By Anne M. Burton
Tony LoSasso, Robert F. and Sylvia T. Wagner Professor of Public Affairs in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin, and Executive Director of ASHEcon from 2012-2019, is the inaugural recipient of the ASHEcon Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes an individual whose service contributions have impacted the field of health economics in a positive and significant way on a national scale. I spoke with Tony about the importance of service, changes to ASHEcon over the years, and advice for junior researchers.
Anne: Congratulations on being the inaugural recipient of the ASHEcon Distinguished Service Award! In addition to being a longstanding Executive Director of ASHEcon, you’ve been on the editorial board and/or an Associate Editor at several journals, a Board Member of the International Health Economics Association (IHEA), on numerous scientific review committees, an ad-hoc reviewer for several grant programs, and a referee for dozens of journals. You’ve also been involved in the policy sphere as a member of two of Health and Human Services’ technical expert panels, and more recently as a member of the Illinois Medicaid Managed Care Oversight Commission. I want to get into more detail on some of those roles, but first, how do you manage being so involved in service while continuing to produce high-impact research that is being published in leading journals in the field?
Tony: That all sounds exhausting! The truth is, I actively sought out very few of these roles. If you do good work, find joy in what you do, treat others well, and follow through on what you say you’ll do, these opportunities tend to find you—whether you’re looking for them or not.
Anne: What drew you to those types of reviewer and organizer roles for conferences?
Tony: I’ve always enjoyed learning from others, and I get real satisfaction from bringing smart people together to share their research. Early in my career, I was in 100% soft-money positions, which teaches you quickly that collaboration isn’t optional—it’s how you keep the lights on.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, health economists had relatively few conference options. The International Health Economics Association meetings were wonderful, but infrequent, and AcademyHealth had only just launched a Health Economics Interest Group, which I chaired early on. Somewhere along the way, I realized—somewhat improbably—that I enjoyed organizing conferences. That led me to launch the Midwest Health Economics Conference, which will celebrate its 15th annual meeting at Notre Dame this year. Those experiences directly paved the way for my role at ASHEcon.
Anne: You were the Executive Director of ASHEcon for seven years (2012-2019) at an important time in the development of the organization; namely, the switch from biannual to annual conferences. What was it like being the Executive Director at such a pivotal time, and what other big changes were made during your tenure?
Tony: I like to say I didn’t give birth to ASHEcon or raise it, but I did help it through its awkward adolescence. That’s the best description of 2012–2019. When I became Executive Director, ASHEcon was newly independent and, thanks to a highly successful conference hosted by Past-President Steve Parente and my predecessor Dick Arnould, we had the financial breathing room to move forward confidently. I was fortunate to work with incredible presidents and a supportive board during this time, and together we made some big moves:
1) Launching the American Journal of Health Economics. A mature field benefits from multiple strong journals, and it’s been gratifying to see AJHE—now in its 11th volume—fully embraced by the research community.
2) Shifting to an annual conference. This was transformative. The “off-year” used to be a dead zone where people lost touch with ASHEcon. Annual meetings keep the momentum and are the norm for a reason.
3) Moving to conference hotels. While the university-hosted conferences had a certain charm (I have fond memories of Madison in 2006), very few universities can handle the logistics of a conference our size. Hotels do it every day, and pairing that with professional association management made ASHEcon far more sustainable. None of these changes were easy, but they were essential for creating the “grown-up” ASHEcon we have today.
Anne: Those are some big changes! Speaking of ASHEcon conferences, what advice do you have for more junior people in the profession, in terms of getting involved with ASHEcon or other service roles, or more broadly?
Tony: Go to every conference you possibly can. Yes, you’ll learn things, but even more importantly, you’ll meet people. Those people become your collaborators, colleagues, and friends. Think of conference attendance as an investment in your career. It might be the best money you’ll ever spend. And here’s something you might not expect: dependable volunteers are rare. Many say “yes” to a role, but when the work comes due, they vanish. People who reliably follow through—especially when there’s no paycheck involved—are priceless. If that’s you, the profession needs you. Get involved.
Anne: That’s really good advice about conferences, and I’m not just saying that because I like going to conferences too. That’s a very eloquent way to emphasize the importance of conferences—I might have to borrow that! And good point about good volunteers being hard to find, which is why I’m so glad ASHEcon is now recognizing good volunteers with the Distinguished Service Award. Thank you for making the time for this interview—is there anything else you wanted to add?
Tony: Just that I’m incredibly grateful for this recognition!