Essen Health Conference 2026
About the Conference
The Essen Health Conference 2026 took place for the 17th time from 3 to 5 June. Martin Karlsson (University of Duisburg-Essen) and Therese Nilsson (University of Lund) organised the conference at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Over 40 scientists travelled to the conference to discuss the latest research in the fields of health, education and labour economics.
As every year, the keynote speakers Stephanie von Hinke (University of Bristol) and Melanie Wasserman (UCLA Anderson School of Management) were particularly noteworthy. Their impulses for research were appreciated by the audience. As guest speaker and Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Prof. Dr Erwin Amann emphasised the importance of health economics in Essen.
””Over the past 17 years, the Essen Health Conference has evolved from a visionary academic initiative into a truly internationally recognized forum — a beacon for rigorous, interdisciplinary scholarship in the economics of health, education, and labor markets.” – Prof. Dr. Erwin Amann (Dean, University of Duisburg-Essen).
The conference was organised with the support of the CINCH research centre, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and in cooperation with the University of Duisburg-Essen. We would also like to thank the RTG 2484 - Regional Disparities & Economic Policy programme for their financial support. The Essen Health Conference could only take place successfully with the support of our partners.
Best Paper Award 2026
The most valuable studies were honoured in the annual Best Paper Awards. Among the studies at the highest scientific level, three papers were the most convincing.
Hikaru Kawarazaki (Institute for Fiscal Studies) took first place with his study "A Rotten Apple: Peer Effects of Criminal Exposure in Schools".
Giuseppe Moscelli (University of Surrey) won second place with his project "Unexpected Worker Absences as Labor Supply Shocks: Evidence from Ambulance Services" in collaboration with Melisa Sayli (University of Surrey) and Cheti Nicoletti (University of York)).
Luis Sarmiento (ETH Zurich) and his co-author Piero Basaglia (Bordeaux School of Economics) was recognised with the project “Piero Basaglia (Bordeaux School of Economics)” in third place.
Scientific Committee
- Farzana Afridi (Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi)
- Diego Ascarza Mendoza (Tecnológico de Monterrey)
- Jesús Bueren (Católica-Lisbon)
- Benjamin Chartock (Bentley University)
- Alison Cuellar (George Mason University)
- Orla Doyle (University College Dublin)
- Davide Dragone (University of Bologna)
- Meghan Esson (Hippie College of Business)
- Amanda Gaulke (Kansas State University)
- Martin Karlsson (University of Duisburg-Essen)
- Melanie Lührmann (University of London)
- Jesse Matheson (The University of Sheffield)
- Teresa Molina (University of Hawaii at Manoa)
- Therese Nilsson (Lund University)
- Analisa Packham (Vanderbilt University)
- Martin Salm (Tilburg University)
- Marcos Vera-Hernández (University College London)
- Jenny Williams (University of Melbourne)
- Nicolas Ziebarth (University of Mannheim)
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