The EuHEA Conference 2024 in Vienna explored various perspectives on health economics, from macro analyses of health systems to microeconomic studies on patient and provider behaviors. The goal was to foster a comprehensive understanding of the latest research and inform effective, equitable, and sustainable health policies. The event, themed “Opening up perspectives on health economics,” was held from June 30 to July 3, 2024.
Attendees from the Nova SBE Health Economics & Management Knowledge Center (NHEM) included Céu Mateus, Carolina Borges da Cunha Santos, Eduardo Costa, Francisca Vargas Lopes, Francisco Madeira, Joana Gomes da Costa, Joana Pestana, and João Vasco Santos. Their presentations covered a range of topics:
- Carolina Borges da Cunha Santos: "Multimarket competition and pharmaceutical firms' exit decision"
- Eduardo Costa: "The Impact of Health professionals' retirement on hospital activity and patient outcomes"
- Francisca Vargas Lopes: "Mental health status and employment trends in the United States: Have these changed for good?"
- Francisco Madeira: "Trends in productivity and consultation times in Portuguese primary care, 2015–2022"
- Joana Gomes da Costa: "Factors influencing the distribution of public and private health care provision: Human resources in the context of health in Portugal"
- Joana Paula Pestana: "Could you please remind me? – Impact of SMS reminders on hospital appointments"
- João Vasco Santos: "The value of healthy ageing: Estimating the economic value of health at older ages using time use data"
On July 1, during the General Assembly of the European Health Economics Association (EuHEA), Céu Mateus was elected President of the association.
Joana Gomes da Costa shared her experience at the conference, highlighting both the academic and social aspects. She attended insightful sessions, including a lecture by Carol Propper on medical labor and a panel on the healthcare workforce crisis, and presented her own research on health care provision in Portugal. Outside the conference, Joana enjoyed exploring Vienna's landmarks, sampling local cuisine with colleagues, and engaging in vibrant social events. The conference concluded with a festive gathering at the Vienna City Hall, allowing participants to connect on a personal level. Joana expressed her excitement for EuHEA 2026 in Rotterdam, anticipating another enriching experience combining scholarship and camaraderie.
"If you aim to spend some days hearing about health economics while having the opportunity to add a new destination to your portfolio, EuHEA Conference is the option you are looking for.
Every two years, EuHEA organizes the prime conference in Europe about health economics. This year it was in Austria, in its beautiful capital Vienna, under the moto “Opening up perspectives on health economics”.
I decided to go earlier to enjoy the city and what it had to offer. If I had to highlight what I enjoyed the most in Vienna, I would say St. Stephen's Cathedral, climbing the North tower with its 347 stairs to see a 360-degree view of Vienna; get inspired by the Österreichische Nationalbibliotek and its thousands of books and superb atmosphere; and the Austrian beer at Rathauspark to appreciate the quiet of nature within the city while cooling down from the heat. Sightseeing around the city also allowed me to see the Parliament, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Hofburg and the Universität Wien (WU).
The opportunity to see friends and colleagues from APES (the Portuguese Association for Health Economics) and other institutions was another highlight. They joined me while eating a gigantic Schnitzel at Figlmüller, Goulash while watching Portugal beating Slovenia in the Euro Cup, and kaiserschmarrn right before dancing at the Festival Hall of the Vienna City Hall.
EuHEA had its opening reception in the Learning Center at the WU Campus. The first day of conference couldn’t start in a better way with Carol Propper lecturing us about Medical Labour under Low Powered Financial Incentives. This was particularly interesting for me as medical workforce distortions may lead to several entropies within the health system and it is a topic that is being discussed across all health systems. This subject continued through the second day with a panel discussion on New Perspectives on the Healthcare Workforce Crisis.
The topic on prevention was also focused on the conference. As a health economist working at the pharmaceutical industry, I’ve realized (again!) that the industry, although aiming to promote the access to innovative medicines, also considers prevention as one of the important pillars of health. In fact, the pharmaceutical industry and academia may not be that different in their vision and goals.
Besides attending to the conference, I’ve also presented a joint research paper with Joana Cima and Eduardo Costa named “Factors influencing the distribution of public and private health care provision: Human resources in the context of health in Portugal” where we aimed to analyze the determinants of dual-practice and the role of wage competition in the distribution of physicians in the public and private sector in Portugal. Joana Cima presented the final part of this study named “War of two Worlds”: The Study of Dual Practice Dynamics among Physicians in Portugal” where we analyze the role of dual practice and its determinants as well as we aim to understand the factors affecting the transition of a physician from (i) full-time NHS contract to dual practice and (ii) from dual practice to full-time private sector contract.
The social event at the Festival Hall of the Vienna City Hall marked the end of the Conference. This was a lovely opportunity to get to know more about each other away from our research as we danced the night away to some cool moves!
I could not finish this article without a particular mention to Céu Mateus, who was elected President of EuHEA at this Conference. She has been a friend and a mentor, and I am proud to see a woman as determined and competent as she is taking the reins of EuHEA!
I’ll keep studying and researching, hoping that EuHEA 2026 in Rotterdam allows for the same combination of the best of both worlds – scholars and friends, side by side, having fun while exchanging experiences, best practices, and knowledge."