When trying to adapt health care systems to future challenges, it is a difficult task to find a balance between efficient service provision and an equitable allocation of resources while also sharing the financial burden equally. These considerations affect citizens, insurees, patients and also health professionals, and their viewpoints have to be taken into account. Austria tries to address many challenges with the current health care reform, and health economics research can provide the evidence base for policy makers needed to implement the right measures in raising, pooling and allocating funds in order to meet these goals.

For our conference next year we especially encourage the submission of research in efficient and equitable allocation in all areas of health systems.

We are happy to announce two well-known keynote speakers:

• Peter C. Smith (Imperial College London, UK)
• Leonie Sundmacher (Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany)

Peter C. Smith is Professor emeritus at the Imperial College in London, where he co-founded the Centre for Health Policy at the Institute of Global Health Innovation. He also held the position of co-director. His main research areas over the last few years have been the measurement of performance and productivity in health systems as well as issues of universal health coverage. Besides his active research he also advises governments and institutions worldwide.

Leonie Sundmacher is head of the department of Health Services Management at the faculty of business administration of the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich. Previously, she was a junior professor for health services research and quality management in the ambulatory sector at the Technical University of Berlin. Her research fields are health management and regional health services research.

Deadline for abstract submission (max. 500 words): 7th of January 2016 to conference@athea.at

Notification of accepted abstracts: 25th of January 2016

Registration for non-presenters: per email to conference@athea.at

Conference venue: Institut für Höhere Studien (IHS), Josefstädter Straße 39, 1080 Wien

Conference language: English, German

Conference fee: 35 Euros; it is waived for PhD candidates

Download: Programme of 2nd ATHEA Conference

Download: Book of Abstracts of 2nd ATHEA Conference