General Information
Health economics is concerned with the allocation of limited health resources under conditions of scarcity. Resource allocation often involves difficult choices and trade-offs. Spending limited resources on a new public health program or health care intervention can result in fewer resources remaining available to spend on other beneficial programs or interventions, with important implications for population health and health inequities.
Health economic evaluation is a growing and evolving field that has developed rigorous, transparent methods for informing resource allocation decisions. These methods are now routinely used by health technology assessment agencies and decision makers across Canada and internationally. Guidelines and best practices for conducting health economic evaluations have been adopted in numerous jurisdictions, with important differences in the methods used in developed versus developing countries, and in the methods used for evaluating public health programs compared to drugs and other health care interventions.
Internationally, there is an increasing interest in methods for incorporating equity considerations into health economic evaluations. Understanding and adopting these methods has the potential to benefit equity-seeking groups, including Indigenous Canadians, when informing decisions around the allocation of scarce health resources.
Graduates of this Graduate Embedded Certificate (GEC) will have the knowledge and competencies needed to conduct research and contribute to complex policy decisions involving allocations of health resources at the provincial, national, and international levels.
Degree and GEC requirements must be completed concurrently. Eligible students must apply and register to complete the Embedded Certificate in Health Economic Evaluation by contacting sph.programs@ualberta.ca. Students in University of Alberta faculties outside the School of Public Health may be eligible to complete the GEC, as outlined in the University Calendar for their degree program.
Entrance Requirements
The embedded certificate is open to students enrolled in all School of Public Health (SPH) graduate degrees, as well as students enrolled in graduate degrees in other Faculties.
Students must be in good academic standing at the time of application for the embedded certificate.
SPH students are required to register for the embedded certificate no later than September 30 of their second year OR, if studying part-time, no later than completion of 12 units of their degree program.
For information on the application process for the embedded certificate, refer to the School of Public Health website.
Program Requirements
The Graduate Embedded Certificate in Health Economic Evaluation comprises 12 units.
Students must complete the following: