HEOR is a career area for Tufts graduates to consider who are interested in the intersection of science, economics, public health, and policy. If you have completed classes in majors such as Biopsychology, Biology, Community Health, Economics, or Psychology, careers in HEOR might be a good option for you to explore.
HEOR … What is it?
Professionals who work in HEOR often hold the following roles:
| HEOR Analyst/Associate | Analysts assist senior researchers by collecting and interpreting health data, conducting literature reviews, and supporting the development of economic models. They often use statistical software like SAS, R, and STATA. |
| Outcomes Researcher | Conducts research on medical interventions (e.g., survival rates), economic outcomes (e.g., healthcare costs), and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) such as quality of life and patient satisfaction |
| Market Access | Market access professionals use HEOR data to develop strategies for a product to be sold or developed in different markets. They create content summaries to managers that might demonstrate a product’s value to healthcare payers and regulators |
| Health Economist | Conducts analyses of healthcare interventions and their cost-effectiveness, cost-utility analysis, and often creates budget impact models, to determine if an intervention provides good value. |
How can students prepare for HEOR roles? Typical internships generally have opportunities that contain keywords such as clinical research, real word evidence, medical affairs, market access, etc. Students can start developing the transferable skills needed for these roles by participating in projects and class assignments that develop the competencies that recruiters and HR professionals value when searching for candidates.
Transferable Skills Future Job Competency
Literature Reviews Ability to perform systematic reviews and summative assessments
Excel Conduct economic analyses and build budget impact models
R / STATA / SAS Statistical analysis, RWE work
Data Visualization Communicating outcomes effectively in presentations and reports
What types of companies have HEOR roles? Here are just a few examples
| Pharmaceutical and Biotech Companies | Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sanofi, Bristol Myers Squibb, and AstraZeneca |
| Medical Device Companies/Clients | Costello Medical, Boston Health Economics, Inc. (BHE), and Real Chemistry |
| Consulting Firms | Putnam Associates, IQVIA, Health Advances, Boston Strategic Partners |
Next Steps for your career exploration
Navigating a Career in Health Economics
Competencies for Professionals in Health Economics and Outcomes
Check out Tufts Career Resources for Consulting
Careers in Health Economics – a series of profiles by the American Society of Health Economics Consulting
Roadmap to Become an HEOR Specialist
Find a HERD Alumni Mentor
