ISPOR Publishes Health Economics and Outcomes Research Competencies Framework

Published Feb 17, 2026
Resource Guides HEOR Professionals in Their Career Development

Lawrenceville, NJ, USA—February 17, 2026—ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research announced that it has published a new ISPOR HEOR Competencies Framework™. The HEOR Competencies white paper is designed to be a resource for professionals in the field of health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) as a guide for career development.

The field of HEOR has grown substantially in the past 20 years. Because of the dynamic nature of the discipline and external influencing factors, there is a need to provide guidance to uniquely skilled professionals with HEOR backgrounds to equip them with tools to create, implement, and evaluate the different aspects of HEOR. Through collaboration among multiple ISPOR groups, the competencies can be used to highlight areas for career growth. The framework is helpful for educators building HEOR curricula and organizations who hire HEOR professionals.

The HEOR Competencies outlined in the report encompass 13 domains that include:

  1. Business Management
  2. Career Development
  3. Clinical Outcomes
  4. Communications and Influence
  5. Economic Evaluation
  6. Epidemiology and Public Health
  7. Health Policy and Regulatory
  8. Health Service Delivery and Process of Care
  9. Health Technology Assessment
  10. Statistics and Data Science
  11. Organizational Practices
  12. Patient-Centered Research
  13. Study Approaches

“Since its initial release in 2020, the ISPOR HEOR Competencies Framework has proven to be an invaluable tool for those interested in gaining HEOR knowledge and skills as well as those who train or hire HEOR professionals,” stated ISPOR Chief Science Officer Laura Pizzi, PharmD, MPH. “The field of HEOR has become increasingly broad and specialized and is advancing rapidly with respect to methods and their application to health decisions. Expansion of the competencies related to data-centric aspects of HEOR—statistics, analytics, real world evidence and artificial intelligence—was particularly critical. The updates reflect the ongoing need for HEOR professionals to have solid communication skills, business acumen, and an understanding of the healthcare policy environment. Annesha White and Soham Shukla, who co-led the workgroup, brought tremendous passion to the project, as did more than 30 members who provided a diverse array of expertise.”

The ISPOR HEOR Competencies Framework is publicly available and can be accessed on the Society’s HEOR Competencies webpage. ISPOR Education opportunities that provide training on related HEOR Competencies can be found here. 

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ABOUT ISPOR
ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research
(HEOR), is an international, multistakeholder, nonprofit dedicated to advancing HEOR excellence to improve decision making for health globally. The Society is the leading source for scientific conferences, peer-reviewed and MEDLINE®-indexed publications, good practices guidance, education, collaboration, and tools/resources in the field.
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