A public symposium on "How to Bridge Academia and Industry in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR)," organized by the School of Pharmacy's HEOR Team under the leadership of the school's dean, Rita Li-Jiuan Shen, was held at NTU on July 4. Invited speakers included international scholars and professionals, as well as local scholars with practical experience in the health sector.They discussed the latest issues in the HEOR field and shared their insights on how to best apply the knowledge and skills of HEOR in Taiwan.

In recent years, in response to global trends and the need for promoting the most rational, just, and effective utilization of medical technology, many countries across Asia have recognized the importance of HEOR and applied the concepts of economic impact and economic benefit assessment when conducting health technology assessments.

Leading international experts who spoke at the symposium included Dr. C. Daniel Mullins of the University of Maryland and Dr. Ya-ChenTina Shih of the University of Texas. Dr. Mullins discussed his view regarding the best approaches to establishing the optimal HEOR teams and promoting academia–industry cooperation. In addition, he led a step-by-step tutorial offering considerations and guidelines for evaluating the financial impact of new medical technology on health insurance costs.

Dr. Shih drew on her abundant experience in the United States to offer in-depth ideas on issues concerning insurance payouts for currently emerging cancer drugs. These expertsbrought up many other issues of importance regarding policy and implementation that might be confronted in Taiwan and the United States.

Prof. Sharon Fei-Yuan Hsiao and Prof. Chi-Chuan Wang of the School of Pharmacy presented talks on research on HEOR-based policy formulation and paths the School of Pharmacy has taken in promoting academia–industry cooperation, respectively.

The symposium also featured presentations by graduate students and alumni on their HEOR research. These included pharmacists' cost-benefit assessments for anticoagulation clinics, assessments of the therapeutic efficacy of statin drugs for the prevention of post-stroke seizures, and evaluations of the types of prescriptions available for and the related financial burdens of bone fracture patients in Taiwan.