IHEPA - CHRIST Health Economics Summer School
A five-day intensive academic programme designed to bridge theory, policy, and empirical practice in India's rapidly evolving health landscape.
Programme Snapshot
Five days of theory, methods, and policy translation
The programme follows an approximate 60:40 split between conceptual foundations and applied methods, combining lectures, discussions, NFHS data labs, and group presentations with expert feedback.
Focus
Health economics in the Indian policy context
Lab Work
NFHS data extraction, cleaning, and analysis
Certification
Joint certificate by CHRIST University and IHEPA
Attendance
Minimum 80 percent attendance required
Designed For
Doctoral scholars, early-career researchers, young faculty members, and postgraduate students building stronger research pathways in health economics.
Collaboration
CSPD, Department of Economics, and IHEPA
A joint academic initiative bringing together interdisciplinary scholarship, policy thinking, and applied health economics training.
Audience
Scholars, faculty, and policy-oriented researchers
Designed for doctoral scholars, early-career researchers, young faculty members, and postgraduate students with a quantitative orientation.
Format
Residential, intensive, and practice-led
Five days of lectures, discussions, NFHS data labs, and guided proposal development with expert feedback.
Why Health Economics?
Grounding research in a rapidly changing health landscape
Health systems across the world face mounting pressures such as rising healthcare costs, inequitable access, demographic transition, and shifting epidemiological burdens that demand evidence-informed policy responses.
Bengaluru offers a particularly relevant setting for this summer school. The city reflects both advanced tertiary-care ecosystems and ongoing challenges around deprivation, migration, under-nutrition, and mental health burdens in peri-urban communities.
The programme is positioned to connect theory with real policy questions in India through interdisciplinary teaching, practical data work, and proposal-building for future research and public action.
Practical Format
What participants should expect?
Residential five-day programme hosted at CHRIST University, Bengaluru Kengeri Campus.
Approximate 60:40 balance between theory and applied methods.
Interactive lectures, expert-led discussions, NFHS lab sessions, and group presentations.
Participants should have basic familiarity with statistics and econometrics and are requested to bring their own laptops.
29 June - 03 July 2026
30 to 40 participants
CHRIST University, Bengaluru Kengeri Campus
Objectives
What participants will gain?
- Conceptual grounding in core areas of health economics
- Health financing, insurance, and policy evaluation in India
- Digital health economics and the economic burden of mental health conditions
- Health system performance, efficiency measurement, and equity analysis
- Hands-on skills in NFHS data extraction, cleaning, and analysis
- Capacity to formulate feasible research questions and translate them into policy proposals
Themes
Major thematic areas
The summer school moves across conceptual, empirical, and policy themes so participants can connect research design with real-world decision making.
Foundations of Health Economics: demand, supply, and market failures
Health financing, insurance, and health technology assessment
Health inequalities: measurement, decomposition, and policy
Economics of mental health: burden, cost-of-illness, and policy
Digital health: policy architecture and health information systems
NFHS data laboratory: applied empirical analysis and policy research
Target Participants
Who should attend?
- Doctoral scholars and early-career researchers in economics, public policy, public health, health management, and related disciplines.
- Young faculty members teaching or researching health-related themes who want to deepen their empirical and policy analysis skills.
- Postgraduate students with a strong quantitative orientation and a clear interest in health economics and policy research.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of statistics and econometrics, plus a strong interest in health economics and policy research. Participants are requested to bring their own laptops.
Learning Outcomes
What participants will be able to do?
- Demonstrate conceptual clarity in health economics and contemporary policy issues, including digital health and mental health.
- Independently extract, clean, and analyse NFHS data and other large-scale survey datasets for health economics research.
- Understand health financing, equity measurement, and system-level performance evaluation in India.
- Prepare a short research proposal suitable for doctoral work, funded projects, or policy briefs on current health challenges.
How To Apply?
Application checklist
Complete the application form
Share your personal details, institutional affiliation, designation, and area of research interest through the online registration form.
Upload a brief CV
Submit a concise CV of up to two pages covering academic qualifications, institutional affiliation, teaching or research experience, and relevant publications or projects.
Submit a 500-word proposal
Prepare a short proposal on any aspect of health economics with a clear research question, motivation, methodology, and expected contribution.
Submission Note
Combine all application documents into a single PDF and submit your details through the registration form linked below. The listed contact emails remain available for application support and programme queries.
Important Dates
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by the Programme Committee based on the quality of the research proposal, relevance of the candidate's academic background to health economics, and institutional diversity.
Preference will be given to early-career researchers, doctoral scholars, and young faculty members. Selected candidates will be notified by email on or before 05 June 2026.
Contact
These contacts can be used for application support and programme queries.
Registration Fees
Faculty Members
Rs. 3,500
PhD Scholars
Rs. 2,500
Postgraduate Students
Rs. 2,000
Note
3-tier AC fare will be provided for all selected participants.
Practical Information
Fees, logistics, and participation requirements
Registration fees cover programme materials, certificates, refreshments, and meals for all five days, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Accommodation is available on a payment basis at the University guest house or nearby hotels.
Participants who complete the programme with the required minimum attendance will receive a joint certificate from CHRIST University and IHEPA.
Certification
Joint certificate by CHRIST University and IHEPA
Attendance
Minimum 80 percent attendance required
Organising Committee
Leadership and coordination
The summer school is anchored by CSPD, the Department of Economics at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), and the Indian Health Economics and Policy Association.
Patrons
Dr Joshy K J
Head, Department of Economics, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru
Prof. Manisha Karne
President, Indian Health Economics and Policy Association (IHEPA)
Conveners
Dr Harilal Madhavan
Director – CSPD, Associate Professor, Department of Economics
Dr Mahesh E
Centre for Studies in Population and Development (CSPD), CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru
Co-Convener
Md Zakaria Siddiqui
Vice President, Indian Health Economics and Policy Association (IHEPA)
Members
Faculty members from CSPD and the Department of Economics, CHRIST University, along with members of IHEPA.
Ready To Apply?
Build stronger health economics research with theory, data, and policy focus in one place.
Use the brochure deadlines above, prepare your CV and short proposal, and complete your registration through the online form.