2021
2021
BEST THESIS IN HEALTH ECONOMICS 2021
The Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE) and the Bengt Jönsson Foundation for Health Economics Research are hereby pleased to announce the recipient of the scholarship for this year’s student thesis in health economics.
Recipients of this year’s scholarship are Kajsa Appelberg and Hannes Runheim for their master’s thesis “The Value of Diagnostics in Rare Diseases – A Health Economic Survey with Two Cases” presented at the Department of Economic and Industrial Development at Linköping University in the academic year 2020-2021.
The motivation from the Assessment Committee reads:
The possibility of rapid and reliable diagnosis is a central issue in the care of people with rare diseases with consequences both for patients and for resource consumption in healthcare. Advances in diagnostics, especially gene sequencing, are rapidly changing this area. In their paper, Kajsa Appelberg and Hannes Runheim examine the cost-effectiveness of an established method (newborn screening for PKU) with traditional modelling methodology and the value of whole genome sequencing through analysis of empirical cost data. The authors have familiarized themselves with a comprehensive literature in the field and meritoriously contrast the difference between analysis of a specific test and analysis of a battery of tests in clinical practice.
The assessment committee has consisted of Professor Peter Lindgren, Associate Professor Katarina Steen Carlsson and Dr Linus Jönsson. The decision has been taken by the Board of the Bengt Jönsson Foundation for Health Economic Research.
Honorable mention 2021
The Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE) and the Bengt Jönsson Foundation for Health Economics Research are hereby pleased to announce the following honorary mention within the framework of the 2021 scholarship for this year’s student thesis in health economics.
This year’s recipients have been selected in fierce competition with many high-quality nominated essays. Covered themes range from the use of statistical methods for extrapolating survival, over to cost-effectiveness analysis of specific interventions such as physical rehabilitation interventions, and to analysis of how authorities use data in their decisions. In particular, the Assessment Committee would like to highlight the following paper with an honorable mention:
Agnes Kågström and Olivia Zackrisson. Private health insurance in Sweden. Helping or disrupting the public specialist care queue? Department of Economics with Statistics, School of Economics at the University of Gothenburg
The assessment committee has consisted of Professor Peter Lindgren, Associate Professor Katarina Steen Carlsson and Dr Linus Jönsson.
The nomination period for the scholarship expired on June 18, 2021
The Swedish Institute for Health Economics and the Bengt Jönsson Foundation for Health Economics Research are pleased to announce a scholarship of 50,000 SEK awarded to the best bachelor’s or master’s thesis in health economics and related topics for the academic year 2020/2021.
Even before the pandemic it was clear that the health care systems were faced with numerous challenges, both in Sweden and internationally. Demographic shifts with an ageing population in combination with a citizenry with continuously increasing expectations on what health care should deliver puts strains on existing resources. At the same time health care providers face challenges in recruitment and health care payers’ issues with financing. The pandemic has highlighted new issues in the form of crisis management and coordination between stakeholders, but also driven developments in in the digital arena that may provide an avenue for necessary improvements in system efficiency in the future.
Health economics provide us with a toolbox to better understand the challenges we are faced with, to evaluate possible solutions and to contribute with the knowledge necessary to inform decisions about prioritization. To raise the awareness of this important field of research IHE and the Bengt Jönsson Foundation are rewarding an outstanding thesis in health economics. The addressed research question should have bearing on the societal challenges we are faced with today. Health economics has its origins as a branch of economics, but nominations of students from other related academic fields are also welcome.
Conditions
The scholarship is awarded based on the thesis relevance and quality by a committee consisting of professor Peter Lindgren, PhD; associate professor Katarina Steen Carlsson, PhD and Linus Jönsson, MD PhD. Relevance is assessed based on how well the thesis addresses current health economic topics. Quality is assessed based on originality, clarity of expression and methodological lucidity. Both qualitative and quantitative works are welcome. Nominated theses should have been published at a Swedish university during the academic year 2020/2021.
The scholarship will be awarded at the IHE Forum 2021 in October and will be advertised on the IHE web page in conjunction with this. The scholarship is 50,000 SEK for the rewarded thesis. In case the thesis is written by more than one student, the amount will be divided equally between the authors.
The thesis (in pdf format) along with a letter of nomination is to be sent June 18th 2021 the latest to:
Supervisors, examiners and students are all welcome to submit nominations for the scholarship. For more information, please contact IHE using the above-mentioned address.