STUDENT VOICES: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE 2025-2026 ISPOR STUDENT NETWORK INTEREST SURVEY
Author(s)
Emeka E. Duru, BSc1, Godwin E. Okoye, MS, RPh2, Cynthia Egbuemike, B.Pharm.3, Sarah E. Gutman, PharmDc4, Aimalohi R. Okpeku, MS5, Christina Kazarov, PharmD6, Dominique Seo, MPH7;
1University of Utah, Murray, UT, USA, 2University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, AUSTIN, TX, USA, 3University of Texas at Austin Health Outcomes Division, Austin, TX, USA, 4Rutgers, BRIDGEWATER, NJ, USA, 5Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA, 6University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Feasterville, PA, USA, 7University of Maryland Baltimore, ISPOR Student Network Chair, Baltimore, MD, USA
1University of Utah, Murray, UT, USA, 2University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, AUSTIN, TX, USA, 3University of Texas at Austin Health Outcomes Division, Austin, TX, USA, 4Rutgers, BRIDGEWATER, NJ, USA, 5Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA, 6University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Feasterville, PA, USA, 7University of Maryland Baltimore, ISPOR Student Network Chair, Baltimore, MD, USA
OBJECTIVES: To identify key themes from open-ended recommendations provided by respondents to the 2025-2026 ISPOR Student Network Interest Survey and inform strategic priorities for student engagement programming.
METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed to ISPOR student members from October through December 2025. Open ended questions asked to respondents included: "What additional ideas or improvements would you recommend for the ISPOR SN in the upcoming year?"Responses were analyzed using manual inductive thematic analysis. Each response was read and coded by theme; responses addressing multiple topics were assigned to multiple themes. Related sub-themes were consolidated, and frequency counts and percentages were calculated.
RESULTS: There were 47 provided open-ended recommendations, with 44 substantive responses included in the analysis. Six distinct themes were identified. The two most frequently mentioned themes were Financial Accessibility & LMIC Support (28.6%, n=12) and Inter-Chapter Collaboration (28.6%, n=12). Financial concerns included requests for free courses, scholarships, and travel grants, alongside calls for more ISPOR events in regions like India and content on HTA in resource-limited settings. Inter-chapter recommendations emphasized "twin chapters," chapter president networking, and joint webinars. Mentorship Programs ranked third (21.4%, n=9), with students requesting formal student-professional pairing and track-specific mentorship. Skill-Building & Technical Training (19.0%, n=8) focused on workshops for R, Stata, Python, and health economic modeling. Industry Networking & Career Development (16.7%, n=7) included requests for recruitment events and professional coffee chats. Research & Innovation (16.7%, n=7) combined collaborative research projects with AI/innovation initiatives including hackathons and ethics guidance.
CONCLUSIONS: Student recommendations reveal strong priorities for enhanced connectivity across chapters, industry engagement, financial accessibility, and global inclusivity. These findings provide actionable insights for the ISPOR Student Network to strengthen engagement, address barriers faced by students in underserved regions, and develop programming aligned with student priorities.
METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed to ISPOR student members from October through December 2025. Open ended questions asked to respondents included: "What additional ideas or improvements would you recommend for the ISPOR SN in the upcoming year?"Responses were analyzed using manual inductive thematic analysis. Each response was read and coded by theme; responses addressing multiple topics were assigned to multiple themes. Related sub-themes were consolidated, and frequency counts and percentages were calculated.
RESULTS: There were 47 provided open-ended recommendations, with 44 substantive responses included in the analysis. Six distinct themes were identified. The two most frequently mentioned themes were Financial Accessibility & LMIC Support (28.6%, n=12) and Inter-Chapter Collaboration (28.6%, n=12). Financial concerns included requests for free courses, scholarships, and travel grants, alongside calls for more ISPOR events in regions like India and content on HTA in resource-limited settings. Inter-chapter recommendations emphasized "twin chapters," chapter president networking, and joint webinars. Mentorship Programs ranked third (21.4%, n=9), with students requesting formal student-professional pairing and track-specific mentorship. Skill-Building & Technical Training (19.0%, n=8) focused on workshops for R, Stata, Python, and health economic modeling. Industry Networking & Career Development (16.7%, n=7) included requests for recruitment events and professional coffee chats. Research & Innovation (16.7%, n=7) combined collaborative research projects with AI/innovation initiatives including hackathons and ethics guidance.
CONCLUSIONS: Student recommendations reveal strong priorities for enhanced connectivity across chapters, industry engagement, financial accessibility, and global inclusivity. These findings provide actionable insights for the ISPOR Student Network to strengthen engagement, address barriers faced by students in underserved regions, and develop programming aligned with student priorities.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
OP10
Topic
Organizational Practices
Topic Subcategory
Academic & Educational
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas