Economic Evaluation Modelling Using R

This 4-day course will be online with roughly 50% lectures that will explain theory and demonstrate coding, and 50% practicals that give the participants exercises to implement what they have been shown. Lectures and practicals will be delivered live.

By the end of the course participants should be able to:

1. program in the R statistical language;
2. build a decision tree model in R;
3. build a Markov model in R;
4. build a semi-Markov model in R;
5. build a discrete event simulation in R;
6. incorporate uncertainty in model inputs in an economic model; and
7. conduct a value of information analysis.

This course is intended for anyone undertaking model based cost-effectiveness analyses. We welcome attendees from academia, government, or industry.

This course will cover :

Day 1 

1. introduction to R using health economic examples;
2. decision trees (deterministic and probabilistic); and
3. advanced topics in R (program flow, input/output, functions).

Day 2 

1. decision trees (building your own model in R from scratch);
2. basic Markov models; and
3. advanced Markov models (more states, more treatments, modularised code).

Day 3

1. semi-Markov models with application to oncology; and
2. value of information analysis.

Note: This information is based on the 2024-25 programme. In this year's programme this will be a 4 day course.

The co-leads Dr Howard Thom and Dr Mary Ward are experts on model development and value of information analysis in R. Dr Thom has developed dozens of models in R, including decision tree, Markov, and semi-Markov models. Professor Nicky Welton provides further expertise on value of information analysis.

To make sure the course is suitable for you and you will benefit from attending, please ensure you meet the following prerequisites before booking:

Before booking this course, please make sure you read the information provided above about the target audience and prerequisites. It is important that you have access to the relevant IT resources needed for the course and meet the knowledge prerequisites to ensure you can get the most from the course.

Bookings are taken via our online booking system, for which you must register an account. To check if you are eligible for free or discounted courses please see our fees and voucher packs page. All bookings are subject to our terms & conditions, which can be read in full here.

For help and support with booking a course refer to our booking information page, FAQs or feel free to contact us directly. For available payment options please see: How to pay your short course fees.

Participants are granted access to our virtual learning platform (Blackboard Ultra) 1 to 2 weeks in advance of the course. This allows time for any pre-course work to be completed and to familiarise with the platform.

To gain the most from the course, we recommend that you attend in full and participate in all interactive components. We endeavour to record all live lecture sessions and upload these to the online learning environment within 24 hours. This allows course participants to review these sessions at leisure and revisit them multiple times. Please note that we do not record breakout sessions.

All course participants retain access to the online learning materials and recordings for 5 months after the course. 

University of Bristol staff and postgraduate students who do not wish to attend the full course may instead register for access to the 'Materials & Recordings' version of this course: Further information and bookings.

100% of attendees recommend this course*.
*Attendee feedback from 2026.

Here is a sample of feedback from the last run of the course:

"Everything went well, particularly the lectures and practical sessions for DES. It was also helpful to have access to the course materials in advance which helped me feel less nervous and well-prepared throughout the course." - Course feedback, April 2026

"I’m really satisfied with the course and would recommend it to anyone getting into the R world. I especially like how Mr. Thom delivers his lectures. You can clearly understand the crucial points and how to apply them. Following his teaching was truly enjoyable." - Course feedback, April 2026

"Lectures were really amazing, breaking down a very complex topic. I really enjoyed the module structure too." - Course feedback, April 2026

"The blend of lectures and practical sessions worked very well." - Course feedback, April 2026

"The lecturers were engaging and clearly interested in the topic they were speaking on. I feel like the basics of HE modelling in R were covered, and we also touched on some more advanced topics." - Course feedback, April 2026

"The timekeeping was excellent, with instructors consistently covering all the material within the scheduled time. The teaching was clear throughout even though we moved through a lot of content in a condensed time period." - Course feedback, April 2026