OPEN Health
Dr. Marco Boeri - Director of Preference Research
Dr. Marco Boeri is Director of Preference Research in the Patient-Centered Outcomes Center of Excellence. Marco joined OPEN Health in April 2023 and has over 15 years of work experience in preference research. His core expertise is in modeling data from preference studies, discrete choice experiments, and stated preference methods.
An interview with Marco Boeri, Director of Preference Research, Patient-Centered Outcomes
In this interview, Marco Boeri, shares his excitement about his role in the Scientific Office and emphasizes the power of preference research in improving healthcare outcomes. He envisions preference research revolutionizing drug development, personalizing healthcare, evaluating interventions, and informing healthcare policy based on understanding patient and provider preferences.
Please introduce yourself
My name is Marco Boeri, and I am the Director of Preference Research in the Patient Centered Outcomes (PCO) Center of Excellence at OPEN Health. I have been working in preference research for over 15 years, first as an academic, then as a consultant in healthcare agencies. I joined OPEN Health in April 2023. I am also Honorary Professor of Practice in Health Economics at Queen’s University Belfast.
What motivated you to pursue a career in this field, and what keeps you engaged and excited about your work?
I started studying preference and choice modelling in environmental economics, but I have always been interested in the intersection of health, economics, and decision-making. I believe that preference research is a powerful tool that we can use to improve healthcare outcomes.
I am also excited about the potential of preference research to revolutionize the way we develop new drugs and make healthcare decisions. By understanding the preferences of patients and providers, we can develop more effective and efficient healthcare interventions.
What does your role in the Scientific Office mean to you?
Science is the core of all I do. It is very important to me that our consultancy work is driven by scientifically rigorous processes and that thought leaders are involved in delivering the best solutions to our clients.
My role in the Scientific Office is to ensure the thought leaders in my Center of Excellence are well known in their main area of expertise and well informed so that they can lead the consistent and coherent development and execution of OPEN Health's research program. I want to ensure the work of OPEN Health is scientifically sound and meets the requirements of our clients.
I am also interested in building and facilitating relationships with key stakeholders in the healthcare community. I believe that it is important to collaborate with others to ensure that our research has a real impact on healthcare decision-making.
In your opinion, what are some of the major challenges or complexities in conducting preference research, and how does OPEN Health address these to ensure scientific rigor?
We operate in a very competitive environment where budget and timeline, which are often limiting factors in achieving sufficient scientific rigor, are crucial to clients’ procurement decisions. Our goal is to become the best research partner for our client, rather than a simple external consultant. That relationship, based on respect and trust with our clients and supported by our dependable delivery of high-quality materials and services, will help us overcome timeline and budget issues.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future direction of preference research in healthcare? Could you please share your thoughts on the potential future developments or trends in this field?
It is an exciting time for preference research. All the major regulators, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency, are including patient experience and patient preference in their guidelines, aiming to focus drug development on patients’ needs. I believe that preference research has the potential to positively impact the way we make healthcare decisions. In the future, I see preference research being used to:
- Personalize healthcare: Preference research can be used to inform personalized medicine by increasing understanding of the unique needs of each patient
- Evaluate the effectiveness of healthcare interventions: Preference research can measure the impact of interventions on the patient experience. This information can be used to make decisions about which interventions are the most effective and efficient
- Inform drug development and healthcare policy: The FDA’s Patient-Focused Drug Development guidelines already recommend using preference research to develop future healthcare policies and design product pipelines based on understanding the preferences of patients and providers
I am excited to see how preference research will develop in the future. I believe that this field has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of patients and providers.