PhD- Making better use of cost-effectiveness analyses in health care

Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM) invites applications for a fully- funded, four-year PhD position at the department of Health Economics.

Job description
We are recruiting a PhD candidate for a project on the development of tools for making better use of the results of cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) when informing reimbursement decisions in health care.

CEAs have become increasingly important for informing decisions on the reimbursement of new health technologies in many countries. The area in which CEA is currently most widely applied is in the context of new, patented, and often expensive pharmaceuticals. To determine whether these pharmaceuticals are eligible for reimbursement from public funding, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of a new pharmaceutical is often compared to a monetary threshold value. In case the ICER falls below this threshold value, a pharmaceutical is considered cost-effective, and reimbursement is commonly approved. In case the ICER is higher than the threshold value (or when reimbursement is associated with a high financial risk), health authorities often initiate price negotiations with the manufacturer of the pharmaceutical. This use of CEA in reimbursement decisions is based on theoretical models with assumptions that are often violated in practice. Consequently, it is unclear whether the current use of CEA in practice leads to reimbursement decisions that maximize population health and societal welfare.

The aim of this project is to develop tools that enhance the use of CEA results to improve reimbursement decisions in health care. This will contribute to more effective price negotiations, support the strategic and long-term policies of health authorities, ensure efficient care, and ultimately, improve public health. As a PhD candidate working on this project, you will use qualitative (e.g. interviews with decision makers, stakeholders.) and quantitative research (e.g. regression modelling, simulation modelling) methods to provide insight into relevant research gaps. The (research) skills you will develop during your PhD trajectory are of value for a future career in academia, government, or the health industry.

The PhD position is offered within the department of Health Economics at Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). Your supervisors are Prof. dr. Pieter van Baal and Dr. Vivian Reckers-Droog of ESHPM, and Dr. Lonneke Timmers of the National Health Care Institute (ZIN). Your supervisors give guidance on your research and on various opportunities to present your work in scientific articles and at conferences, to take and teach courses, to arrange a research visit abroad, and to liaise with policymakers. As such, this PhD position enables you to establish a broad network in health economics and policy.

Finally, you will teach courses offered within the bachelor and master programmes of Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (about 15% of your time).

Requirements:

You are expected to have a (research) master’s degree in health economics, health care policy or management, economics, econometrics, or another relevant master’s degree. The position requires qualitative and quantitative research skills. Therefore, you need to have experience with qualitative and quantitative/statistical research software (e.g. Stata, or R). Moreover, you have excellent Dutch and English communication and writing skills.

Salary Benefits:

We offer a full-time position as PhD student at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). The PhD candidate will be located at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). We offer a 1.5-year position with the possibility of extension to 4 years based on performance. Starting date of this PhD appointment is as soon as possible and no later than January 1, 2025.

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 01-NOV-2024 and you will be located in Rotterdam Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). This position is for 1 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.872 to a maximum of € 3.670 gross per month Scale PhD on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

32 - 40 hours per week

Burgemeester Oudlaan 50