We are happy to announce Amitabh Chandra as keynote speaker at the lolaHESG 2024 conference! Amitabh Chandra, the Ethel Zimmerman Wiener Professor at Harvard Kennedy School and the Henry and Allison McCance Professor at Harvard Business School, is a distinguished health policy expert. Professor Chandra is a member of the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) Panel of Health Advisors, and is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). His influential research in biopharmaceutical innovation, healthcare value, medical malpractice, and racial disparities has earned him multiple prestigious awards. Professor Chandra's impactful work has been featured in top journals, including the American Economic Review, the Journal of Political Economy, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and Health Affairs. Moreover, his work has been prominently highlighted in leading media platforms such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, Newsweek, and National Public Radio.
Click here for the full profile of Professor Chandra
Additional lolaHESG information
The parallel sessions
During the lolaHESG conference, draft papers are presented and discussed in a number of parallel sessions with the objective to improve the quality of the papers. The main language during these sessions is English to enable international scholars to participate in discussions.
Structure parallel sessions
The structure of the parallel sessions follows that of the Health Economists' Study Group (HESG) in the United Kingdom:
- Each parallel session is chaired
- For each paper 45 minutes of discussion time is available (per parallel session 2, max 3, papers are discussed)
- Each paper is discussed by a discussant, the author of the paper, and the audience.
- Each session starts with a presentation of 20 minutes by the discussant, in which s/he discusses the main content of the draft paper and highlights important remarks for discussion. The presentation ends with an overview of discussion points (1 or 2 slides).
- The author then has 10 minutes to clarify matters (if necessary) or to answer the questions raised by the discussant. The author can indicate which discussion points s/he considers to be most interesting and relevant for improving the paper, but does not (yet) respond to the discussion points raised by the discussant.
- An in-depth plenary discussion of the paper will follow for 15 minutes, during which the audience is invited to actively participate in the discussion between the discussant and author by raising their owns questions and providing their own feedback.
- It is assumed that the audience has read the paper that is discussed.
- The discussant and author have the opportunity to briefly respond to any points made at the end of the session (if they wish to do so).
Roles during parallel sessions
- Session chair
- Ensures that participants perform their assigned roles during the parallel session
- Keeps track of the time: 20 minutes for presentation of the discussant, 10 minutes for author's response, and 15 minutes for plenary discussion
- Stimulates discussion and minimizes unproductive time
- If applicable, stimulates the audience to participate in the discussion
- Ensures that the discussion is focused on open questions
- Discussant
- Helps the author further improve the paper by providing feedback on the draft and suggestions for improvement
- Presents a short summary of the draft paper in 20 minutes and highlights important points for discussion as raised by the author and him-/herself
- Author
- Highlights important points for discussion (preferably in the draft paper)
- If applicable, clarifies unclear matters in the draft paper raised by the discussant or the audience
- Indicates which discussion points are most relevant to him/her
- Audience
- Reads the draft paper before the session
- Participate actively in the discussion
Conference fee
The registration fee of 325 euros covers accommodation for one night (Thursday, May 16, 2024) at Landgoed ISVW in Leusden, including the following:
On Thursday, May 16, 2024:
- Welcome with coffee and tea
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Refreshments between sessions
- Social drinks
- Party
On Friday, May 17, 2024:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Refreshments between sessions
- Social drinks at the end of the conference
The registration fee is fixed, regardless of opting out of the overnight stay. During registration, you can choose to book an additional night at Landgoed ISVW for May 15th, 2024 for an additional fee.
Cancellation and refunds
The organizing committee must be informed by email (hera@vu.nl) in case of cancellation.
- In case of cancellation before (and no later than) the 15th of March the full registration fee will be refunded.
- In case of cancellation between the 15th of March and the 15th of April the registration fee minus 115 euros will be refunded.
- Cancellation after April 15th: No refunds will be made
Organising Committee
lolaHESG 2024 is organised by HERA (Health Economics Research Amsterdam) The organising and scientific committee are chaired by dr. Yvonne Krabbe-Alkemade and dr. France Portrait, respectively. Both committees are assisted by researchers and supporting staff from the section Health Economics of the department of Ethics, Governance & Society (School of Business and Economics), department of Economics (School of Business and Economics) and department of Health Sciences (Faculty of Science) of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
