ISPOR Victoria and Tasmania Student Chapter Virtual Symposium

On May 27, 2021, the ISPOR Victoria and Tasmania Student Chapter held its inaugural Virtual Symposium on the theme: Preparing Future Health Systems.

The conference began with a keynote address from Professor Khalid Kamal, West Virginia University, Chair of the Faculty Advisor Council, ISPOR. Professor Kamal presented an overview of health economics and outcomes research from its humble beginnings calculating the costs of health services to more advanced decision-making analysis that incorporated both costs and outcomes. Prof Kamal noted that the future discipline of health economics and outcomes research is increasingly critical in tackling worldwide issues by harnessing big data and considering sustainability and prevention.

The keynote address was followed by 6 workshops by International and Australian presenters including A/Prof Jason Ong from the University of Melbourne, covering the use of R, discrete choice experiments the value of information, reporting standards, thriving in the research environment and leadership. A highlight of the day was the Virtual Student Symposium where 5 speakers were selected to present work from their PhD studies. Speakers included Dr Cate Bailey (University of Melbourne), Martin Vu (University of Melbourne), Clara Marquina (Monash University), Laura McCosker (Griffith University) and Thi Thu Ngan Dinh (Deakin University). The symposium was well-attended and a highlight for the outgoing executive team.