EuHEA Conference in Rotterdam

Participating in the EuHEA Conference in Rotterdam was an inspiring and enriching experience for the team from the Chair of Health Economics, Policy and Management at the School of Medicine, University of St.Gallen. The group — PhD students Jonas Backes and Daria Bukanova-Berend, alongside postdoctoral researchers David Ehlig, Irene Salvi, and Justus Vogel — had the opportunity to present current work to an international research community.

The team's contributions reflected the breadth of their work in health policy, health economics, health services research, and healthcare management science. Presented studies addressed a wide range of questions, including fairer approaches to evaluating outcomes after hip and knee replacement through improved adjusted minimal important changes; the effects of the Swiss hospital planning reform on hospital costs; and the impact of national cancer centre certifications on quality, travel times, and the centralisation of cancer surgeries in Germany. Further presentations explored the complexity of quality indicators and priority-setting for a future Swiss quality monitoring system, as well as the causal effects of non-adherence to treatment targets on mortality in intensive-care medicine.

Together, these projects underline the Chair's commitment to generating policy-relevant evidence that supports high-quality, efficient, and equitable healthcare.

Beyond presenting their own research, the conference offered valuable opportunities for exchange with researchers from around the world. Discussions following the presentations, inspiring keynote sessions, and informal conversations provided new perspectives for ongoing projects and potential future collaborations.

The team thanks the EuHEA organisers and looks forward to the next conference in Paris in 2028.