Diana Brixner PhD
Diana Brixner is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacotherapy
and Executive Director of the Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy in Salt Lake City. Her research interest is in the design and conduct of economic and outcomes research studies to assess the value of pharmaceutical therapy to health care payers. Recent work has included evaluation of the effect of varied co-payment levels on use of pharmaceuticals across five disease states, the pharmacy costs associated with delivery of chemotherapy, assessment of cardiometabolic risk factors and the impact of second generation antipsychotic therapy on weight gain.
Prior to this appointment Dr. Brixner was the Vice President of Health Care Management for Novartis Pharmaceuticals, based in East Hanover New Jersey, from 1994 to 1999. For the next three years she served as Regional Sales Director and then Executive Director of National Managed Care Accounts.
She received her undergraduate degree in pharmacy in 1982 from the University of Rhode Island and her doctorate in medicinal chemistry in 1987 from the University of Utah. Dr. Brixner previously held an adjunct faculty position at the College of Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
During her career, she has presented at professional meetings, published over 35 scientific articles, authored two book chapters, has one issued patent and has presented numerous continuing education programs. She has served a two-year term on the Board of Directors of ISPOR, was the inaugural Chair of the Institutional Council and served as Co-chair of the ISPOR Managed Care Special Interest Group. She has also served on the Health Outcomes Committee of the Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers Association and is a long standing member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP).
ISPOR Vision Statement by Diana Brixner PhD
I welcome an opportunity to build on the strengths of the ISPOR organization by serving as president in 2007-2008. These are exciting times in the global evolution of ISPOR in supporting the scientific assessment of new technologies to deliver optimal health care at reasonable cost. The unification of this philosophy across the globe has never been more apparent, providing an opportunity to further implement the ISPOR vision of education, communication and research through continued international growth. With 53% U.S. and 37% European membership, the recent expansion into the Asian market will make ISPOR the global organization envisioned upon its inception. Having recently attended the second biannual Asian meeting in Shanghai, I observed the high level of interest in education and application of the principles of economics and outcomes to allocate scarce healthcare resources across the Asian countries. As a significant portion of the world's population resides in this region, the potential impact of this market on the global application of the science of the discipline towards global health care policy is clear.
This "globalization" of ISPOR will also have significant impact on the organization itself. As the Asian market embraces ISPOR there will be a significant increase in membership and revenues to fuel the growth of a global ISPOR infrastructure. As the international regions expand their membership, an umbrella of global leadership will be necessary. This will allow individual markets to create regional, membership driven committees to bring their specific country needs forward for implementation by the ISPOR organization as a whole.
Judith O’Brien is the Vice President and Director of Cost Research at Caro Research Institute in Concord, Massachusetts.
She is the former clinical advisor to the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy and has worked with the U.S.
and Quebec governments, and the health insurance industry. She teaches the cost section of the Pharmacoeconomics graduate course
at McGill University and has been an invited lecturer at other universities, scientific meetings, the Massachusetts state
legislature and other government agencies on topics related to cost development and coding classifications systems, such as
Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG). She is an author of more than forty publications and expert reviews and co-authored the health
economics chapter for the book, Venous Thromboembolism. She is a peer reviewer for many journals, including Value in Health and PharmacoEconomics and has served on several advisory panels. A founding member of ISPOR, she has taught the ISPOR short course,
Finding and Abstracting Cost Data, for the past few years and has given many workshops on cost-related topics at ISPOR meetings over the years.
She is a member of multiple other organizations, including the National Association for Healthcare Data Organizations.
ISPOR Vision
Statement by Judith A. O’Brien RN, BSPA
It is common to use the phrase “it’s a small world” when something happens that makes us more aware that we share experiences regardless of where we live. Everyday life is increasingly affected by world events and not just by the local environment. In this climate, where clinical trials are truly international – when pharmaceutical or device manufacturing occurs in one country, research subjects reside in another and the analysis is done in yet another – there is a great need for an organization such as ISPOR, one with a truly international perspective. Like a clinical trial, the role of ISPOR as an organization can be examined in phases. The first phase was a time to establish the viability and credibility of the organization itself. It was a time for gathering of expertise – individuals, such as health economists, clinicians, pharmacologists and epidemiologists, and information. Phase 2 has been the sharing of this expertise and the research produced among ourselves, and beginning the dissemination of it to those with like interests through our journal,
Value in Health. I believe ISPOR is on the brink of Phase 3.
I, like others in ISPOR, believe that it is the time to make the organization a true agent of change by increasing its outreach beyond those directly involved with ISPOR and its work. We must carry on the excellent work of those who have made ISPOR the respected organization it is today, but to remain the pre-eminent voice for pharmacoeconomic and outcomes research, we must continue to evolve. This evolution depends on making ISPOR a voice that reaches beyond the confines of the scientific community. This voice should be recognized as the primary source for learning about the latest and best research not only among our peers, but also by everyone in need of such information. I believe providing a forum for ISPOR members to meet with relevant decision makers, those who advise them, and those that provide information to the general public, so that they can become more aware of the research presented at ISPOR meetings, should be a priority. Expanding participation of countries that have up until now had a limited presence at ISPOR should also be a focused effort. Alfred North Whitehead, the great mathematician and philosopher, said, “The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order.” I think this is an appropriate philosophy to guide our vision of ISPOR for the future.
Claude Le Pen is professor of economics at Paris-Dauphine University and former dean of the Department of Applied Economics (1990-1995). He is director of the postgraduate program on “Economics and Management of Health Care Organizations”.
He studied business administration in HEC business school in Paris and holds a doctorate in Economics from Panthéon-Sorbonne University. He specialized in health economics in 1985. He was appointed as member of several state commissions within the Ministry of Health, namely the “Transparency Commission” for evaluation of pharmaceutical products (1989-92), the National Health Account Commission (1992-1995), the task force for guidelines in economic evaluation of medical technologies, the Committee for the accreditation of physicians’ networks (1997-2000)
and the Commission for national tariff of medical procedures (2004). He is
a non executive member of the board of the CNAMTS [the main public health insurance fund in France (2003), and expert to the Parliamentary Office for Health Policy Evaluation] (2003). He also acts as expert for the European Union and was rapporteur of a working party preparing the round-tables on the Completion of the Single Market for Pharmaceuticals (1996-1998). He chairs the Health Insurance Study Group of Institut Montaigne, a think-tank on public policy sponsored by a group of major companies in France. He is member of the board of the “Collége des Economistes de la Santé” and member of editorial or scientific boards of several scientific journals.
Apart from his academic position, Claude Le Pen is also the Scientific Director of AREMIS Consultant, a leading consultancy company in the field of health economics and health management in France.
He wrote several books, the last one, published in 2004, co-authored with Didier Sicard, President of the National Commission of Medical Ethics. He authored or co-authored more than one hundred scientific papers published in domestic and international peer-review journals.
ISPOR Vision
Statement by Claude Le Pen PhD
ISPOR has established itself indisputably as the major international organization in the growing field of pharmacoeconomics, outcomes research, medical decision-making and all related disciplines. No researcher in these fields can afford missing one of its annual congresses in America and Europe. Its peer-review journal, Value in Health, has gained an international reputation of quality and relevance. Through its educational programs, interest groups, task forces and committees, ISPOR contributes actively to the elaboration and dissemination of high level knowledge and science among all those who are interested in these fields, academics, health care professionals, governmental bodies
and private corporations. Thanks to its local chapters and the Asia-Pacific Conference, ISPOR has expanded its activities beyond the western world, thus becoming truly International.
These remarkable achievements are due to the clear vision of the ISPOR founding fathers, to the quality and the dynamism of its management staff,
and to the contributions of thousands of researchers all around the world who have participated to and supported its activities.
The paths for the future are clear to me and they all lead to “bridging the gaps”. There is “bridging the gap” between academic disciplines since pharmacoeconomics and outcome research rely on many basic disciplines [clinical medicine, clinical research, economics, epidemiology public health, statistics and modeling]. They all must learn from each other. There is “bridging the gap” between academics and decision-makers that often do not speak the same language although they do need each other. There is “bridging the gap” between the public and the private sectors, as health care is a world in which these two logics are intimately connected. There is “bridging the gap” between science and health policy as our shared goal remains to serve quality and equity in the distribution of health care all around the world.
I am honored to be a candidate for a Director position on the ISPOR Board of Directors and to have the opportunity to help lead this collective enterprise.
Professor Uwe Siebert, MD, MPH, MSc, ScD, Professor of Public Health, is the Chair of the Department of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment at the University of Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology (UMIT) in Hall i.T./Innsbruck, Austria. He is also Associate Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School, where he directs the Program on Cardiovascular Research at the Institute for Technology Assessment, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA. He has an adjunct appointment at the School of Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of Munich, Germany, where he directs the Program on Health Technology Assessment and Decision Sciences.
After medical school, Professor Siebert worked for several years as a physician in international public health projects in West-Africa, Brazil, and Germany. He then earned an MPH at the Munich School of Public Health, and completed an MSc in Epidemiology and an ScD in Health Policy and Management with a concentration in decision sciences at the Harvard School of Public Health. Before starting his faculty position at Harvard Medical School, Professor Siebert was the Director of the Bavarian Public Health Research and Coordinating Center at the Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Munich, and completed Visiting Scholarship at the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis in Boston.
His research interests include applying decision-analytic modeling, meta-analysis, quality-of-life assessment, and cost-effectiveness analysis to both health technology assessments (HTA) and the clinical context of routine health care. His current substantive research focuses on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer screening, hepatitis C, HIV, and neurological disorders. His methodological research is focused on evaluations of diagnostic imaging procedures as well as the development of causal decision models based on complex longitudinal data with time-varying interventions or exposures.
Professor Siebert is the Chairman of the Applied HTA Working Group of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and chairs the Working Group for Health Economics of the German Society for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS). He teaches courses in decision analysis, HTA, and advanced epidemiologic methods at several universities and consults for industry in Europe and the US. He has authored more than 100 publications, including HTA reports, textbook chapters for pharmacoeconomics/decision analysis, and scientific articles and editorials.
ISPOR Vision
Statement by Uwe Siebert MD, MPH, MSc, ScD
ISPOR has become the scientific home for many healthcare researchers,
practitioners, and decision-makers around the world. Following its
10th anniversary celebrations in Washington and Florence, there is no
doubt that ISPOR has established itself as a leader in
pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. Its international and
multidisciplinary membership, along with the unique mix of
participants from academia, industry, managed care, and government
organizations have allowed this Society to grow quickly into a
thriving and influential group. Its success also means we bear
increasing responsibility for the health of individuals and the
public.
I am proud and honored to be a candidate for a position on the ISPOR
Board of Directors, and thus to shoulder some of the responsibility
for this important and challenging task. If elected to the Board of
Directors, my aims would be to help ISPOR maintain its successful
track record and to advance its global impact through what I consider
to be three key tasks:
1) To further improve the rigor of research in the scientific
community. This can be achieved by continuing and expanding the
Society's activities in developing, teaching, applying, and
disseminating Good Research Practice Standards. The peer-reviewed
journal Value in Health and ISPOR books are also successful vehicles
with international reputations that can further this task.
2) To maintain the high quality of the ISPOR Short Courses and to
widen the scope of the education program to include relevant emerging
topics. I would hope to see more advanced-level courses requested, and
would like to develop concepts that allow us to reach those who are
unable to attend annual meetings.
3) To enhance the link between researchers, manufacturers and policy
makers. With its broad focus and participant base, ISPOR is
well-positioned to provide forums that allow third payer parties or
government agencies to attend and develop their own informed views on
new research and methodological approaches.
Having lived and worked in Europe, West Africa, South America, and
North America, I have seen different needs, and strengths, in
education, research, and healthcare. ISPOR has given me the
opportunity to give (share my experiences) and take (learn from
others). As an active participant in many ISPOR activities, as an
ISPOR Short Course faculty member, and as chapter author of the book
Medical Device and Diagnostics Outcomes Research: Issues and Good
Research Practices, I have direct knowledge of ISPOR’s many outreach
programs in teaching and establishing good research practices. I have
also learned to build bridges between scientists and decision makers
as Chair of the ISPOR Applied HTA Working Group and author of many
health technology assessments for NICE (UK), CCOHTA (Canada), DAHTA@DIMDI
(Germany), and ITA (Austria).
With my international experience, my academic background, my
fascination with teaching, and my well-established relationships with
many government agencies, I believe that I would be an effective
addition to the ISPOR Board of Directors.
Dr. Shanlian Hu is a Professor of Health Economics who is holding the position of Director of Training Center for Health Management at School of Public Health, Fudan University and the Director of Pharmacoeconomics Research and Evaluation Center of Fudan University. He also is the Deputy Director of National Health Economic Institution of MOH and the Coordinator of China Network of Training and Research in Health Economics and Financing, which has been supported by the World Bank and Ministry of Health since 1991.
He has the background of Epidemiology and Medical Microbiology. He received his Master degree in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1980s. His current interests focus on health policy and system research, as a member of WHO/WPRO Committee of Health System Research and the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee of WHO/ Alliance of Health Policy and System Research. He serves for
the Chinese government as a policy advisor, such MOH Advisory Committee of Health Policy and Management, Drug Price Advisory Committee of State Development and Reform Committee and Shanghai Government Advisory Committee of Health Reform and Development. He has played a temporary consultant role with some international agencies, such as World Bank, WHO, UNDP, UNICEF and AUSAID.
Dr. Hu is a pioneer in the development of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research disciplines in China. He was the Co-Chair of
the ISPOR 2nd Asia-Pacific Conference in Shanghai on March 2006. In
the recent ten years, he and his group have been active on drug policy and pharmacoeconomic evaluation research. Three reference books have been published in China to promote and disseminate the concepts of pharmacoeconomics and outcome research to the academic society and policy makers in China. A project on pharmaceutical policy issues was granted by Merck International Foundation program in 2003-2005. Most recently, he is leading a group to develop Chinese guidelines on pharmacoeconomic evaluations under the support of
the Chinese Doctor Association. In addition, he has interested in the burden of diseases, drug price setting, the development and reform
of urban and rural health security systems.
ISPOR Vision Statement by Shanlian Hu MD, MSc
ISPOR is a non-profit
organization, which is an international society committed to the pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. It plays a leading role in
the development of advanced knowledge and skills in this area. The
mission and vision of ISPOR is to help the formulation of policy,
science and practice of health outcomes research so that the gap and
needs between the demander (policy and clinical decision makers) and
provider (academia) can be met more closely.
Asia and Pacific region, with the largest populations in the world,
has a great potential market for pharmaceuticals, medical devices,
and diagnostics in the 21st century. Improving evidence-based and
outcomes research and its use in health care decision making in this
region is a big challenge in the future. ISPOR, through the ISPOR
Asia Consortium, Asia region chapters, and conference activities in
the Asia region, can meet this challenge.
ISPOR can play many roles in the healthcare sector. Its strong
commitment helps capacity building and networking, especially for
the developing countries. In Asian countries, we lack human
resources not only in conducting pharmacoeconomics and outcomes
research, but also having the best evidence and practice in this
field. If elected as an ISPOR Board member, I would like to expand
the training and research of pharmacoeconomics and disseminate the
concepts of value of health, as well as value of money, to the
policy makers. I will have a chance to have more experiences with
ISPOR members from other countries. I will also convey an Asian voice
to ISPOR from the different stakeholders. In conclusion, I like the
challenge and to serve as a Board member for the future of ISPOR.
Shu-Chuen
Li BPharm, Cert Health Econ., Grad Dip Bus (Tech Mgt), MApplSc, MBA, PhD
Dr Li is currently an Associate Professor at Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore (NUS). His main research interest is in the area of drug policy, pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. Dr Li received his BPharm degree from the University of South Australia, his MBA from Deakins University and PhD from Monash University.
Before taking up the current appointment with NUS, Dr Li had served as Acting Director and Deputy Director of Pharmaceutical Evaluation Section, Pharmaceutical Benefits Branch, Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services in Australia. As Australia was the first country that applied pharmacoeconomic principles to drug regulation and introduced mandatory cost-effectiveness requirements for reimbursement of pharmaceuticals, Dr Li is among the few pioneers that actually applied the principles of pharmacoeconomics in drug subsidy decisions in a systematic way.
In addition to his academic appointment at NUS, Dr Li also serves as a member of the Ministry of Health Drug Advisory Committee that decides on drug subsidy for the public health care sector in Singapore, and as a consultant to Centre for Drug Administration, Health Sciences Authority where he is instrumental in establishing a pharmacoeconomic evaluation and drug utilization unit, the first in the region. Dr Li has been engaged by the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee of National Healthcare Group of public hospitals as a consultant in implementing the cost-effectiveness approach in formulary decision. He is also a founding member of ISPOR Asia Consortium and serves as a member for the ISPOR Vision 2010 Task Force.
Since joining NUS, Dr. Li has been working as consultant for various multinational pharmaceutical companies on different pharmacoeconomic projects. He is also very active in promoting continuous professional education and training in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research in the region and has served as chairman, committee members of many local and international conferences in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research including the 1st and 2nd ISPOR Asia Pacific Conferences. He has also conducted many different workshop locally and internationally in pharmacoeconomics, outcomes research and decision analysis. Dr Li has authored or co-authored more than fifty scientific papers and numerous abstracts published in international peer-review journals.
ISPOR Vision Statement by Shu-Chuen Li BPharm, Cert Health Econ., Grad Dip Bus (Tech Mgt), MApplSc, MBA, PhD
Since its establishment, ISPOR has been instrumental in promoting pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research around the world and is particularly successfully in North America and Europe as attested by the number of members and the activities from these continents. Comparatively speaking, PE and OR are still relatively new areas in the Asia Pacific region and therefore holds great promise for the future development and growth for the field. However, due to the diversity of the region, an understanding of the local health care and cultural scene would be necessary for the field of PE and OR to thrive and influence the decision makers. My previous work experience in Australia where the first PE guidelines was developed and applied in a systematic way in deciding in drug subsidy and current capacity as an advisor to the Singapore Government on drug policy and PE evaluation would equip me with an understanding of the difference in approach of eastern and western decision makers. In addition, I have been actively providing PE and OR training courses for government officials around the region as well as providing consultation services to hospital P & T Committees and pharmaceutical industry throughout the years. My understanding of the need of the various stakeholders in the region would contribute towards growth of PE and OR in the Asia region where the potential of growth would probably
be among the highest. Together with my academic background, I believe I am well placed to help the Society succeed in the following areas:
- Bridging the gap between academia, policy makers and the industry
- Promoting PE & OR in the Asia-Pacific Region by networking with existing researchers of the ISPOR Asia Consortium
- Outreaching to regions where PE and OR are still relatively underdeveloped (e.g. Indian subcontinent and SE Asia)
I am much honored to be a candidate for ISPOR Board of Directors and to have the opportunity to lead this collective enterprise.
Marc L. Berger MD
Dr. Berger obtained his M.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at NYU-Bellevue Hospital in New York and a Liver Research Fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas-Southwestern Medical School. Prior to joining Merck, he was on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. While at Merck, Dr. Berger has held various positions of responsibility for Phase II to Phase IV clinical trials, outcomes research studies and disease management programs. He is currently Vice President of Outcomes Research and Management (ORM) in the US Human Health Division.
Dr. Berger has co-authored numerous articles in outcomes research, health economics, and health policy. He served as co-chair of the ISPOR 2010 Vision Committee from 2003 to 2004. Currently, he is a member of the AHRQ Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) Steering Committee, the CMS Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC), and the writing committee for the AHRQ development of a handbook for “Registries for Evaluating Patient Outcomes.” He also serves on advisory boards for the Health Industry Forum and the Program on the Economic Evaluation of Medical Technology (PEEMT) at the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, as well as the editorial advisory board of the journal
Value in Health. Dr. Berger is a trustee of the Occupational and Environmental Health Foundation and the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. He holds appointments as Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health, and Senior Scholar, Department of Health Policy, Jefferson Medical College.
ISPOR Vision
Statement by Marc Berger MD
ISPOR has come a long way since its beginnings. It provides a robust “marketplace of ideas” where individuals from a broad range of disciplines – including health economics, outcomes research, and health policy – can meet. We share a common goal of developing rigorous information that will not only inform health policy decision making but be actionable.
It was my privilege to serve as Co-Chair of the ISPOR 2010 Vision Committee in 2003 and 2004. Recognizing the rapid evolution of the health policy environment including the growing interest in health technology assessment, evidence-based medicine, and cost-effectiveness analysis, we viewed the future of ISPOR as full of promise. To achieve its potential, we recommended that ISPOR support the growth of regional efforts throughout the world to foster the development and application of core disciplines while encouraging local priorities and practices to guide practical translation and implementation of the findings from well-conducted health economics and outcomes research. We also recommended that the organization actively recruit members focused on biotechnology products, biologics, medical devices, and genomic applications. In addition, we recognized the need to strengthen our connections with decision makers.
These recommendations are still relevant for the continued success and growth of ISPOR. I believe that my experience as head of the US Outcomes Research & Management department at Merck & Co. Inc., as well as my participation on a variety of governmental committees in AHRQ and CMS, has provided me with a thorough understanding of the changing landscape of health care, health care financing, and health policy. I have a long-standing commitment to this organization and would welcome the opportunity to further help ISPOR grow and thrive in the challenging years ahead.
Kathleen A. Weis, Dr.P.H, Ph.D., MSN, ENP/FNP joined Pfizer as Director, Outcomes Research in December 2001 supporting the Relpax DMT. Dr. Weis was made Director/Team Leader, Arthritis, Pain, Anti-Infective and Women’s Health in March 2003 and in late 2003 was promoted to Senior Director/Team leader. In 2004, Dr.Weis had the Psychiatry and Neurology therapeutic areas added to her responsibility. In late 2005, Dr. Weis was asked to form and lead a new group in Outcomes Research which supports policy analysis on non product specific issues. This group provides strategic and tactical support to marketing and sales groups focused on government customers and employers as well as conducting studies on cross cutting clinical issues such as heterogeneity of treatment effects.
Prior to joining Pfizer, Dr. Weis was Director, Outcomes Research for Johnson & Johnson, Medical Devices and Diagnostic Companies, World Wide, 2002-2003, and Senior Director, Outcomes Research, Merck and Medco Health, 1997-2001.
Dr. Weis retired in 1997 at the rank of Captain from the United States Public Health Service, Commissioned Officer Corps. During her active duty service she served in the United States Navy, the United States Army (European Command) and various U. S Government Departments/ Agencies (Department of State, NIH, USAID). From 1989 – 1997 Dr. Weis was assigned various positions in the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality retiring as Director, Clinical Economics Research Program, Center for Cost and Financing Studies. Prior to being assigned to AHRQ, Dr. Weis developed and directed the program to monitor the quality of care for Medicare Beneficiaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, formerly known as HCFA (1986-1989). There she developed the data and analytical methods used to prioritize the clinical conditions investigated for the Medical Effectiveness Initiative which resulted in the formation of AHRQ and the beginning of the Medical Effectiveness and Outcomes Research movement in the Public Health Service. Prior to her research career, Dr. Weis provided care to medically under-served areas as a Nurse Practitioner with the Rural Health Initiative in the U.S. Public Health service. She established medical centers in Butner and Caswell Counties in rural North Carolina and functioned as the nurse practitioner and Medical Director, precepting medical students, interns and nurse practitioner students from Duke University and the University of North Carolina (1977-1980).
Dr. Weis received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Economics, 1990; Dr.P.H. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Administration (major in Health Administration and minors in Epidemiology and Economic Policy Analysis), 1988; MSN, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Nursing (Primary Care Nursing, minor in Administration and Certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the North Carolina Boards of Medicine and Nursing), 1982; Emergency Medicine and Surgery Nurse Practitioner Certification, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, Schools of Nursing and Medicine, 1976, and BSN, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1970. Dr. Weis holds faculty positions at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing and the University of Maryland, School of Medicine.
ISPOR
Vision Statement by Kathleen Weis
Dr.PH, PhD, MSN, ENP/FNP
ISPOR is a multidisciplinary organization that provides a scientific forum for outcomes researchers. The current environment demands an evidence base for health care decisions and empirical proof of value. Credible and applicable studies that can be used by health care decision makers – clinicians, patients, legal guardians and payers - result from peer collaboration and review. ISPOR Annual meetings provide a forum for the presentation of new research methods and instruments, and the critical review and discussion of this research by respected experts in their fields of practice.
My professional experience as a health care provider (nurse practitioner), policy analyst at CMS, researcher and director of the clinical economic program at AHCPR (now AHRQ) and researcher in the pharmaceutical industry provides a broad and balanced view of the health care system and the perspectives of various decision makers. I have been a peer reviewer for the annual and international meetings over the past years, and have seen new approaches applied to some old questions about the value of health care interventions. The challenges to provide evidence on the value of treatments and interventions in the health care system are growing in the current environment of increased longevity with accompanying increase in co morbid conditions and limited resources to manage these. Outcomes research that is of the highest quality and unbiased is more important and in demand by health care decision makers.
My vision for ISPOR is to increase the present value of the annual meetings to make them THE scientific forum for the most current and credible information used by health care decision makers. VALUE IN HEALTH should be seen as THE JOURNAL for unbiased, practical and applicable evidence of health care practices.
Judith A. O’Brien RN, BSPA
Claude Le Pen PhD
Uwe Siebert MD, MPH, MSc, ScD
Shanlian Hu MD, MSc
Marc L. Berger MD
Kathleen
A. Weis Dr.PH, PhD, MSN, ENP/FNP