ISPOR Announces New Chief Science Officer

Published Aug 28, 2023

Dr Laura Pizzi to Assume Chief Science Officer Position

Laura PizziLawrenceville, NJ, USA—August 28, 2023—ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research announced today that Laura Pizzi, PharmD, MPH will be assuming the role of Chief Science Officer at the Society. ISPOR’s previous Chief Science Officer, Richard J. Willke, PhD, will be retiring. Dr Willke will continue working with the Society in a consultancy role as Chief Science Officer Emeritus. Dr Willke was the Society’s first Chief Science Officer. He established ISPOR’s Science Office and has made many significant contributions during his tenure.

Over the past 2 years, Dr Pizzi served in the role of Associate Chief Science Officer at ISPOR. During this time, she contributed to the development and deployment of ISPOR’s content and science strategies. She also collaborated with the Society’s members, groups, and staff to advance scientific priorities that lead to increased understanding and application of HEOR around the world.

“I’m thrilled to work with ISPOR members and stakeholders worldwide to advance the science of health economics and outcomes research,” stated Dr Pizzi. “This is a team sport and I value the expertise from all disciplines that contribute to our science and ultimately the quality of evidence used by healthcare decision makers.”

Dr Pizzi has a broad understanding of healthcare systems from her work in real-world evidence and HEOR work involving payer and patient perspectives. She is seasoned in leading cost-effectiveness analyses and prospective patient outcomes studies, in addition to communicating this work on national and international stages. She is also an experienced teacher and mentor for trainees in the field. Dr Pizzi’s clinical training was earned as a PharmD from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. She also holds an MPH from the New Jersey School of Public Health and served as a postdoctoral fellow in pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia. Her career path brings together the diverse experiences of working as a researcher for many years in large urban healthcare systems, developing and leading academic programs and centers, and serving as a research consultant to industry innovators. She has been a dedicated member and volunteer leader of the Society. Prior to joining ISPOR, she served as an Editor-in-Chief for Value & Outcomes Spotlight, ISPOR’s news magazine for the global HEOR community.

“We are very fortunate to have Dr Pizzi as ISPOR’s next Chief Science Officer,” stated ISPOR’s Executive Director and CEO, Rob Abbott. “Laura is extremely well prepared to move into this position and she brings tremendous experience in and passion for the field of HEOR. We also want to thank Dr Dick Willke for the significant contributions to ISPOR and to wish him much happiness in this next chapter of his life.”

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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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