Twelfth Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists

Abstract The purpose of the Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Annual American Society of Health Economists (ASHEcon) Conferences is to enable the community of health economists, health services researchers, and health policy researchers to gather and present research, exchange ideas, gain new skills, and learn about

current policy issues.. While we believe these conferences will contain aspects touching on all four types of conference priorities highlighted by AHRQ, ours is primarily a research development conference. The conference objectives are as follows: 1) To offer members of the health economics and health policy community in academia, government, contract

research organizations, and industry an opportunity to present and discuss high quality studies representing new, rigorous, innovative research in important areas of health economics in an intensive large conference setting. The central component of the conference is the dissemination of cutting edge, policy relevant research.

Many of the research papers that will be presented at ASHEcon’s conferences will focus on health and health care disparities, as well as AHRQ priority populations. 2) To foster the development and implementation of methodologically rigorous approaches in the study of policy significant empirical health economics and policy research.

3) To provide workshops to enhance the empirical skills and capabilities of health economists and related researchers as well as to aid students in skill-development, and to facilitate the career development of the next generation of health economic scholars through career development activities and awards across the career

spectrum. 4) To provide opportunities for health economists and the health policy community to engage with one another and network to create, develop and foster connections for future research collaborations. Anticipated outcomes include improved research through the exchange of new study findings, dissemination of

cutting-edge methods and crosscutting research ideas, better health policies, and the development of the next generation of health economics and health policy researchers. The conference provides significant time for networking and fostering collaboration among researchers. Evaluations of past ASHEcon conferences indicate

high marks on all dimensions. The aims of ASHEcon’s conferences are consistent with the mission of AHRQ stated in PA-16-453 for large conference grants “to improve the outcomes, quality, access to, and cost and utilization of health care services” and AHRQ’s goal of supporting conferences contributing to the dissemination of research findings, to

research design and methodology, and to research training, infrastructure, and career development.