ISPOR Student Network: Expanding Student Activities Globally

The 2009-2010 ISPOR Student Council now consists of 36 active chapters including 31 North American chapters and 5 international chapters.

In September 2009, the Student Council set the following goals: 1) support current membership and promote establishment of new chapters; 2) promote and increase access to educational activities; 3) highlight student research; 4) increase collaboration between pharmacoeconomics and health outcomes graduate programs and other related disciplines e.g., PharmD Programs; 5) promote collaboration between North American and International Regional Chapters; and 6) promote community outreach.

ISPOR assisted students in achieving our goals of expanding membership through generous chapter activity grants, which were utilized by individual student chapters to introduce new members to activities within the Student Network. Additionally, graduate chapters were very successful in strengthening ties with PharmD students. For the first time, this year the outstanding chapter hails from a PharmD Program at The University of Michigan. Apart from PharmD outreach, international outreach was phenomenal this year. At the European Congress in Paris, the Student Council, with the support of the 2009-2010 ISPOR President, Dr. Michael Barry, and Faculty Advisory Chair, Dr. C. Daniel Mullins, hosted a reception to bridge the gap between North American and international regional chapters. Following this reception, two additional European chapters joined the student network.

The student education committee provided educational resources for students throughout the year through informative monthly educational teleconferences with speakers from academia, consulting, and the pharmaceutical industry. At the ISPOR 15th Annual International Meeting in Atlanta, students contributed 228 of the total conference presentations.

Our student newsletter committee redesigned our quarterly newsletter and introduced a section for international chapter news, showing our commitment to reduce the gap between students on different continents. Additionally, through the student corner in ISPOR Connections, we were able to show our commitment to our goals by publishing news on PharmD outreach, student research, international chapter outreach, and community outreach.

ISPOR Student Leadership Retreat -ISPOR 15th Annual International Meeting, Atlanta

I am particularly proud of our student network for the commitment they have shown to community outreach. This year’s ISPOR student chapters at different schools throughout the United States raised more than $1,000 for relief funds in Haiti; $800 for Christmas presents for underprivileged children; coordinated book drives for children’s books for, Peo’s Place, a library at an HIV care center in South Africa; raised funds through fun runs for the AIDS Services of Austin and Lymphoma Society in West Virginia; contributed voluntary hours at an Autism Center, and made a commitment to raising more than $15,000 for cancer research!

The 2009-2010 ISPOR Student Network expanded membership in the US and abroad, increased visibility of our chapters in the community, promoted ISPOR educational activities, and presented outstanding research at ISPOR conferences and meetings throughout the year. This is evidence that the future leaders of ISPOR are paving a successful path for a successful career in pharmacoeconomics and health outcomes research.

Winners of the 2010 Student Research Competition - The University of Texas at Austin

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