OBJECTIVES : To describe the findings from the 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) student interest survey

METHODS : The student interest survey was distributed online via Survey Monkey to all student ISPOR members on November 16, 2017, with reminders issued via email, newsletters, and conference calls until the survey closes on February 2, 2018. The number of questions was reduced and ‘skip logic’ introduced to streamline the survey this year. Preliminary data were extracted on January 8, 2018 and descriptive analyses were performed.

RESULTS : A total of 241 responses were received. Most respondents lived in North America (45%), were enrolled in a PhD program (47%), had previously earned Bachelor’s (44%) or Master’s (30%) degrees, had not previously attended an ISPOR conference (60%), and were planning to attend the 23^rd Annual Meeting (43%). Among the student events, mentoring opportunities with experts was the top choice for respondents. Respondents were most interested in the topic of economic evaluations for webinars and forums, presented as a case study by a speaker from academia. Of all social media outlets, most (67%) respondents preferred to access information about ISPOR via Facebook; most did not know ISPOR was on Instagram (80%) or Twitter (60%). Most respondents were aware of ISPOR member benefits, participated in student activities, read the quarterly newsletter (62%), and were interested in the newsletter quiz. Lack of awareness about the ISPOR chapter (43%) was the main reason for not being a member, and lack of financial resources was cited as the most major problem for student chapters.

CONCLUSIONS : To meet the needs of students, opportunities to learn more about economic evaluations and mentorship from experts in the field should be offered. To help support student chapters, greater awareness of the organization and greater access to financial resources are needed.