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Welcome to NHESG 2026 in Reykjavík.

The 45th Nordic Health Economists’ Study Group (NHESG) Meeting will take place at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík from 19 to 21 August 2026. This page will serve as the main source of conference information, including venue details, registration, accommodation, and programme updates.

Abstract submission

Abstract submission for NHESG 2026 remains on the University of Akureyri website. The abstract submission deadline has been extended to Thursday, 9 April 2026.

Submit abstract here: https://www.unak.is/english/nhesg-2026-call-for-abstracts
NHESG 2026 NHESG 2019

Stephanie von Hinke is a Professor of Economics at the University of Bristol. My research builds on the biomedical and social sciences. She investigates the importance of genetics, early life environments, parental investments, and government policy in explaining individuals’ health and well-being over the life course.

She is the PI on a 5-year European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant (2020-2025) that aims to incorporate genetic data into social science research and study the importance of the nature-nurture interplay in the developmental origins of health and disease. She is also co-PI (with Titus Galama) on a 4-year Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MCSA)/UKRI Doctoral Network (2023-2027) to train a cohort of PhD students in social science genetics. She was a Co-PI on a 3-year NORFACE DIAL award (2018-2021). She was previously a Professor of Health Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam (part-time; 2018-2022). I also held an MRC Early Career Fellowship in the Economics of Health (2011-2014) at the University of York, and an ESRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Imperial College London (2009-2011). She is a Research Fellow at Tinbergen Institute, a Research Associate at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and a Research Fellow at the IZA. I was previously a Research Associate at the Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO, 2009 – 2014), and have held visiting positions at Cornell, IFS, and VU University Amsterdam. I am a member of the Royal Economic Society Committee.

Rita Santos is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Economics (CHE), University of York. Her research sits at the intersection of health economics, place and health system performance, examining how geography, provider organisation and institutional design shape access, quality and equity within local health systems.

She has extensive methodological expertise in causal inference, applying approaches to administrative health records and other real-world data. She is particularly known for combining these techniques with spatial econometrics and network analysis to capture interdependencies between providers and to explain why outcomes vary across places.

Rita is a Co-Investigator on several major research programmes, including the NIHR HS&DR ELEVATE study, which is identifying innovative models of urgent and emergency care for rural and coastal communities in England.

In her NHESG 2026 keynote, she will focus on health services in rural and small-town settings, exploring how place-based constraints and system design influence access, quality and equity. Drawing on emerging work on rural and coastal emergency services in England, she will show how network analysis of transfers between emergency departments can pinpoint pressure points in urgent care pathways. A key message is that these patterns call for bespoke policy and service responses to support rural and coastal emergency departments embedded within wider system objectives to improve overall outcomes and reduce inequalities for the populations they serve.

Visa Pitkänen

The best student paper will be awarded at the meeting.
The award is given annually to a student who is enrolled in a PhD program at a university, or a young researcher who works with a research institute. The PhD student should still be enrolled when the paper is submitted, while a young researcher should have obtained their Master's degree (or equivalent) within the past 5 years. If there are multiple authors, the scientific committee can request a co-author statement. The paper's topic should be relevant to the Nordic setting. The PhD student or young researcher must attend the annual NHESG meeting.

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The conference will be held at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík. More practical venue information will be added here.

The conference fee is ISK 75.000 (aprox. EUR 525 or USD 600), which includes the conference reception and conference dinner. 

  • Johan Jarl, Lund University
  • Maiken Skovrider Askoven, University of Southern Denmark
  • Lauri Sääksvuori, University of Turku
  • Hans Olav Melberg, Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Tinna Laufey Ásgeirsdóttir, University of Iceland - ta@hi.is 

For practical information, please contact

Helga Gunnur Þorvaldsdóttir, PCO
KOMUM conferences
Suðurlandsbraut 48
108 Reykjavík

helga@komum.is

 

Information on the program will be added here later

Abstract submission deadline (via UNAK): Thursday, 9 April 2026
Full paper deadline: to be added later
Discussant preference deadline: to be added later
Best Student Paper award submission: to be added later
Conference dates: 19–21 August 2026

In line with NHESG tradition, the discussant, rather than the author, will present the paper. The discussant’s presentation will provide a summary of the paper and a critical discussion of its content. Each session is allocated 40 minutes, including time for the presentation and subsequent discussion.

The usual and well-tried NHESG rules will operate at this meeting, namely:

  • A total of 40 minutes (including 5 minutes brake) is allotted to each paper.
  • Papers will be taken as read.
  • Authors will not read, summarise, or even introduce their papers.
  • Discussants will open the proceedings and will have about 15 minutes to briefly summarise the contents of the paper and secondly critically discuss methods, theory, and conclusions.
  • Authors may then - and not before then - reply to clear up misunderstandings or make clarifications.
  • General discussion will then take place, moderated by the chairman. Authors and discussants have the same (nearly!) rights to participate as anyone else.
  • Discussants and Author, in that order, will have the final say (e.g. 5 minutes each at the end) if so desired. 

Discussants

Please bear in mind that the purpose of the meeting is not to score points, cheap or otherwise, at the expense of others, but:

  • to be constructively helpful to authors
  • to explore links between health economics and other areas of economics, and to improve the empirical and theoretical use of health economics
  • to map out an agenda, if possible, which may guide discussions from the floor

Chairs

As the chair, please ensure that all presentations are ready. 

Furthermore, please ensure the procedural rules are adhered to - their purpose is to minimise unproductive use of time and maximise participation by all. Do not let anyone monopolise the talk (unless no one else wants to speak). The discussion is not a question-and-answer session, so authors should not respond to every point as it is made unless there is little participation from others.

Authors will get their chance to reply at the end. A little conspiracy with discussants (and even authors) beforehand may not come amiss in trying to structure the discussion. Do not be afraid to end a session early if it seems that all that will be said has been said (but do not start on the next paper before it is time – people may wish to change rooms)

NHESG 2026 offers a great opportunity to combine the conference with a short stay in Reykjavík and Iceland. Reykjavík is a compact and welcoming capital with cafés, concerts, museums and geothermal pools, and it is also an excellent base for exploring Iceland. Easy day trips from the city include the Golden Circle, the South Coast and whale-watching tours.

Participants who are able to stay one extra day may want to enjoy Reykjavík Culture Night on Saturday, 22 August 2026, immediately after the conference. Culture Night is a major annual city festival, with exhibitions, concerts and cultural events across the city centre, ending with fireworks by the harbour.

Those arriving earlier in August may also have the chance to experience the total solar eclipse in Iceland on 12 August 2026, which will be visible in Reykjavík. As this is expected to bring additional demand for accommodation and travel services, early booking is recommended for anyone planning to combine the eclipse with the conference.

For inspiration and practical information, see:
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