EcoEchoes

This episode’s guest is Pieter van Baal, Professor of Public Health Economics at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management and head of the Health Economics department. The conversation explores pharmaceutical pricing, patents, and innovation incentives, discussing why healthcare systems negotiate medicine prices and whether the current model for developing innovative medicines is functioning effectively. Pieter reflects on the role of governments, pharmaceutical companies, and public funding in medical innovation, while also considering alternative systems that could make medicines more accessible and affordable. The episode additionally touches on academic leadership, research culture, and advice for PhD students navigating academia.
 
Guest: Pieter van Baal, Professor of Public Health Economics, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management
Host: Fanny Tallgren, Andrea De Palma

Timestamps:

(00:45) Pieter’s background and journey into health economics
(09:30) The Dutch advisory committee and pharmaceutical price negotiations
(19:50) Is the current pharmaceutical innovation system working?
(30:30) Alternative models for patents, innovation, and public funding
(44:30) Innovation in China, the US, and Europe
(46:45) Leadership, department culture, and advice for PhD students

This episode’s guest is Frédérique Franken, a PhD candidate at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). She discusses her research on the environmental sustainability of healthcare, focusing on the role of insurer–provider contract negotiations in driving greener practices. The conversation explores how healthcare systems contribute to climate change, the Dutch policy context (including the Green Deal Sustainable Healthcare), and the challenges of translating sustainability goals into concrete actions. Frédérique also reflects on her interdisciplinary path from medicine to health economics and the practical realities of conducting mixed-methods research.

Guest: Frédérique Franken, PhD Candidate, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management
Host: Prithviraj Basu Mallik, Andrea De Palma

Timestamps:

(00:50) Background and path from medicine to health economics
(06:20) What sustainability in healthcare means and why it matters
(13:20) Policy context: Green Deal and integrated care agreement
(18:10) Research design: documents and interviews
(25:00) Key findings on sustainability in contract negotiations
(27:00) Challenges: costs, incentives, and implementation

This episode’s guest is Elisa de Weerd, a PhD candidate in Health Economics at the Erasmus School of Economics and incoming postdoctoral researcher at Radboud University. She discusses her research on employment and earnings dynamics before and after transgender transitioning using Dutch administrative data. The conversation explores how large-scale administrative datasets can help study labor market inequalities faced by transgender individuals, the methodological challenges of identifying transitioning events in the data, and the implications for understanding economic outcomes and wellbeing. Elisa also reflects on how the project developed during her PhD and on future research directions.

Guest: Elisa de Weerd, PhD Candidate, Erasmus School of Economics
Host: Fanny Tallgren, Andrea De Palma

Timestamps:

(00:20) Elisa’s background and research interests
(05:10) Motivation for studying transgender transitioning and economic outcomes
(10:30) Data and research design using Dutch administrative records
(22:00) Main findings on employment and earnings around transition
(31:00) Interpretation, limitations, and policy relevance
(38:30) Current projects and advice for PhD students

This episode features Johannes Cordier, a visiting PhD student from the University of St. Gallen at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Johannes discusses two papers using Swiss hospital administrative data. The first examines how machine learning methods can identify under-reported sepsis cases, shedding light on how coding practices and reimbursement incentives affect data quality. The second studies how patient placement across hospital wards influences mortality, combining causal machine learning with decision-theoretic approaches to account for capacity constraints.

The episode concludes with reflections on research visits, academic conferences, and practical advice for PhD students navigating research careers and industry pathways.

Guest: Johannes Cordier, Visiting PhD Student (University of St. Gallen)

Hosts: Fanny Tallgren, Prithviraj Basu Mallik

Timestamps:
(01:50) Background and research focus
(03:40) Sepsis under-reporting and admin data
(11:35) Machine learning methods
(17:40) Patient placement and mortality
(31:20) Research visits and PhD career advice

This episode’s guest is Sanna Azzouz, PhD candidate in Health Technology Assessment at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She discusses her paper "Cost-effectiveness analysis of image-guided ablation versus conventional ablation in patients with recurrent ventricular tachycardia in France: results from the inEurHeart trial".

The conversation covers how ventricular tachycardia develops after myocardial infarction, the clinical and economic trade-offs between different treatment options, and how AI-based imaging can reduce procedure time and costs without compromising patient outcomes. The episode also reflects on the challenges of measuring quality of life in severe cardiac conditions and translating short-term trial results into long-term health economic insights.

In the final part, Sanna shares her experience working at the intersection of healthcare, economics, and AI, and offers personal advice for PhD students on growth, balance, and enjoying the research journey.

Guest: Sanna Azzouz, PhD Candidate, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Hosts: Karen Trujillo, Andrea De Palma

Timestamps:
(00:55) Sanna’s background and research focus
(06:55) Ventricular tachycardia and treatment pathways
(12:54) Image-guided vs conventional ablation and AI
(15:45) The InHeart trial and key findings
(23:00) Quality of life, uncertainty, and long-term outcomes
(38:53) Advice for PhD students and early-career researchers