Institute of Health Economics
and Clinical Epidemiology
The Institute of Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology (IGKE) is an interdisciplinary institute of the University Hospital Cologne and the University of Cologne. It specializes in clinical health services research and health economic evaluation, with over 25 years of experience leading and evaluating healthcare studies. IGKE applies quantitative and qualitative research, health economic analyses, mixed‑methods, and evidence‑based medicine. Research topics include innovative care models, patient‑centred care, health literacy, prevention, and chronic disease management. The institute is also recognized for cost‑effectiveness analyses using statutory health insurance data and collaborates extensively at national and international levels.
Contribution to PreciseOnco
The Institute for Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology contributes to the PreciseOnco project by involving key stakeholders such as physicians, patients, patient organizations, and statutory health insurance providers, through the identification of factors influencing the acceptance and adoption of the technologies. This approach not only facilitates stakeholder engagement but also provides an evidence base for actionable recommendations to support clinical implementation, thereby accelerating the clinical rollout. In addition, the analysis of resource utilization for each technology forms the foundation for a cost analysis from the hospital perspective, enabling the evaluation of the technologies’ economic impact
within the clinical care context.
Team
Prof. Stephanie Stock
Professor Stephanie Stock is a physician and health economist, Full Professor at the University of Cologne, and Head of the Institute of Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology (IGKE) at the University Hospital Cologne. She studied medicine in Ulm and Boston and health economics at the European Business School. Her expertise includes the design, implementation, and evaluation of complex interventions, patient‑centred care, health literacy, and health economic evaluation. Over the past decade, she has secured more than €25 million in competitive funding from national and European sources, including EU, DFG, BMBF, and BMG. Professor Stock serves on multiple scientific advisory boards and has published over 150 peer‑reviewed articles, including in BMJ and NEJM.
Dusan Simic
Dusan Simic is the deputy head of the Institute of Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology and a trained economist from the University of Münster, Germany. Simic held positions as senior researcher at Witten University and Cologne University and has a long-standing expertise in all aspects of research management and project administration. Further areas of expertise include the conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of complex interventions with a special focus on health economics and
business management.
Simic has raised funding for several large multi-partner projects and is involved in all 5 EU-projects of the
IGKE as senior researcher and administrator. He authored and co-authored more than 50 publications and book chapters.
Josefine Eitz
Josefine Eitz studied health economics at the University of Cologne. During her studies, she gained valuable experience in the third-party funding department of the University Hospital of Cologne and gained her first research experience in health services research as a research assistant. She has been working as a research associate at the Institute of Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology since November
2024.
In this role, she is pursuing a PhD in Health Sciences and deepening her expertise in health economic evaluation.