This is an application for a small conference grant to support a one-day conference to develop strategies for achieving goals of the newly formed American Society of Health Economists (ASHE). This conference will address how ASHE can best set its agenda, develop strategies and specify steps to help the growing profession of health economics to: 1) promote the highest quality research, 2) disseminate research, and 3) build partnerships between the health economics research community, relevant funders and those who utilize the results of that research. These activities and goals meet the purposes of the small conference grants. These goals of AHSE, and the topics of health economics, closely align to the mission of The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and other stakeholders who conduct, support, teach, and use health economic research. The conference will be devoted to determining how ASHE can best help to promote top quality research aimed at answering key important questions, and to translate and disseminate information useful for policy makers. To do this, the conference will bring together the newly appointed Board of Directors of ASHE, appropriate individuals from government and private funding agencies, and public and private users (policy makers) of health economics research. Sessions, each led by a panel with representatives from the three groups, will discuss relevant topics and develop specific steps to achieve these goals. ASHE plans to have biannual meetings, a website, and other activities, to promote excellence in health economics research, the dissemination of research, and a forum for the exchange of ideas. The product of this conference will be strategic plan assessing opportunities, indicating steps, assigning responsibilities and setting up timetables. This will be a roadmap for the next steps and important activities of ASHE as well as a definition of the role of other stakeholders in promoting excellence in health economics research. The conference will be held in October in Washington, DC.
