We are looking for a PhD student who would like to improve the HTA methodology to evaluate medical artificial intelligence (AI). There are many AI applications with the potential to personalise prevention and treatment and improve the quality of the healthcare system. AI applications have some distinctive features that call for an adaptation of the standard HTA methodology. The term AI does not refer to just a single intervention but a complex package of data collection tools, data analysis methods, algorithms, and decision rules that trigger further action. In cases where the AI application is self-learning, its performance can improve over time. AI applications may present issues with transparency and explainability. Moreover, AI applications may have far-reaching impacts on the clinical and administrative activities of organisations and health systems. The PhD student will develop a comprehensive evaluation methodology that takes these distinctive features into account and helps to assess the broad societal value of AI applications, to support their use in a responsible way. This methodology needs to be tested in several case studies. The main tasks will include developing a framework for a full HTA of AI, preparing and executing pilot evaluations, doing systematic literature reviews, collecting data on outcomes, healthcare utilisation and costs, analysing care pathways and building health-economic models. The PhD thesis will contain a carefully integrated collection of peer-reviewed scientific papers.

We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate with an MSc degree in health care policy and management, (health) economics, econometrics, biomedical sciences, biostatistics, or similar, preferably with experience in cost-effectiveness research and health-economic modelling. The candidate should have demonstrable skills in quantitative research methods, surveying, economic evaluation, and systematic literature reviews. In addition, the candidate should possess strong communicative skills in English, and preferably in Dutch as well. The candidate should be able to work independently, take initiative and keep to deadlines.

We offer a position as PhD student at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Preferably the candidate can start as soon as possible but this is negotiable. PhD students are appointed for a period of 4 years, starting with a temporary contract for 1.5 years and followed by a second temporary contract for 2.5 years. Remuneration will be in accordance with the PhD scale set by the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU). Fulltime work will pay € 2,434 before taxes in the first year, increasing to € 3,111 in the fourth year. EUR offers a set end-of-year bonus of 8.3% and offers generous opportunities for further education.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

The Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after Rotterdam-born humanist and theologian Erasmus, is a research university with a strong international orientation and a pronounced social focus, both in its education and research activities. On the lively, modern campus, more than 28,000 students and scholars of more than 100 nationalities are constantly encouraged to develop their talents and meet their ambition. Our more than 2,700 scientists and employees work together with all our students to solve challenges faced by global society, drawing their inspiration from the consistently dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. The academic education offered at our faculties is intensive, engaging and strongly focused on practical application. We increasingly perform our research in multidisciplinary teams, which are closely interwoven with international networks. In terms of research impact and the quality of its degree programmes, EUR can compete with the foremost universities in Europe, which is reflected in its consistent top-100 position in most major universities’ rankings. Erasmus University Rotterdam’s key values are daring, curiosity, social involvement, breaking new ground and striving for success www.eur.nl

ESHPM

Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM) is part of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) and linked with Erasmus MC. ESHPM is responsible for several education programmes on policy, management, and economics in health care, which serve around 1000 students yearly. In addition, it is also very active in research, which can be divided into three major themes: ‘Competition and Regulation in Health Care’, ‘Quality and Efficiency in Health Care’ and ‘Health Care Management’. ESHPM has about 175 employees.

Health Technology Assessment - our projects

The main goal of HTA is estimating the value of innovations in health care. Our department contributes to important and influential methodological innovations. It is dedicated to stimulating the use of cost-effectiveness information in healthcare decision making. This requires that evidence about effectiveness and costs from various sources is synthesized into probabilistic decision-analytic models. Our department has a large and experienced team of researchers, who develop and implement such models. This work is often funded by policy makers or manufacturers to inform reimbursement decisions. Examples are the technology appraisals that are conducted by the HTA department for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom and the National Health Care Institute (ZIN) in the Netherlands.