ISPOR New Professionals Fireside Chat -- Networking At Conferences

My colleagues, Drs. Sankeet Shah and Koen Degeling, hosted a conversation with Dr. Julia Slejko from the University of Maryland and Dr. Aryana Sepassi from the University of California, Irvine about their experiences and strategies for networking at ISPOR conferences. Dr. Slejko is an Associate Professor of Practice, Science, and Health Outcomes and has a wealth of experiences attending ISPOR conferences. Dr. Aryana Sepassi is an Assistant Professor of Outcomes Research and has just attend her first ISPOR conference in May 2022. Both guest share their unique perspectives on networking at these large conferences and provide suggestions on how to maximize your experience.

You can listen to their conversation on Soundcloud.

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ISPOR New Professionals Fireside Chat -- Finding Sponsorship and Mentorship in the Workplace

This month, I had the privledge of participating in the first ISPOR New Professionals Fireside Chat on “Finding Sponsorship & Mentorship in the Workplace" with my colleague Dr. Ka Keat Lim from the King’s College London. We discussed the differences between mentors and sponsors, and our relevant experiences being both the mentors/sponsors and mentee/sponsorees.

We referenced Janice Omadeke’s paper, “What’s the Difference Between a Mentor and Sponsor?” article in the Harvard Business Review to get the conversation started.

In preparation for our podcast, I learned about the differences between the roles of the mentor and sponsor and the challenges for identifying someone in your workplace who can serve either of these roles. More importantly, I also learned about my role as a mentee and sponsoree.

I hope this podcast is helpful and opens the door for your future career development.

The ISPOR New Professionals Network is composed of 750+ recent graduates from health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) related programs. Membership in the Network is available to former ISPOR student members and any new members who join that possess 3 years or less of HEOR experience. To learn more about the ISPOR New Professionals Network, please visit our website.

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ISPOR 2022 North American conference (May 15-18, 2022) -- My experience

I traveled to Washington, DC for the North American ISPOR 2022 conference (May 15-18, 2022).

I volunteered to report on several sessions with my colleague Enrique Saldarriga; we wrote articles that were published on the ISPOR Values & Outcomes Spotlight special conference issue. Some of the sessions were provided virtually on-demand as early as 13 May 2022.

On Friday, 13 May 2022, we reported on, “Applications of Discrete Choice Experiments for Patient Preference Elicitation,” which was moderated by Dr. Ellen Janssen with panelists Drs. Rosanne Janssens, Susan dosReis, and Hannah Collacott.

On Monday, 16, May 2022, we reported on the following sessions:

How to Apply Machine Learning to Health Economics and Outcomes Research: Findings from the ISPOR Machine Learning Task Force

Dealing with Disability in Health Technology Assessment (HTA)

How Much Weight Should be Placed on Additional Value Elements in Health Technology Assessment?

On Tuesday, 17 May 2022, we reported on the following session:

Can Pharmaceutical Pricing Move Beyond Cost/QALY for Value Consideration?

On Wednesday 18 May 2022, we reported on the following session:

Health Technology Assessment for Gene Therapies: Are Our Methods Fit for Purpose?

We also provided a report on select posters in the Mental Health category

Finally, I was part of the New Professionals Steering Committee Panel on Tuesday, 17 May 2022, where the steering committee discussed the topic, “Things They Didn't Teach in Grad School: Survival Skills for New Professionals.“

This was first time ISPOR had a in-person meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Unlike previous in-person meetings, this year’s conference had both virtual and in-person options, which I appreciated. It allowed for speakers who were unable to attend in-person provide compelling presentations and sessions, and it allowed for attendees to tune in from around the world. I’m looking forward to the next meeting in 2023.

Formulating a good research question

On April 16, 2020, I gave a presentation to students from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Student Chapter at the University of Washington’s Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy, & Economics (CHOICE) Institute. I reviewed some of the ways to think about a research topic, how to narrow the scope of the topic, and how to formulate a specific and testable research question. The presentation was meant to help students develop their own process for developing a good research question for their thesis.

I discussed the FINER criteria for formulating a research question

I also discussed the PICOT format of a research question.

The presentation is available on the CHOICE Institute’s blog: https://choiceblog.org/2020/04/27/best-practices-in-developing-research-questions/