Short Course: Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics

Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) studies in health and healthcare offer exciting opportunities but also present unique challenges.

Since 2003, the Health Economics Research Unit (HERU) has been at the forefront of teaching Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) in Health Economics.

More than 400 participants from diverse backgrounds and countries have attended our Discrete Choice Experiment in Health Economics course.

Our next course will be held in Aberdeen from 22^nd to 26^th September 2025. This course runs in collaboration with RTI Health Solutions. Book your spot now by signing up through this link: Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health 2025.

The registration fee includes all course materials, a copy of the Using Discrete Choice Experiments to Value Health and Health Care book, four nights' B&B accommodation at the venue, all lunches, a networking drink's reception and a course dinner at a local restaurant.

Please note, our courses are often fully booked well in advance, so early registration is recommended.

This course runs every year in Aberdeen and, in collaboration with the O'Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, every two years in Banff, Canada. The next Canada course will be in 2026. More details will be posted when available. Watch this space!

About DCEs:

HERU’s researchers were pioneers in applying DCEs to health economics and continue to lead the development of this method. To learn more, watch this brief video introducing DCEs:

HERU has been teaching short courses on Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) since 2003. Researchers in HERU pioneered the application of DCEs in health economics and continue to develop the method. We explain more about DCEs in this short video:

About our Course:

This engaging 3-day course provides a comprehensive exploration of both the theoretical and practical aspects of using DCEs to elicit and apply preferences in health-related applications, while also offering a valuable opportunity to discuss and refine your own projects with expert guidance.

Drawing on real-world case studies from HERU’s researchers extensive experience, the course covers a wide range of applications, from understanding patient preferences for medical treatments to exploring healthcare professionals' job preferences and public attitudes towards care.

We want participants to leave the course both inspired and empowered to do their own DCEs. For this, we teach the whole process of designing a DCE: from study conception to interpretation of results considering the specific aspects of health.

We try to make the course as hands-on as possible. For this, we include:

Taught sessions which focus on the theory behind DCEs.
Group work sessions which provide participants with hands-on experience of each stage of a DCE project.
Practical sessions which link the two together.

We use state-of-practice computer software to teach people how to design and analyse DCE data.

Whether you're new to DCEs or looking to deepen your expertise, this course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to tackle these complex issues with confidence.

Past courses have led to academic collaborations, PhD supervisions, completed research projects across the world and even a World Health Organisation User Guide.

Past participants have said:

“I really enjoyed the course! You created an excellent learning environment with really engaging teaching and everyone was so friendly and open to questions/discussion”

“The course was very well organized and highly informative. This is a great course for a beginner in DCEs. Having no prior knowledge of DCEs, I am fairly confident to conduct a DCE study with guidance from more experienced colleagues. Also, I can now critically read a DCE article and understand the methods and findings!”

“The course was a real treat - it was run excellently by Mandy, Verity and Luis with the presentations clear and well structured and has made me much more confident to run a DCE from start to finish".

“I've enjoyed the course (and Aberdeen) a lot, well done to the entire team for such professional organisation and delivery. I came here by recommendation from a colleague and will certainly recommend it to others”.

“Outstanding course. Thanks!! I hope you'll see a few publications from me (that are related to the course). That won't be a bad measure of success”.

“Thank you so much. The course was fantastic. The presenters' enthusiasm for the topic and willingness to discuss each attendee's study/data made attending even more valuable.”

“Thank you to all of the instructors and organizers for an incredibly well-run and very useful course! I will definitely be recommending this course to any colleagues interested in using DCEs in the future.”

You can read more about our Aberdeen and Canada courses in the sections below, and in the Frequently Asked Questions section.

Photograph of course participants engaged in group work at the 2022 DCE course in Aberdeen.

Photograph of Professor Mandy Ryan presenting to course participants at the DCE course held in Banff, Canada in March 2022.

In 2019, we published a HERU Blog post on the DCE courses that we ran that year in Aberdeen and in Canada - Reflections on HERU's 'Applying Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics' course.

Participants and presenters undertaking group work at the DCE course in Aberdeen in 2022.

Our DCE courses

Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics Course, Aberdeen, Scotland
Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics Course, Banff, Canada

Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics Course, Aberdeen, Scotland: This course is taught by researchers from the Preference And ValuE (PAVE) research theme at HERU, University of Aberdeen.

The most recent Aberdeen course took place from 24th-26th September 2024 and was fully booked.

The course fee includes teaching material, accommodation, all lunches, a course welcome reception and dinner.

The course lasts for three full days, with a course meal at the end. Accommodation is provided for four nights (Monday - Thursday).

Details of future courses will be posted when available.

The course presenters are:

Professor Mandy Ryan

Mandy developed the course and has presented it since 2003 in Aberdeen, and has ran similar courses in Banff, Cape Town and Rotterdam.

Mandy is the Director of the Health Economics Research Unit. Her research has focused on developing methods of valuation in health economics, with a focus on discrete choice experiments and contingent valuation. Mandy has worked with academics, government and the pharmaceutical industry and has published widely in the field of health economics generally, and monetary valuation more specifically.

Professor Verity Watson

Verity developed the course and has taught it since 2003 in Aberdeen, and has run similar courses in Banff, Rotterdam, Berlin and Munich.

Verity worked at HERU for over 20 years and is now an Honorary Professor at the University. Verity's expertise is non-market valuation using contingent valuation and discrete choice experiments. Her research focuses on testing the validity of non-market valuation methods and how study context can influence responses.

Verity has applied these methods to inform a range of policy issues. In doing so she has worked with academics from a number of different fields, the government and the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr Luis Loría Rebolledo

Luis leads the Preference and ValuE (PAVE) research theme in HERU. He joined HERU in 2016 and, since then, has taught on the course in both Aberdeen and Canada. Luis' research focuses on the use of stated preference methods to value non-market goods and services in health and environment. Luis also has an interest in the use of reference-dependent choice models and has taken part in the design of DCEs that apply these in the health and environmental economics field.

Mélanie Antunes

Mélanie joined HERU in 2018 and, having successfully defended her PhD thesis, is a Research Assistant in the Preference and ValuE (PAVE) theme, working on various stated preferences projects. Mélanie's PhD focused on public and patient preferences for social prescribing in Scotland. She joined the course as an assistant in 2022 and as a presenter in 2024.
Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics Course, Banff, Canada: This course is a collaboration between HERU and the O'Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary.

The most recent course ran from 20th - 22nd February 2024 in the Banff Centre, Banff, Canada. The next course will take place in 2026. More details will be posted when available. For any enquiries, please contact Cassandra McLaughlin at the O'Brien Institute for Public Health.

The Banff, Canada, course presenters are:

Professor Mandy Ryan

Mandy Ryan developed the course and has taught it since 2003 in Aberdeen, and has run similar courses in Banff, Cape Town and Rotterdam.

Mandy is the Director of the Health Economics Research Unit. Her research has focused on developing methods of valuation in health economics, with a focus on discrete choice experiments and contingent valuation. Mandy has worked with academics, government and the pharmaceutical industry and has published widely in the field of health economics generally, and monetary valuation more specifically.

Professor Verity Watson

Verity developed the course and has taught it since 2003 in Aberdeen, and has run similar courses in Banff, Rotterdam, Berlin and Munich.

Verity worked at HERU for over 20 years and is now an Honorary Professor at the University. Verity's expertise is non-market valuation using contingent valuation and discrete choice experiments. Her research focuses on testing the validity of non-market valuation methods and how study context can influence responses.

Verity has applied these methods to inform a range of policy issues. In doing so she has worked with academics from a number of different fields, the government and the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr Luis Loría Rebolledo

Luis leads the Preference and ValuE (PAVE) research theme in HERU. He joined HERU in 2016 and, since then, has taught on the course in both Aberdeen and Canada. Luis' research focuses on the use of stated preference methods to value non-market goods and services in health and environment. Luis also has an interest in the use of reference-dependent choice models and has taken part in the design of DCEs that apply these in the health and environmental economics field.

Dr Deborah Marshall

Deborah is a Professor at University of Calgary, who is actively engaged in advancing the methods and applying stated preferences research. She is a member of the Stated Preferences Methods Task Forces of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research to develop good research practice methods for discrete choice experiments in health applications. She has worked in academia, government agencies, and industry in North America and Europe and has published widely in the field.

Dr Gillian Currie

Gillian is a health economist and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. She has research experience applying stated preference methods, including discrete choice experiments. A key focus of Gillian's current research is measuring the preferences of physicians and families for biologic treatment initiation and tapering strategies among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course provide?: The course builds on the experience teaching DCEs, also known as conjoint analysis, to a range of audiences for over 20 years. The course offers an introduction to the theoretical basis for, and development and application of, DCEs.
Will you go over all the stages needed to undertake a DCE?: We provide a thorough and step by step guide to all stages in the design of a DCE survey, including attribute and level selection, experimental design, survey design and implementation, data management, and data analysis and interpretation.
Is it only theory?: We provide a mix of theory, practical sessions and group work exercises that gives you a hands-on experience of each stage. We draw on real published studies and use state-of-practice software to replicate their analysis and design methods.
What are the benefits of this course?: This course goes through the whole process of DCE design: from conception to analysis. We will provide insight from our own research experience on aspects that are key to the success of a study, such as choice task construction and survey design.

This is also an opportunity to informally discuss your own projects with HERU researchers or build networks with fellow researchers with an interest in DCEs.
Who is this course aimed at?: Anyone who is interested in DCEs with an application in health. No knowledge of DCE is assumed, but participants may benefit more if they are familiar with statistical analysis, including regression methods.

Previous course participants have included NIHR clinical fellows, PhD students and early career researchers, and researchers in the contract research organisations and the pharmaceutical industry.
What have previous participants said?: “Thank you so much. The course was fantastic. The presenters' enthusiasm for the topic and willingness to discuss each attendee's study/data made attending even more valuable.”

“Thank you to all of the instructors and organizers for an incredibly well-run and very useful course! I will definitely be recommending this course to any colleagues interested in using DCEs in the future.”