◤ Breaking News
◤ HTAi Observes World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day
On January 30th, HTAi joined the global health community in recognizing World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, an initiative led by the World Health Organization. As an organization with official relations status with the World Health Organization, HTAi supports its efforts to raise awareness and drive action against these diseases, which affect 1.5 billion people worldwide. HTA plays a crucial role in addressing neglected tropical diseases by evaluating the effectiveness, safety, and cost-efficiency of medical technologies, treatments, and public health interventions.
◤ Last Chance to submit your Expressions of Interest for the SDCB Committee!
As a standing advisory committee to the HTAi Board of Directors, the SDCB Committee plays a vital role in steering the Society’s scientific direction and building global HTA capacity. Members contribute to strategic priority setting, peer review of HTAi applications, the development of capacity-building tools, fostering collaborative partnerships, and evaluating applications for HTAi scholarships and awards.
This role offers a unique chance to shape HTAi’s future, expand professional networks, and develop leadership and evaluation skills while engaging in high-impact initiatives. HTAi members in good standing are encouraged to apply by February 3, 2025.
◤ HTAi DEA-IG Seeks Steering Committee Members
Joining the DEA-IG Steering Committee is a great opportunity to drive discussions on evidence-based healthcare, plan impactful webinars and workshops, and contribute to DEA-IG’s strategic goals. Expressions of Interest will be accepted until February 28, 2025. All members of DEA are entitled to become member of the Steering Committee.
◤ Join the HTAi Asia Policy Forum!
The HTAi Asia Policy Forum is now accepting submissions to fill two for-profit member vacancies. This is a rare opportunity to join a Policy Forum—an exclusive chance to contribute to shaping the Forum’s agenda and outcomes while gaining direct access to senior leaders and decision-makers in HTA across the Asia Pacific region. Please note that membership fees apply. For more information on costs and benefits, please reach out to Alicia Powers at apowers@htai.org.
◤ HTAi Asia Policy Forums Organizing Committee Accepting Nominations
The HTAi Asia Policy Forum Organizing Committee has opened a call for nominations to fill one for-profit vacancy. Joining the Asia Policy Forum Organizing Committee provides an excellent opportunity to help shape the Forum’s activities and priorities. This includes providing input on the topic, agenda, research, framing, and reporting of the pre-meeting background paper, as well as identifying speakers and contributing to various meeting outputs.
Interested Candidates are invited to submit nominations no later than Friday, February 7, 2025. Click the button below to learn more about this role and how to apply!
◤ Opening Soon: Nominations for the 2025 Board of Directors Election
Next week, HTAi will begin accepting nominations from members in good standing to join our Board of Directors. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of HTAi and contribute to advancing HTA worldwide.
The Board will be seeking to fill one Vice President position (2025–2031 term) and four Director positions (2025–2028 term). HTAi is dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive Board that reflects the global membership we serve, valuing a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives.
If you’re interested in joining the HTAi Board, now is the time to start preparing your nomination— review your professional achievements, identify references, and be ready to submit once nominations open in February.
Stay tuned for more details and ensure your membership is in good standing to be eligible.
◤ Updates from the HTAi 2025 Annual Meeting
The 2025 HTAi Annual Meeting will will take place June 14-18, 2025, in the incredible city of Buenos Aires— mark your calendars and save the date!
Explore the 2025 Annual Meeting Plenaries
The 2025 Annual Meeting will discuss topics related to the central theme, NextGen Evidence: Diversifying and Advancing HTA to Meet Global Demands. The program features dynamic discussions on critical, forward-looking topics that shape the future of HTA.
Plenary One: NextGen HTA: Embracing Change To Meet Global Demands
As healthcare rapidly evolves with AI, gene therapies, and precision medicine, HTA must transition from a gatekeeping role to actively shaping health systems. Plenary One will explore how HTA can adapt to meet global challenges, influence policy, and drive equitable innovation. By embracing new methodologies and considering social determinants of health, HTA has the potential to ensure healthcare remains resilient, inclusive, and responsive to technological advancements.
Plenary Two: NextGen Methods: Hype Or Here To Stay?
Plenary Two will explore next-generation HTA methods to keep pace with rapid healthcare innovations, from AI-driven predictive modeling to adaptive trial designs. Discussions will focus on how HTA can integrate new data sources, address environmental and equity concerns, and enhance evidence synthesis for digital health and personalized medicine. By embracing innovative and practical methodologies, HTA can remain a proactive force in decision-making, ensuring healthcare systems worldwide are equipped to assess and implement cutting-edge technologies effectively.
Plenary Three: NextGen Participation: How Can We Use HTA To Achieve More Transparent, Equitable, And Fair Health Systems?
Plenary Three will explore how transparency, equity, and fairness are essential for building trustworthy and inclusive health systems. The session will examine HTA’s role in ensuring timely access to health technologies, supporting universal health coverage (UHC), and addressing health disparities, particularly in resource-limited settings. By integrating sustainable and digital tools, HTA can enhance decision-making, strengthen resilience, and foster long-term improvements in global healthcare systems.
Plan your Annual Meeting travel
Do you need a visa to attend the HTAi 2025 Annual Meeting? The requirement depends on your nationality and travel purpose. Check the visa requirements for each country here.
For Argentina, the visa requirements vary based on nationality and purpose of travel. Here’s what you need to know:
- Electronic visas are available for citizens of 71 countries.
- Visa-free entry is available for approximately 90 countries.
- Citizens of MERCOSUR agreement member countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia) can enter with just their ID cards.
Be sure to plan ahead and allow sufficient time for the visa approval process, as it can take several weeks.
◤ A Look Back
◤ HTAi Webinar | HTA of Health Literacy Interventions
On January 22, 2025, the HTAi Public Health Interest Group hosted a webinar discussing the application of HTA to “soft technologies”, such as intersectoral actions and health promotion activities, with a focus on health literacy.
◤ HTAi 2025 Global Policy Forum
The HTAi 2025 Global Policy Forum convened in Cascais, Portugal, on January 26-28, bringing together thought leaders to explore “The Journey to the Digitalization of Health Technology Assessment: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in HTA Lifecycle Activities”.
This year’s gathering was particularly special as it marked the 20th anniversary of the HTAi Global Policy Forum, celebrating two decades of shaping the future of HTA on a global scale.
A heartfelt thank you to Global Policy Forum Chair Meindert Boysen, and Scientific Secretary Rebecca Trowman, for their leadership and dedication to the Forum’s success. We also extend our gratitude to the Forum speakers and members for their invaluable contributions, fostering meaningful collaboration and insightful discussions.
Save the Date for 2026
The next Global Policy Forum will take place in Montréal, Canada, January 25-27, 2026.
◤ Network News
◤ HTAi Interest Group Feature: Public Health Interest Group
HTAi Interest Groups (IGs) serve as vibrant professional and scientific communities that unite individuals from healthcare, business, government, academia, and consulting, all committed to advancing HTA. Open to all HTAi members, these groups provide a valuable platform for networking, sharing insights, and collaborating on initiatives that shape the future of HTA.
The HTAi Public Health Interest Group (PH-IG) is dedicated to the development and promotion of HTA methodologies, policy frameworks and case studies with a focus on public health interventions. It aims to contribute to the value propositions, awareness and implementation of sustainable interventions in the field of lifestyle & nutrition, prevention, early detection & monitoring, and environmental health.
Watch the video below to learn how you can benefit from joining the HTAi PH-IG Interest Group.
◤ Join the SUSTAIN-HTA survey: Help Evaluate a HTA Competency framework with Three Levels of Expertise
The SUSTAIN-HTA consortium aims to develop a generic competency framework for Health Technology Assessment (HTA) expertise on three levels of expertise. HTAi is supporting this project. We are excited to announce a survey as part of the SUSTAIN-HTA project which aims to upskill the pan-European HTA body workforce and harmonize HTA expertise. Please use this link to access the information sheet about the survey: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wQiTMVjV1pUNuSANavfspkEpc0ZVnemf/view?usp=sharing
Who should participate?
We are calling on a broad range of stakeholders with less than three years of professional expertise in HTA.
How to participate?
Please click the button below to access the survey where you can submit your valuable inputs. Completing the survey takes approximately 15 minutes, and we welcome your answers before February 3rd, 2025.
Why participate?
Your opinion as an early career professional in the field of HTA is important and will impact HTA education and expertise.
We look forward to your contributions to shape the future of HTA!
If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Wija Oortwijn, work package lead SUSTAIN-HTA at w.oortwijn@radboudumc.nl.
◤ HTAi Executive Director Appointed to the NHS Education for Scotland Board
Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) is pleased to announce that its Executive Director, George Valiotis, has been appointed as a Non-Executive Board Member of NHS Education for Scotland (NES), following a ministerial appointment by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray MSP. This four-year appointment is a testament to George’s exceptional contributions to advancing health systems and workforce development through education and innovation.
NES is a national organization responsible for developing and delivering education and training to support Scotland’s health and social care workforce. The agency plays a critical role in ensuring a skilled, adaptable workforce capable of delivering high-quality care.
George will undertake this part-time role, requiring approximately one day per week, in his own time and alongside his work as Executive Director of HTAi. His appointment reflects his extensive experience in education, workforce development, and leadership across health systems globally and locally in Scotland.
◤ Meet the 2024 HTAi Jill Sanders Memorial Scholarship Recipient!
HTAi has the pleasure of announcing that Dr. Luciana Mduma from Tanzania is the recipient of the 2024 HTAi Jill Sanders Memorial Scholarship!
Luciana Mduma is a medical doctor dedicated to improving healthcare in resource-limited settings. With experience at Africa CDC and Compassion International, she now serves as a Project Coordinator at KOFIH while pursuing an MSc in Health Economics and Policy at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Tanzania.
◤ Provide your Feedback: ESHTA Working Group Report
The HTAi Environmental Sustainability in Health Technology Assessment (ESHTA) Working Group would like to please engage you in a wider consultation process of their work thus far.
ESHTA requests your feedback on the first draft of the inaugural ESHTA Working Group report: Setting the Objectives of the Working Group for Incorporating Environmental Sustainability in Health Technology Assessment.
Click below to view the report and return your feedback to melissa.pegg@york.ac.uk by February 16, 2025.
Description of the ESHTA Working Group: Incorporating environmental sustainability into Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is critical to support healthcare sustainable development. The definition of HTA emphasizes the inclusion of environmental aspects, however this domain is still not widely adopted globally. Challenges include developing appropriate methods to evaluate environmental sustainability in HTA including: prioritization of environmental criteria, defining the scope and boundary, ensuring data appropriateness, “trade-off” considerations, and what techniques are feasible for healthcare decision making. The intent of the multi-disciplinary Environmental Sustainability in HTA (ESHTA) Working Group is to collaborate and contribute on the value frameworks and processes to incorporate environmental sustainability in HTA and support policy levers and instruments for wider systems change.
Background: A workshop was conducted by the HTAi ESHTA Working Group involving a broad range of interested global stakeholders to help develop consensus of appropriate methods for the incorporation of environmental sustainability in HTA. Building consensus amongst a wide range of stakeholders across healthcare decision making processes will form the foundation for proposing a value framework for implementing environmental sustainability policy in HTA. The aim of the workshop was to collect stakeholder perspectives and views on what they feel are important aspects to consider when incorporating environmental sustainability in HTA.
◤ HTA News from Around the World
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- The European Union announces new framework contract to support joint clinical assessments and joint scientific consultations under HTAR with a consortium of HTA bodies representing 21 EU countries.
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- The European Union announces new framework contract to support joint clinical assessments and joint scientific consultations under HTAR with a consortium of HTA bodies representing 21 EU countries.
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- WHO releases new framework to bolster health in fragile settings offers timely guidance for countries.
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- WHO releases new framework to bolster health in fragile settings offers timely guidance for countries.
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- WHO releases call for experts: technical advisory group on AI for Health.
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- WHO releases call for experts: technical advisory group on AI for Health.
◤ IJTAHC Featured Publications
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- INAHTA Member Stories of engaging, adaptable, and impactful HTA.
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- INAHTA Member Stories of engaging, adaptable, and impactful HTA.
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- Good Practices for Health Technology Assessment Guideline Development: A Report of the Health Technology Assessment International, HTAsiaLink, and ISPOR Special Task Force.
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- Good Practices for Health Technology Assessment Guideline Development: A Report of the Health Technology Assessment International, HTAsiaLink, and ISPOR Special Task Force.
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- How can actuarial science contribute to the field of health technology assessment? An interdisciplinary perspective.
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- How can actuarial science contribute to the field of health technology assessment? An interdisciplinary perspective.