March 2016 NUI Galway Hosts an Array of International Speakers for Health Economics Masterclass

First time an event of this type has been held in Ireland

NUI Galway will host a Masterclass in Health Economics from 21-24 March. This is the first time an event of this type has been held in Ireland and offers a rare opportunity for early career researchers to gain access to preeminent researchers at a critical juncture of their career and in the case of Ireland in the development of our healthcare system.

Health care systems have and will come under increasing pressure as demand for care rises, more new and expensive technologies become available and the expectations of the public for services continue to rise. Within this context, it is more important than ever that there exists in Ireland people with the skills to critically assess the challenges that face the system, the claims and counter claims made in respect of it and; who can help provide evidence based solutions to the challenges faced.

The class will expose early career researchers from Ireland, the USA, the UK and continental Europe to the work of preeminent economists working in the area of health. The faculty contributing to the class include internationally recognised experts who have provided advice to government and industry in the US, UK and Ireland, as well as pioneering the use and teaching of economics to address issues and problems in health and health care.

Delegates will be exposed to the latest research in lectures, laboratories and smaller informal discussion sessions, share their experiences and given hands-on experience in the use of data in laboratory sessions. They will also have the opportunity to meet and discuss with editors of leading academic journals publication strategies and with policy advisors on ensuring the effective translation of research into policy design and practice.

Professor Ciaran O’Neill, NUI Galway’s discipline of Economics, said: “The class is being provided with support from AbbVie Limited and NUI Galway that has allowed us to heavily subsidise attendance by delegates. The event is being run on a strictly non-profit basis and we hope will help develop a group of individuals with critical skills to meet the growing challenges for healthcare in Ireland and beyond.”

Speakers and topics covered at the Masterclass will include:

• John Cawley, Cornell University – The Economics of Obesity

• Dave Madden, UCD – Health Transitions: Applications in Adolescent Obesity
• Mark McClellan, Duke University – Recent developments and expected trends in healthcare finance and delivery reforms
• John Mullahy, University of Wisconsin – Health outcomes in economic analysis
• Anne Nolan, The Economic and Social Research Institute – Access to and use of healthcare: studies in primary care
• Ciaran O'Neill, NUI Galway – Uptake of preventive services: studies in cancer
• Eamon O'Shea, NUI Galway – The economics of dementia
• Mark Pauly, University of Pennsylvania – The Future of Health Insurance: Will Lower Income People Be Allowed to Choose Plans with Cost Sharing?
• Jody Sindelar, Yale University – Economic issues in addiction
• Jonathan Skinner, The Dartmouth Institute – Publishing economics in medical journals

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