links with researchers at the CHE and produce collaborative research outputs as a result of the visit, such as publications and grant applications.
Please click here for further information on how to apply. Closing date is 1st September.
Erasmus University Rotterdam – Behavioral Experiments in Health Network (BEHNet) Events
We are pleased to invite submissions for the 10th Workshop in Behavioral and Experimental Health Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam on December 11th and 12th, 2025. The workshop is part of the activities of the Behavioral Experiments in Health Network and brings together economists and behavioral scientists who apply behavioral-economics insights and experimental methods to study health-related decision making.
We welcome contributions on all topics related to economic aspects of health-related decision making (e.g., preferences, incentives, institutions) applying experimental methods, be it online, laboratory or field experiments. We expect to have both long talks (30 min or more plus discussion) and lightning talks (5 min) that will be accompanied by a poster presentation.
Submissions: Please submit either the full paper, or an extended abstract of up to 500 words that addresses each of the following: objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. Preference will be given to full-paper submissions, particularly for long talks.
Deadline for submissions is August 30, 2025. Submissions should be uploaded via: https://www.eur.nl/en/eshpm/events/10th-workshop-behavioral-and-experimental-health-economics-2025-12-11.
Authors will be notified regarding the acceptance of their paper early October 2025.
The keynote speaker will be W. David Bradford (University of Georgia).
Participation fee: There are no additional participation fees for participants with accepted presentations or posters. Accompanying persons and other interested parties should contact the event office regarding the costs. Participation is subject to availability.
Scientific committee: Silvia Angerer (UMIT Tirol), Arthur Attema (Erasmus U Rotterdam), Robert Böhm (U Vienna), Matteo M. Galizzi (LSE), Glenn W. Harrison (Georgia State U), Wanda Mimra (ESCP Paris), Matthew Robson (Erasmus U Rotterdam), Kirsten Rohde (University of Maastricht), and Daniel Wiesen (U Cologne)
In case you have any questions about submissions or the event, please contact us: behnet@eshpm.eur.nl.
At the same, we also like to announce our BEHnet Winter School for PhD students, taking place right before the Workshop, from 8-10 December, 2025.
Please check this website for more details: https://www.eur.nl/en/eshpm/events/4th-behnet-graduate-course-behavioural-and-experimental-health-economics-2025-12-08
We are looking forward to welcoming you in wonderful Rotterdam in December 2025.
University of Newcastle’s Business School – PhD Scholarship Opportunity
The Newcastle Business School at the University of Newcastle is offering a fully funded PhD opportunity in Health Economics with the Value in Health Economics and Policy Group (https://www.value-health-economics-policy.org).
This position includes a stipend and a tuition fee waiver for eligible candidates. The project focuses on applying economic principles to health policy challenges, contributing to evidence-based decision-making in healthcare systems. Potential research areas include: Health insurance and risk adjustment; Healthcare market dynamics and policy reform; Equity in healthcare access and outcomes; Behavioural health economics ect. Successful candidates will work within a supportive research environment, gaining hands-on experience in advanced quantitative methods, policy analysis, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
PhD Scholarship details
Funding: $37,400 per annum (2025 rate) indexed annually. For a PhD candidate, the living allowance scholarship and tuition fee scholarship are for 3.5 years. Scholarships also include up to $1,500 relocation allowance and Overseas Student Health Cover at single rate, for an international candidate.
Supervisor: Professor Francesco Paolucci
Available to: Domestic and International students
Eligibility Criteria
Ideal applicants will have a background in economics, behavioural economics, law&economics, applied economics, health economics, health policy, health data analytics.
Applicants from other disciplines (e.g., public health, epidemiology, biostatistics) with strong quantitative skills or a willingness to develop them are encouraged to apply.
The applicant will need to meet the minimum eligibility criteria for admission.
Application Procedure
Interested applicants should email an expression of interest with the following: Scanned copies of academic transcripts; CV; a brief statement of research interests (300 words); A PhD research proposal (aligned with this post and following University guidelines)
Please send the email expressing interest to Josefa.Henriquez@newcastle.edu.au by 5pm on 30 June 2025.
Applications Close 30 June 2025
Upcoming Events
Early Career Researcher (ECR) Journal Club
Date: July 15, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM UTC
Presented by: Economics of Genomics and Precision Medicine SIG
Pharmaceutical Drug Regulation and Mortality: Evidence from E-cigarettes.
Date: September 8, 2025
Time: 3:30 AM – 4:30 AM UTC
Speaker: Michael Pesko
Presented by: Economics of Risky Health Behaviors SIG
Advancing Health Equity through Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (DCEA)
Date: October 8, 2025
Time: 10:00 pm – 11:00 pm UTC
Speakers: Dr Melanie Lloyd and Dr Hadley Stevens Smith
Presented by: Economics of Genomics and Precision Medicine SIG
Stay tuned for more on upcoming IHEA webinars! You can view all 2024-2025 events here.
Check out our website here.