CHE hosts the HESG Winter 2026 Meeting
Posted on Monday 19 January 2026
The Centre for Health Economics (CHE) at the University of York hosted the Health Economists’ Study Group (HESG) Winter 2026 Meeting from 14–16 January 2026, bringing together health economists working across academic, government, and commercial settings.
Founded in 1972, the Health Economists’ Study Group is the oldest and one of the largest organisations of its kind, supporting and promoting health economics research with a strong applied and policy-oriented focus. While based in the UK, HESG has an international membership and holds two meetings each year at different locations.
The HESG Winter 2026 Meeting welcomed 207 delegates from 49 institutions across the UK and beyond, representing 12 countries. The conference followed HESG’s distinctive study group format, with all papers pre-circulated and discussed in hour-long sessions led by discussants rather than author presentations. This approach supported engaging discussion and constructive feedback, while maintaining a collegial atmosphere.
The programme featured 56 discussion papers across 12 parallel sessions and four lightning talks, as well as dedicated networking opportunities. The papers covered a broad range of topics, including economic evaluation, health outcome measurement, and the finance and organisation of healthcare, as well as wider economics themes such as consumer demand, industry behaviour and labour markets.
A special moment at HESG 2026: five “generations” of CHE Heads of Department came together, with former Heads Professors (pictured above, from left to right) Michael Drummond, Peter C. Smith and Maria Goddard, current Head Professor Mark Sculpher, and future Head Professor Karen Bloor, reflecting the legacy of Professor Alan Maynard, who founded CHE in 1983.
“It has been fantastic to welcome over 200 colleagues to York for this latest edition of the HESG conference. Sharing insights with each other and supporting the work of the group in building and maintaining the community of health economists,” said Dr James Gaughan, chair of the organising committee of the HESG 2026 Winter 2026 Meeting.
The HESG Winter 2026 Meeting marked another successful chapter in the group’s long history, continuing its role as a vital forum for debate, learning and innovation in health economics.
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