EcoEchoes

EcoEchoes
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Hello, listeners! In 2024, a professor and a group of PhD students decided it was time to give research in health economics a voice (or set of voices!). Through this podcast, we aim to reveal the stories behind health economics research, create a resource for PhD students, academics, and anyone with an interest in this field, review key conferences and share tips that help us make our way in academia.

  1. 16 HR AGO

    Episode 35: Johannes Cordier on Machine Learning, Sepsis Detection, and Hospital Ward Allocation

    This episode features Johannes Cordier, a visiting PhD student from the University of St. Gallen at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Johannes discusses two papers using Swiss hospital administrative data. The first examines how machine learning methods can identify under-reported sepsis cases, shedding light on how coding practices and reimbursement incentives affect data quality. The second studies how patient placement across hospital wards influences mortality, combining causal machine learning with decision-theoretic approaches to account for capacity constraints. The episode concludes with reflections on research visits, academic conferences, and practical advice for PhD students navigating research careers and industry pathways. Guest: Johannes Cordier, Visiting PhD Student (University of St. Gallen) Hosts: Fanny Tallgren, Prithviraj Basu Mallik Timestamps: (01:50) Background and research focus (03:40) Sepsis under-reporting and admin data (11:35) Machine learning methods (17:40) Patient placement and mortality (31:20) Research visits and PhD career advice

    55 min

  2. 12 JAN

    Episode 34: Sanna Azzouz on Treating Ventricular Tachycardia Using Image-Guided Ablation

    This episode’s guest is Sanna Azzouz, PhD candidate in Health Technology Assessment at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She discusses her paper "Cost-effectiveness analysis of image-guided ablation versus conventional ablation in patients with recurrent ventricular tachycardia in France: results from the inEurHeart trial". The conversation covers how ventricular tachycardia develops after myocardial infarction, the clinical and economic trade-offs between different treatment options, and how AI-based imaging can reduce procedure time and costs without compromising patient outcomes. The episode also reflects on the challenges of measuring quality of life in severe cardiac conditions and translating short-term trial results into long-term health economic insights. In the final part, Sanna shares her experience working at the intersection of healthcare, economics, and AI, and offers personal advice for PhD students on growth, balance, and enjoying the research journey. Guest: Sanna Azzouz, PhD Candidate, Erasmus University Rotterdam Hosts: Karen Trujillo, Andrea De Palma Timestamps: (00:55) Sanna’s background and research focus (06:55) Ventricular tachycardia and treatment pathways (12:54) Image-guided vs conventional ablation and AI (15:45) The InHeart trial and key findings (23:00) Quality of life, uncertainty, and long-term outcomes (38:53) Advice for PhD students and early-career researchers

    43 min

  3. 16/12/2025

    Episode 33: Stefan Lipman on Promoting healthy behaviour with financial incentives

    In this episode, Stefan Lipman, Assistant Professor at Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (Erasmus University Rotterdam), discusses with us how financial incentives can be used to promote healthy behaviour. The conversation covers incentive design (carrots vs. sticks), ethical and equity considerations, funding and cost-effectiveness, the role of structural determinants of health, and the sustainability of behaviour change. In the final part, he shares advice for PhD students and early-career researchers on teaching, presenting, and transitioning to a PhD in Health Economics coming from a different background. Guest: Stefan Lipman, Assistant Professor, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (Erasmus University Rotterdam) Hosts: Karen Trujillo, Andrea de Palma   (03:35) Stefan's research background and motivation (06:08) Why to focus on financial incentives for healthy behaviour? (09:52) Carrots and sticks: reward-based and loss-based designs (14:34) Targeting and equity (24:25) Combining financial incentives (35:00) Structural influences on healthy behaviour (59:57) Transitioning into a PhD in health economics coming from a different background

    1h 3m

  4. 02/12/2025

    Conference Review 6: International Long-Term Care Policy Network (ILPN) 2024 Conference in Bilbao

    In this episode, we have a casual chat about Prithvi’s experience attending and presenting at the International Long-Term Care Policy Network (ILPN) 2024 Conference in Bilbao. We talk about what the conference was like, from the city to the general vibe, and what it’s like to present research to a mixed audience. More broadly, we chat about navigating big conferences solo, tips for meeting people and starting conversations, and general observations about conference culture.    Hosts: Prithviraj Basu Mallik & Fanny Tallgren If you would like to learn more about this conference, click here to go to the ILPN website.

    18 min

  5. 18/11/2025

    Episode 32: Job van Exel and Informal Care

    In this episode of EcoEchoes, we speak with Professor Job van Exel, a health economist, director of research at ESHPM, and the original founder of this podcast. We discuss the challenges in defining and measuring informal caregiving, especially for incorporating it into economic evaluations and then to further down the line inform policy. For example, we talk about the distinctions between objective and subjective burden, and the different assumptions and potential biases in different valuation approaches (proxy good, opportunity cost, contingent valuation, perseverance time). In the final part of the episode, Job reflects on his career trajectory, the role of luck and curiosity, and gives advice for early-stage researchers on career planning and embracing opportunities.   Guest: Job van Exel, Professor of Health Economics at Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM), Erasmus University Rotterdam Host: Fanny Tallgren, Andrea De Palma   If you are interested in reading more about this topic, then this paper summarizes work done at ESHPM in terms of measuring and valuing the impact of patient interventions on informal carers. In this paper, you can learn more about the perseverance time measure, and in this paper, how to use a discrete choice experiment to determine the value of an hour of time caregiving. This paper describes how to include broader effects of caregiving in an economic evaluation of a patient intervention using a measure that is compatible with how effects are measured in patients (and the healthcare perspective). This paper shows how to estimate caregiver time using information that is typically available in clinical trials: the EQ-5D scores of patients and their gender.

    57 min

  6. 04/11/2025

    Episode 31: Danae Arroyos-Calvera on how uncertainty shapes cooperation in public good games

    This episode’s guest is Danae Arroyos-Calvera, Associate Professor in Behavioural and Experimental Economics at the University of Birmingham. She discusses her research on cooperation, moral wiggle room, and plausible deniability in public goods games. The conversation explores the challenge of translating lab findings to policy, the importance of publishing null results, and the balance between image, incentives, and fairness in human behaviour. In the final part, Danae shares advice for early-career researchers on trusting the process, asking for what you need, and handling tough seminar questions with confidence. Guest: Danae Arroyos-Calvera, Associate Professor, University of Birmingham Host: Fanny Tallgren, Andrea De Palma Timestamps: (00:20) Danae’s research background in behavioural economics (07:25) The “Limits of Moral Wiggle Room” experiment (23:00) Results and implications (27:00) From lab to policy and the value of null results (42:00) Advice for PhD students and young researchers

    48 min

  7. 21/10/2025

    Episode 30: Yubraj Acharya on Reducing Non-Prescription Antibiotics Use

    In this episode, Yubraj Acharya discusses his paper ‘Reducing Non-Prescription Antibiotics Use through Community Education in Low-Income Countries’. He sheds light on the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and shares about the intervention he conducted in Nepal, aimed at reducing non-prescribed antibiotic use among parents of children. Guest: Yubraj Acharya, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration and Demography at Pennsylvania State University, The United States. Hosts: Fanny Tallgren, Karen Trujillo Jara Timestamps: 0:36 Meet our guest: Yubraj Acharya 06:00 Drivers of antibiotics use in community contexts 11:40 Series of work conducted on Antimicrobial Resistance 12:30 Components of the study intervention in Nepal 21:50 Findings  33:10 Considerations for scaling up a similar study in other settings 37:00 Experience of living in Rotterdam

    40 min

  8. 07/10/2025

    Episode 29: Judith Bom & Gaia Bagnasco on Ageing in Place with Dementia: Care Pathways and Data from the Netherlands

    In this episode, Judith Bom and Gaia Bagnasco discuss their latest paper mapping care pathways for people in their last 6 years before death with dementia in the Netherlands. You can find the paper here. First, we talk about why studying ageing and dementia matters and how the Dutch long-term care system works. We then move on to discuss what their latent class analysis reveals about three distinct care trajectories: the late formal care group, the mixed care group and the early nursing home group. We also talk about the important roles of informal care, income, gender and the home environment in predicting these pathways. Finally, we discuss their upcoming research on dementia-friendly housing and cross-country comparisons. Guest: Judith Bom (Assistant professor) and Gaia Bagnasco (PhD), both in health economics at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management Hosts: Fanny Tallgren, Dyllis De Pessemier Mentioned resources: Dementie in kaart

    50 min
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About

Hello, listeners! In 2024, a professor and a group of PhD students decided it was time to give research in health economics a voice (or set of voices!). Through this podcast, we aim to reveal the stories behind health economics research, create a resource for PhD students, academics, and anyone with an interest in this field, review key conferences and share tips that help us make our way in academia.

Information

  • Creator
    EcoEchoes
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    EcoEchoes