test – International Health Economics Association

Future Congresses

The 2027 Congress will take place in Guayaquil, Ecuador and will be co-hosted by the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) from July 10-14, 2027.

This will be the first time the IHEA Congress is held in the Latin American region.

Past Congresses

Congress
Registration
Program
Onsite
Participation
Scientific
Committee
Funding
Partners

Registration fees

As a non-profit association, membership fees and IHEA congress registration fees are set at cost-recovery levels. We strive to keep costs as low as possible. The costs involved in hosting the congress are substantial and include the costs of venue hire, hire of audio-visual equipment, food and beverages (for refreshment breaks, lunch and social events), abstract submission and review system, support staff, other supplies (such as poster boards, name badges, etc.) and bank fees (for credit card or wire transfer payments by delegates). The registration fees outlined below entitle each delegate to participate, without any further payment, in pre-congress sessions (on Saturday and Sunday), all congress sessions (Sunday evening to Wednesday afternoon), morning and afternoon refreshment breaks (Saturday to Wednesday), buffet lunch (Monday to Wednesday), the opening reception (Sunday evening) and the main social event (Tuesday evening). IHEA is committed to being a truly international association and to pursuing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at our events. Until the 2015 IHEA Congress, there was a single registration fee for all delegates. Over time, we have introduced lower fees for delegates from low- and middle-income countries, students and early career researchers (ECRs) to promote EDI. The IHEA Board has taken further steps to promote inclusion by refining the registration fee structure for the 2025 Congress, in recognition of differentials in income and access to institutional support for delegates according to country or territory of residence and career stage. In determining this fee schedule, the structure and level of registration fees for comparable international associations’ conferences was considered. The fee for high-income country delegates has been increased, the differential between the fee for low-income and lower middle-income country (and student and ECR) delegates and high-income country delegates increased, and a new category for upper middle-income country delegates introduced. IHEA congress registration fees remain below those of comparable professional associations.

Registration Category	Member	Non-Member
Early Bird High-income country	USD800	USD1,100
Early Bird Upper middle-income country	USD600	USD825
Early Bird Low-income or Lower middle-income	USD400	USD550
Early Bird Student or Early career researcher	USD400	USD550
Regular High-income country	USD1,000	USD1,300
Regular Upper middle-income country	USD750	USD975
Regular Low-income or Lower middle-income	USD500	USD650
Regular Student or Early career researcher	USD500	USD650

You can confirm which category you would fall within by consulting the World Bank’s list of countries/territories defined as low-income (GNI per capita of $1,145 or less), lower middle-income (between $1,146 and $4,515), upper middle-income (between $4,516 and $14,005) and high-income (GNI per capita of more than $14,005) – the 2025 list can be downloaded here. Students must be registered on a full-time basis at a tertiary education institution and early career researchers should have graduated within the past 5 years.

Early bird registration will be open from mid-February to the end of April 2025.

We encourage delegates to attend both social events, which are covered by the registration fee. We also welcome delegates bringing a partner and/or children to a social event, but delegates will need to purchase tickets for those accompanying them. These additional tickets are charged at cost-recovery level. There is no charge for children under 12 years.

	Opening reception, Sunday July 20th	Main Social Event, Tuesday July 22nd
Extra ticket adult	USD50	USD100
Extra ticket child 12 years +	USD20	USD40

Congress Program
Pre-Congress Session Program
Categories of Congress Presentations

Congress Program

Congress Program
Opening Plenary
Closing Plenary

Using economic policy instruments to improve health: challenges and opportunities

Diet-related Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and obesity represent a significant health, economic, and social burden globally, and particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Economic instruments are a critical component of the recommended policy response. This session focuses on fiscal and trade policies intended to address diet-related NCDs. Anne Marie Thow will provide an overview of such taxes, subsidies, and trade policies, detailing their estimated effects on diet and health, as well as the opportunities and challenges for translating evidence into policy, with a focus on the rich experience of the Asia-Pacific region. The second speaker (awaiting confirmation) will explore the practical and political considerations of fiscal policies to improve health, based on extensive policy-making experience at the country and global level. The session will also discuss future directions in policy and research in this area.

Moderator: John Cawley

John Cawley is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Cornell University, a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and an Honorary Professor at the University of Galway, Ireland. John’s primary field of research is the economics of risky health behaviors, with a focus on the economics of obesity. He studies the economic causes of obesity, the economic consequences of obesity, and economic approaches to prevention and treatment of obesity. John serves on the Board of Directors of IHEA and chairs the American Economic Association’s Committee on the Job Market. He previously served as an Editor of the Journal of Health Economics and on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon).

Speakers:

Anne Marie Thow is Professor in Public Policy and Health at the University of Sydney, where she leads a stream of research on nutrition policy analysis, with a focus on economic policy, at the Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data. Her current research projects span Australia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific, and she regularly advises policy makers at the national and global level. Most recently, Prof Thow was appointed member of the United Nations Tax Committee’s sub-committee on health taxes from 2022-2025, a consultant to the World Bank Global Tax Program in the Macro-Economics and Trade division in 2023, and editorial advisor and consultant for the 2024 UN Food and Agriculture Organization Flagship report on trade and nutrition. Prior to undertaking her PhD she worked for the Governments of Australia and Fiji on nutrition policy issues. She trained in nutrition and has a Masters in Public Policy and Economics.

Awaiting confirmation: Sri Mulyani Indrawati is Minister of Finance in Indonesia. She served as the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund from 2002 to 2004, given her expertise in public finance and fiscal policy. In October 2004, she received her first cabinet appointment as Indonesia’s Minister of Development Planning. In December 2005, she was appointed as the Minister of Finance. She was then appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the World Bank in June 2010. In July 2016, she came back to Indonesian public service as Minister of Finance. In February 2018, she was awarded as the “Best Minister in the World” at the World Government Summit in Dubai. On October 23, 2019, she was reappointed as Minister of Finance in the second term cabinet of President Joko Widodo. In October 2020, she received an award from the Global Markets magazine as the Finance Minister of the Year for East Asia Pacific in recognition of her efforts in handling COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

Mental Health Economics at a Crossroads: Tackling Key Challenges in the Field

In any given country, one in four to five people suffers from mental illness, such as depression and anxiety. Mental illness is also the most prevalent condition among the working-age population, leading to work-related absenteeism and presenteeism. Not surprisingly, mental illness has a huge impact on both health systems and society as a whole, translating into large health and economic burdens.

The IHEA Congress closing plenary will bring together world-leading experts in the economics of mental health to explore the key challenges that health systems need to grapple with, how best to tackle these challenges, and the main areas of research that health economists should focus on. In particular, this plenary will explore how these issues vary between high- and low- and middle-income countries and between regions, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters related to climate change on mental health, among other things.

Moderator: Claire de Oliveira

Dr. Claire de Oliveira is an associate professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, a senior scientist/senior health economist at the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, a senior adjunct scientist in the Mental Health and Addictions Program at ICES, and an affiliated researcher at the Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University. Her main areas of research are in health economics and health services research applied to mental health and child health. Her research interests centre on the relationship between mental health and work-related outcomes, quality of care for schizophrenia and eating disorders, and the economic impact of parental and child mental health. In addition to her academic appointments, Dr. de Oliveira serves as a board member and Treasurer of the International Health Economics Association and member of the international editorial board of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Panelists:

Rowena Jacobs is Deputy Director and Professor of Health Economics in the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York. Rowena leads several multi-disciplinary multi-centre programmes of research and brings expertise on the economics of mental health and mental health care. Her research interests include incentives, performance measurement and funding of mental health services, the interplay between physical and mental health and the economic impact of mental health problems. She has expertise in the linkage and use of large and complex datasets to inform mental health policy. She has major national collaborations across the UK as well as internationally, including in low and middle-income countries in South-East Asia and Africa. She has published widely and acted as an adviser to various UK government and other agencies, as well as the World Bank, WHO and OECD, and her research has had significant impact on policy.

David Johnston is a Professor and Deputy Director at the Centre for Health Economics, Monash University. His research focuses on health and labour economics, with a particular interest in mental health and wellbeing, resilience, and health inequities. Since completing his PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2007, David has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles in leading economics and health journals. His work applies advanced econometric methods to large datasets to evaluate the impacts of economic, social, and environmental factors on health outcomes. David’s research has been supported by approximately A$30 million in competitive funding. Recent projects have focused on the economic causes and impacts of child maltreatment, measuring the mental wellbeing costs of extreme climatic events, exploring how economic insecurity affects the mental health of workers, and quantifying socioeconomic inequities in mental healthcare use. Before joining Monash University, David held academic positions at Queensland University of Technology and the University of Melbourne.

Dr Eduardo P. Banzon is the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Director of the Health Practice Team. Doc Dodo, as he is fondly known, champions Universal Health Coverage, working closely with senior policy-makers in low- and middle-income ADB member countries in the Asia-Pacific region to develop and maintain health policies, strategies and operational plans, with the goals of improving health care provision, poverty reduction and improving human capital. Mental health is a current health sector priority for ADB. Doc Dodo is also an honorary visiting Associate Professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health of the National University of Singapore. He has over 32 years’ experience in a range of organizations, including serving as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (the national health insurer), and working at the World Bank and as a regional adviser for health economics and healthcare financing in the EMRO office of WHO.

Preliminary Pre-Congress Session Program

Long oral presentation

There will be up to 5 of these presentations per session. Each presentation should be 10 minutes long, to allow for 5 minutes of discussion per presentation.

Short oral presentation

These sessions will have up to 10 presentations, each of 6 minutes, leaving time for some discussion.

Flash oral presentation

We are introducing an innovative form of oral presentation for the 2025 Congress. These “flash” oral presentations are 3 minutes long, consisting of 12 auto-advanced slides with 15 seconds per slide. There will be up to 15 of these presentations per session, allowing plenty of time at the end for one-on-one engagement with presenters whose research is of interest to you.

This presentation style draws on the increasingly popular “Pecha Kucha” and “Ignite” format of presentations; we have adapted the format slightly. If you are wondering how it is possible to present your work in such a short space of time, look up the “Three Minute Thesis (3MT)” – thousands of students participate in national, regional and global 3MT competitions every year. And they can only use one slide, while our “flash” orals will allow 12.

We will prepare PPT templates and guidance notes for those allocated a “Flash oral” presentation. We are also planning to have prizes for presenters and session participants.

Venue

The Congress and Pre-Congress sessions will be held at the Bali International Convention Centre (BICC), which is located at the Westin Resort, Nusa Dua, Bali.

Hotels

The Congress will happen during the high tourism season in Bali, so we strongly recommend that you make your hotel bookings as soon as possible. You need to book directly with the hotel of your choice.

IHEA’s room block at the Westin Resort Nusa Dua is officially SOLD OUT. If you would still like to stay at the Westin, you can book a room at their regular rate here.

There are many other 5, 4 and 3 star hotels within a 5 to 20 minute walk of the BICC/Westin resort. For those with a limited budget, accommodation for <USD100 per night is available, particularly in 4 star hotels (e.g. Grand Bali Nusa Dua, Mercure, The Nest Hotel and The Grand Whiz) or 3 star hotels (e.g. Hotel Santika Siligita Nusa Dua).

For a full list of near by accommodations click here.

Visas

All international participants* attending the IHEA 2025 Congress in Bali, Indonesia, must obtain the appropriate visa based on their role in the event or country of residence. Please review the information below to determine which visa applies to you.

*Citizens of ASEAN countries do not need a visa to visit Bali for up to 30 days. This includes citizens of Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste.

1. Most Delegates & Participants

Visa Type: B1 – Tourist Visa (Visa on Arrival – VoA)
Requirements:
- Passport from one of these countries
- Passport valid for at least 6 months
- Proof of outbound ticket from Indonesia
Application Process: This can be obtained by applying online via https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/ or upon arrival at Indonesian airports. We highly recommend applying online to ensure a smoother and faster entry process. Applying in advance helps you avoid potential delays at the airport and ensures you have all necessary documents prepared before your trip.
Letter of Invitation: Not required

2. Speakers and Moderators in Plenary Sessions only and Delegates from countries not eligible for B1/VoA Visas

Visa Type: C10 – Invited Event Participants Visa
Requirements:
- Passport valid for at least 6 months
- Personal bank statements for the past 3 months with a minimum balance of USD 2,000
- A recent color photograph (must be a minimum of 400x600px, maximum size of 2 Mb in JPEG, JPG or PNG format, standard passport head and shoulders composition)
Application Process: InaHEA must apply on your behalf as a guarantor – after you register, please complete the form here to allow InaHEA to do this. Once your visa application has been submitted, a billing number will be issued for the payment. Payments can be made using Mastercard, Visa, or JCB credit or debit cards. Please note that your application will only be reviewed after the payment has been successfully completed.

3. Calling Visa – Special Countries

Participants from the following countries must apply for a Calling Visa, which InaHEA will facilitate as a guarantor: Afghanistan, Israel, North Korea, Liberia, Nigeria, Somalia.

Requirements:
- Passport valid for at least 6 months
- Personal bank statements for the past 3 months with a minimum balance of USD 2,000
- A recent color photograph (must be a minimum of 400x600px, maximum size of 2 Mb in JPEG, JPG or PNG format, standard passport head and shoulders composition)
- Curriculum Vitae / Resume
- Date of arrival and date of departure
InaHEA must apply on your behalf as a guarantor – after you register, please complete the form here to allow InaHEA to do this. Once your visa application has been submitted, a billing number will be issued for the payment. Payments can be made using Mastercard, Visa, or JCB credit or debit cards. Please note that your application will only be reviewed after the payment has been successfully completed.

If you could not find the information above on a visa-related inquiry, please reach out to events@healtheconomics.org (cc: info.inahea@gmail.com). We will do our best to point you in the right direction.

Scientific Committee

The Scientific Committee (SC) plays a critical role in IHEA congresses given that the program is based on abstracts accepted through a rigorous peer-review process. An open call is issued for IHEA members to express their interest in serving on the panel to review abstracts submitted for each congress. Those who have served on the SC Review Panel for at least two recent congresses are eligible to be considered to serve as Program Chairs. There are two to three Program Chairs for each health economics field, who work together to finalize the abstract acceptances (from the review panel scores) and compile individual abstracts into coherent sessions. To be considered for the position of overall SC Co-Chair, an IHEA member needs to have served as a Program Chair for at least two recent congresses.

Members of the Scientific Committee for the 2025 Congress are listed below.

Paula Lorgelly

Chair

University of Auckland/Waipapa Taumata Rau

Karen Grépin

Co-Chair

University of Hong Kong

Program Chairs

Review Panel

Program Chairs

Review Panel

Funding Partners

Funding partners play a critical role in the success of the IHEA congress, particularly to keep registration fees affordable and to support the participation of full-time students and delegates from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Funding partners can make a general contribution to assisting with congress costs, or can specify how they would like their funds used. The main options for specified fund use are:

To assist delegates in financial need: LMIC delegates and/or students
Support for a specific event during the congress, such as the opening reception, the main social event, the mentoring lunch for students and early career researchers (ECRs), or pre-congress session for ECRs

Contributions of any size are greatly appreciated and all contributors will be acknowledged. There are specific benefit packages for contributions of USD25,000 and above.

Gold US$75,000 +

3 complimentary delegate registrations
Half-day pre-congress session* (70 seater)
Acknowledgements: Logo & name on program, website, plenary slides & banners

Silver US$50,000 +

2 complimentary delegate registrations
Half-day pre-congress session* (30 seater)
Acknowledgements: Logo & name on program, website, plenary slides & banners

Bronze US$25,000 +

1 complimentary delegate registration
90 minute pre-congress session* (30 seater)
Acknowledgements: Name on program, website, plenary slides & banners

* All pre-congress session proposals will be reviewed for appropriateness by IHEA and local organizers