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Heather Campbell PharmD, PhD candidate, ISPOR Past Student Chapter President 2006-2007, University of New Mexico College
of Pharmacy; Caitlyn Wilke MS, ISPOR Student Chapter President, 2007-2008, University of Illinois at Chicago; and Seina P. Lee,
PharmD, MS, ISPOR Student Network Council Chair, 2007- 2008, Thomas Jefferson University
ISPOR Student Corner: Looking Back and Moving Forward
Looking Back-
ISPOR Student Network
Activities at ISPOR 10th Annual
European Congress, Dublin,
Ireland, October 20-23, 2007
The 10th Annual ISPOR European Congress took
place in Dublin, Ireland from October 20-23,
2007. This congress had the highest attendance
of any ISPOR European congress to date. In
order to get a better idea about how the ISPOR
Student Network could improve its impact globally,
a luncheon was held for students in attendance.
Ten students and our ISPOR faculty advisor,
Dr. Zeba Khan, attended. In this forum, we
discussed the structure of different academic
programs, the importance of pharmacoeconomics
and outcomes research in each person's
respective country, and whether there would be
interest in forming student chapters at each university
or college.
Additionally, students were asked to complete a
brief survey on their interests in forming a chapter,
perceived barriers to chapter formation, and
their interest in topics for future forums at
European Congresses. Respondents were
unsure of whether there would be interest in
forming student chapters on their campus, with
concerns about time investment and lack of initiative
being perceived as the largest problems
for forming an ISPOR Student Chapter. Students
were, for the most part, unaware of free student
activities (e.g., mock interviews, social functions),
educational teleconferences, ISPOR
Student Travel Awards, or recruitment help
through the ISPOR employment center, which
gave us a great avenue for discussion during our
luncheon.
While the luncheon was small, it was a great success.
From our discussion, we realized that there
should be more communication between students
from the United States and students from
Europe. All students should be able to access the
ISPOR website and an ISPOR student membership
to enjoy the full benefits of the student network.
There was also high interest in student
forums with health economics, health policy, or
outcomes topics, student receptions, and
evening outings. The results of these surveys
will hopefully be used to plan a very successful
European Congress in Athens, Greece in 2008!
There were many interesting events beyond the
luncheon as well. In general, topics at the
European Congress overlapped, but had a slightly
different focus than the International
Conference, which is likely a result of a different
audience. There is still plenty to learn about from
each other. This was evident starting with the
First General Plenary: it is common for U.S.
health economic students to learn about Canada,
Mexico, Australia, and England health care, but
we doubt very few of us have been exposed to
the status of health care in Ireland before this
meeting. Between the many rows of posters, you
could see people animatedly discussing their
research, exchanging cards, and excitedly anticipating
the outcomes of the collaborative relationships
which were forming. As students, it was
energizing to see leaders in the field exploring
their thoughts on the future of outcomes
research. All of this, combined with a chance to
explore the rich culture of Dublin, provided for an
amazing Congress experience that we would
highly recommend to anyone.
Moving Forward-
ISPOR Student Network
Activities at 13th Annual
International Meeting, May 3-7,
2008, Toronto, ON, Canada
The 13th Annual International Meeting will take
place in Toronto, ON, Canada, from May 3-7,
2008. The ISPOR Student Network Council consists
of 27 student chapter presidents who are
preparing for this meeting. Over 40 poster presentations
and 6 podium presentations will be
presented by ISPOR student members.
ISPOR Student Network activities at the annual
meeting will begin with the ISPOR Student
Network Leadership Retreat on Sunday, May 4,
2008. During the leadership retreat, the ISPOR
Student Network Council will review the accomplishments
over the past year and discuss areas
of improvement and detail strategic plan for the
upcoming year. Our second annual research
competition will follow and the student teams will
compete with each other to answer questions
derived from the fields of health economics,
pharmacoeconomics, epidemiology, statistics,
and outcomes research. The winning team will
receive a plague and a scholarship. We highly
encourage students to participate! Last but not
least, ISPOR Student Council is looking forward
to the Student Icebreaker Reception on Sunday
night. This reception will serve as an informal
'meet and greet' for all the student members of
ISPOR and provide the opportunity to network
On Monday, March 5, Annesha Lovett PharmD,
MS and Seina Lee PharmD, MS will host the student
luncheon and lead the discussion on “How
to Interview Well” with student members before
the mock interview session. Student Mock
Interviews will be conducted by interviewers
from industry, consulting, and academia to provide
students with feedback on how to perform
well during the interview process. Prior registration
will be required for this interview session so
sign up early for this event.
On Tuesday, March 6, ISPOR student education
forum will host Dr. Grant H. Skrepnek, from the
University Of Arizona College Of Pharmacy and
Dr. Skrepnek will provide a basic overview of
decision analysis and its application using
TreeAge" software program. Tuesday afternoon,
ISPOR Student Network Council luncheon will be
held to bring all ISPOR Student Network council
together for one last time and we will have the
opportunity to review feedback of the student
activities and start planning for the student activities
at upcoming ISPOR meetings.
By becoming involved in the Student Network and
the organization, one can gain new insight to
health economics and outcomes research while
making new friends and colleagues. We highly
encourage every student who is not already a
member of ISPOR to become a member and
make plans to attend the International
Conference. Experience, perspective, and people
who you will meet will be priceless!
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