OHE Ph.D. Studentship at LSE Department for Health Policy for Research in the Economics, Innovation and Regulation Policy of the Life Sciences Sector

The Office of Health Economics (OHE) and the LSE Department for Health Policy are currently recruiting for a full-time MPhil/Ph.D. studentship, with a start date of October 2023. 

This full-time studentship is funded by OHE to develop evidence-based research on issues related to any aspect of pharmaceutical economics and policy. This would include but is not be limited to competition in pharmaceutical markets; health technology assessment; reimbursement models; generic pharmaceutical policies, financing strategies for new medicines including risk mitigation strategies; sustainability, regulation, and incentives for innovation; and patient access and affordability of new medications through innovative payments. OHE's research is global, and there is no restriction on geographic focus. 

Studentship 

The student will be expected to be admitted and join the Department of Health Policy's MPhil/Ph.D. programme. During term time in the first year, the student will spend approximately one day a week at OHE. After the first year, this proportion will be approximately 50%. 

During their time at LSE, the student is expected to: have regular meetings with their Ph.D. supervisors, take taught courses to support their Ph.D. research, attend seminars, and generally participate in the academic life of the department and university. 

During their time at OHE, the Ph.D. student will report progress on their Ph.D. studies to their OHE panel of advisors, present their work to the team periodically, interact with OHE staff, and participate in OHE's research activities. 

At OHE, the student will work on subjects directly related to the Ph.D. research topic and on tasks with direct educational benefits to the student, such as: 

• Supporting literature reviews related to the student's Ph.D. topic.
• Collection and management of data to be used for the empirical aspects of the Ph.D. dissertation.
• Attending OHE webinars, seminars, masterclasses, conferences, away days and research activities of direct intellectual benefit to the student.
• Discuss issues related to the Ph.D. topic with OHE members of staff.
• Formal in-house OHE training in subjects related to the PhD topic.
• Participating in OHE roundtables and activities that provide information relevant to the Ph.D. topic. 

Funding 

The 3-year award will cover full-time Home LSE tuition fees and an annual stipend of £19,668. 

Entry requirements 

Applicants are not required to have existing expertise on each topic, but they must have an economics background and meet the requirements for Ph.D. applicants set by the LSE. Applicants will need master's degree marks equivalent to an LSE high merit grade, with an overall average of at least 65% in their MSc (or equivalent) and at least 65% in their dissertation (or equivalent); any conditional offer for a place on the MPhil/Ph.D. programme will be subject to obtaining such marks. 

Application process 

In order to be considered for each studentship, applicants should apply for the MPhil/Ph.D. programme in the Department of Health Policy at the LSE, marking their application as the “OHE Ph.D. Studentship” via the jobs.ac button (above)

The doctoral student will be required to conduct research on the life sciences related to OHE's line of interest. As part of the application process, applicants will be asked to submit a research proposal. This is a 1,500-word document explaining - in light of the topic focus outlined for each studentship - the research proposed to undertake during the studentship. 

In addition to submitting the application to LSE, a letter of intent and the research proposal should be sent to Mireia Jofre-Bonet at OHE (mjofre-bonet@ohe.org). 

The deadline for applications for the Ph.D. Studentship is 27 of April 2023. 

Informal enquiries 

Informal enquiries should be sent to Andrew Street (a.street@lse.ac.uk) and/or Mireia Jofre-Bonet (mjofre-bonet@ohe.org). 

About OHE

With over 60 years of expertise the Office of Health Economics (OHE) is the world's oldest health economics research organisation. As a thought leader and publisher in the economics of health, health care, and life sciences, we work in partnership with Universities, Government, health systems and the pharmaceutical industry to research and respond to global health challenges. Our mission is to support better healthcare policies by providing insightful economic and statistical analyses of critical issues. As a government-recognised Independent Research Organisation and not-for-profit since 2020, our international reputation for the quality and independence of our research is at the forefront of all we do. OHE's team is highly skilled in the economics and statistics of healthcare provision and financing, the pricing and regulation of pharmaceuticals, and health technology assessment. OHE provides independent and pioneering resources, research and analyses in health economics, health policy and statistics. Our work informs decision-making about health care and pharmaceutical issues at a global level. Since 1962 we have been commissioned to undertake agile and responsive research in various healthcare areas, ranging from Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) to Gene Therapies and health system effectiveness. 

About LSE's Department for Health Policy 

The Department for Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences is devoted to excellence in multidisciplinary teaching, with an emphasis on health policy, health economics and management in the health sector. Our mission is to influence and improve health policy design, implementation and evaluation, and to strengthen health policy governance around the world by applying rigorous social science research to existing and emerging national and global health challenges. The Department of Health Policy trains and inspires people passionate about health by advancing and challenging their understanding of health and social care systems and the social, economic and political contexts in which they operate. This includes issues related to the regulation and competition of the life sciences sector and patient access and affordability of medicines. The Department's PhD programme is an integral part of the academic environment at LSE, producing doctoral graduates of the highest quality. The programme draws upon multidisciplinary perspectives, notably from economics, social policy, and public policy.