Research Roundup
Section Editor: Aakash Bipin Gandhi, BPharm, PhD, Sanofi, Cambridge, MA, USA
Competencies for professionals in health economics and outcomes research: the ISPOR health economics and outcomes research competencies framework. Pizzi LT, Onukwugha E, Corey R, Albarmawi H, Murray J. Value Health. 2020;23(9):1120-1127.
Summary
This article describes the development of the ISPOR Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) Competencies Framework, created to address the growing global demand for qualified HEOR professionals. Through a collaborative process involving ISPOR’s Institutional Council and Faculty Advisor Council, the framework identified 41 essential competencies for HEOR professionals organized into 13 topic domains: (1) Business Management, (2) Career Development, (3) Communication & Influence, (4) Economic Evaluation, (5) Health Policy & Regulatory, (6) Health Service Delivery & Process of Care, (7) Study Approaches, (8) Patient-Centered Research, (9) Methodological & Statistical Research, (10) Clinical Outcomes, (11) Health Technology Assessment, (12) Epidemiology & Public Health, and (13) Organizational Practices. The development methodology combined expert input from council members, natural language processing of HEOR job postings, qualitative assessment of data from focused workgroup, and quantitative data from 3 distinct surveys targeting general members, faculty, and students.
Relevance
The resulting framework serves multiple purposes, including guiding curriculum development for academia, informing program design for industry fellowships, structuring educational offerings by ISPOR, and providing standards for evaluating job candidates. As the field of HEOR evolves, the framework will require periodic updates to maintain relevance and comprehensiveness, with potential future specializations for different HEOR paths.
Predictors of annual base salary for health economics, outcomes research, and market access professionals in the biopharmaceutical industry. Ghosh S, Rascati KL, Shah A, Peeples P. J Manag Care & Spec Pharm. 2019;25(12):1328-1333.
Summary
The study by Ghosh et al examined key factors influencing compensation among health economics, outcomes research, and market access professionals in the biopharmaceutical sector using data from the HealthEconomics.com 2017 Global Salary Survey. An analysis of 385 respondents (228 US based and 157 non-US based) revealed no statistically significant gender-based salary differences after controlling for relevant confounders. The median annual base salary in the United States was $172,500 (male) versus $162,500 (female). This was higher than the median non-US annual base salary of $92,500 (both genders). Factors found to be associated with higher compensation across all regions included age over 40 years, employment in biopharmaceutical companies, advanced degrees (PhD, PharmD, or MD), senior job titles (director levels), having budget management authority, having hiring authority, and working in organizations with more than 5000 employees.
Relevance
This research addresses the critical gap surrounding HEOR and Market Access compensation data, providing essential insights for employers and employees in terms of competitive pay practices. Despite the field’s growing importance in healthcare industries, transparency around salary information remains scarce. By analyzing compensation structures across this cross-functional discipline with its diverse talent pool, the study enables data-driven decisions for recruitment and retention strategies for employers and also provides essential insights for professionals pursuing employment opportunities in the field.
Note from the Section Editor: Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this section are my own and not those of any organization, committee, group, or individual that I am affiliated with.
