Mandy RyanWelcome to the Health Economics Research Unit website. HERU has been at the cutting edge of economic research into health for over thirty years. We pride ourselves on the high quality of our empirical and methodological research. Our research aims to make a real difference both to the effectiveness and delivery of health services and to the health of populations in Scotland and other countries…

Mandy Ryan, Director.

Research Assessment Exercise 2008

Staff from HERU made a major contribution to the University's submission to Unit of Assessment 7 (UoA 7), Health Services Research by being returned with the highest scoring return for the University of Aberdeen. With a grade point average of 3.05, HERU was joint top of the UK league in health services research. For further information click here.

The main office in HERU is manned Monday - Friday, 0830 - 1630

Latest News

Vacancies

Project Administrator, MUNROS European Commission Project. 

SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE for 2013 DCE WORKSHOP

3 day workshop - Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics: Theoretical and Practical Issues, Aberdeen, November 2013.

Workshop flyer - with details of Scholarship (pdf)

HERU lecturer wins Cairncross Prize

Dr Yu Aoki has been awarded the Cairncross Prize for the best paper presented by a young economist at this years' Scottish Economic Society Conference. The paper is entitled "An outcome of free labour supply: effects of volunteer work on mortality. A natural experiment using earthquake shocks in Japan".  

Changing health professional roles across Europe studied

Researchers are to look at how the roles of health professionals across Europe have changed and extended to meet today's healthcare needs. Click here for more details.

Latest HERU Briefing Paper

The latest HERU Briefing Paper (April 2013) is available online. This paper reports on a study to incorporate public preferences into health care resource allocation decisions by using a discrete choice experiment. The paper is by HERU researchers Verity Watson and Mandy Ryan with Andrew Carnon and Derek Cox from Dumfries & Galloway. 

Gavin Mooney MSc studentships 

Gavin Mooney MSc studentships are available for full-time UK/EU students. To be eligible to apply for the studentships you need to hold an unconditional offer for the MSc in the Economics of Health. Further information is available at the MSc Economics of Health page.

'HERU's Mandy Ryan ranked top in the UK'

In a recently published article in the Journal of Health Economics, Professor Mandy Ryan, who has been with the Health Economics Research Unit (HERU) at the University of Aberdeen since 1987, is ranked amongst the top health economists in the world. To read more click here.    

quit4u Smoking Cessation Final Report

The final report on the evaluation of the quit4u smoking cessation scheme, which combines structured behavioural support and pharmacotherapy with financial incentives, is now available in the publications pages of the NHS Health Scotland website. 

2011 Annual Report

A copy of the HERU 2011 Annual Report is available in pdf format here

New MSc Economics of Health

HERU together with the Department of Economics will be offering a new MSc in the Economics of Health at the University of Aberdeen starting in the 2012/13 academic year. Click here to read more...

Mode effects in stated preference survey research

Researchers from HERU were recently awarded a grant by the MRC Methodology Research Panel to investigate mode effects in stated preferences survey research. This 30 month project will be led by Dr Verity Watson in collaboration with Dr Terry Porteous (Academic Primary Care and Prof. Mandy Ryan (HERU). For more information clickhere.