International Studies in Value in Health Regional Issues Show How Countries Can Advance Equity Using Practical Tools and Local Insights

Lawrenceville, NJ, USA—February 9, 2026— Value in Health Regional Issues, a journal of ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research, announced today the publication of a special collection of research papers in showing that meaningful progress in health equity research is occurring across regions and in settings with different data environments and policy needs. The 6 studies span 5 countries—Australia, Brazil, Iran, Japan, and the United States—demonstrating both shared challenges and locally-tailored solutions. The guest editor for the themed section is Stacey Kowal, MSc, Genentech, Inc, South San Francisco, CA, USA. The series was published in the January 2026 issue of Value in Health Regional Issues.

"The field of health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) has seen growing attention to health equity, accompanied by rapid development of new methods and frameworks," noted Kowal in her opening editorial. “Although equity has long appeared in mission statements of health technology assessment bodies, more explicit efforts are emerging to integrate equity into decision processes. Despite this momentum, substantial challenges remain. In many settings, the data required to support health equity research are fragmented or inconsistently collected.”

The goal of the themed section is to provide practical and actionable examples of how health equity questions can be explored today. These studies demonstrate that improving equity does not depend solely on novel models or complex techniques. Rather, careful study design, effective use of local data, and structured review of decision processes can generate meaningful insights across diverse country contexts.

The themed section includes 6 research papers exploring 3 key topics:

Topic 1: Using Existing HEOR Tools for Health Equity Research

1. “Cost-Effectiveness of Text Messaging to Reengage Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities to Breast Cancer Screening: A Modeling Study,” by A Lal, E Mudford, J Elsworth, L Hochberg, and L Gao
2. “Disparities in Out-of-Pocket Expenditures Among Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 in Iran: A Decomposition Analysis of Inequality,” by A Dehghani Ahmadabad, SMH Shokouh, P Mehdizadeh, and MM Amiri Ara.
3. “Reducing the Travel Burden for Patients to Access Specialized Medicines in Paraná, Brazil,” by P Rossignoli, R Pontarolo, and F Fernandez-Llimos

   Topic 2: Assessing and Evolving Decision Processes

4. “What Role Does Equity Play in Australia’s Health Technology Assessment Processes? A Review of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee Recommendations Regarding Vaccines,” by M-A Boujaoude, N Devlin, M Bourke, K Dalziel, and N Carvalho

   Topic 3: Local Health Equity Preferences

5. “Public Preferences for Reducing Health Inequality in Japan: A National Survey,” by K Shimamoto, T Doran, and R Cookson
6. “Adapting a Benefit Trade-Off Instrument to Measure Health Inequality Aversion in the United States,” by S Ricci, S Kowal, S dosReis, and JF Slejko

“This new research demonstrates that health technology assessment bodies need not wait for perfect data systems or novel methodologies to begin addressing health equity systematically,” said Kowal. “These studies show that existing HEOR methods can produce actionable evidence today. The collection provides a roadmap for healthcare systems at any stage of development to move beyond mission statements and begin quantifying, understanding, and ultimately reducing health inequities.”

Further Reading:

• Incorporating Concern for Health Equity Into Resource Allocation Decisions: Development of a Tool and Population-Based Valuation for Uganda
• Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Key Sub-Saharan African Languages to Promote Diversity: A Scoping Review
• Impact of Disparities in Reimbursement Rules Between Public and Private Sectors on Accessibility to Care in Moroccan Mandatory Health Insurance: A Cross-Sectional Study
• Epidemiology and Economic Burden of Suicide Among Brazilian Workers: Trends, Occupational Disparities, and Gender Differences

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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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ABOUT VALUE IN HEALTH REGIONAL ISSUES
Value in Health Regional Issues (ISSN 2212-1099) is ISPOR's journal for regional advancements in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR). Value in Health Regional Issues is a peer-reviewed, MEDLINE indexed journal that publishes applied research using HEOR methods to examine health systems, policies, and patient populations in all geographic regions. The journal's current impact factor score is 1.5 and its 5-year impact factor score is 1.7. Value in Health Regional Issues is a bimonthly publication that circulates to more than 60,000 readers around the world.
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