Aleksandra Torbica Elected as AIES President

Aleksandra Torbica, Director of Bocconi's Centre for Research on Health and Social Care Management (CERGAS), is the new President of the Italian Health Economics Association (Associazione Italiana di Economia Sanitaria – AIES). The outcome of the ballot, held electronically throughout September, was announced on 1 October during the annual conference of the association, virtually hosted by CERGAS.

An association of Italian health economics and management scholars, AIES was established 25 years ago. Professor Torbica, who will serve a three-year term, is the first woman to be elected President. She's been an active member of the association for years and has already been its Secretary General and a member of its governing body, the Executive Council.

"My short-term goal is strengthening the role of AIES in the debate about the Italian healthcare system which is following the COVID outbreak," Prof. Torbica says. "There is still much to improve in using research to inform policy. Our association is in a unique position to give advice both on the economic and the managerial sides of the issue, in this historical moment in which policy makers are called to make good use of unprecedented resources."

More generally, the new President will strive to increase international exposure of AIES and give it a stronger role in the European Health Economics Association (EUHEA) . The final aim is also to expand its membership by engaging with Italian scholars working in foreign universities.