Honorary Chair
- 51cg
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- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition

Biography
Professor Watson is internationally recognized for advancing discrete choice experiments in health economics for over 25 years. Her research addresses the fundamental question: "does this method actually measure what we think it measures?" focusing on methodological rigor and validity in preference elicitation.
Professor Watson has contributed to over £19 million in competitive research funding as an investigator on 25+ grants from GCRF, ESRC, MRC, NIHR, and Chief Scientist Office. Her research has generated 75+ peer-reviewed publications (5,258 citations; h-index: 33) in leading journals including Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Health Economics, Social Science and Medicine, and The Lancet Public Health.
She has supervised eight PhD students to completion and serves as international PhD examiner and was a Chief Scientist Office grant review panel member. Professor Watson was International Visiting Scholar at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, University of British Columbia.
Professor Watson currently is a Senior Economist in the Health Preference Assessment group at RTI Health Solutions, leading preference research studies supporting regulatory submissions and health technology assessments for pharmaceutical companies. She serves on the Editorial Board of The Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Research.
She created the one of the most-viewed educational video on DCEs (7.9k+ views) and regularly contributes to industry publications including ISPOR's Value & Outcomes Spotlight. At ISPOR 2025, she participated in the issue panel "Patient Preference Evidence in Health Technology Assessment: What Do We Really Know?"
Professor Watson was Personal Chair at HERU, leading the Preference and Value research theme until 2024. She continues as Honorary Professor since 2024.
Qualifications
- PhD Economics2003 - 51cg
- MSc Economics1998 - Glasgow University
- MA(Hons) Economic Science1997 - 51cg
Latest Publications
Estimating the value of the health and wellbeing benefits of the NHS Scotland outdoor estate: a cross-sectional study
UK Public Health Science Conference, pp. A1Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI:
NHS Scotland's open space health benefits from recreation and use of outdoor estate
Non-textual Forms: Data Sets and Databases- [ONLINE]
Valuing the health and wellbeing benefits of NHS Scotland’s outdoor estate: How NHS staff uses and values the outdoor estate
Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI). 40 pagesBooks and Reports: Other Reports- [ONLINE]
'Come and work here!’ Qualitative research exploring community-led initiatives to improve healthcare recruitment and retention in remote and rural areas
Health and Social Care Delivery Research, vol. 13, no. 34Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
‘Get away from it all’ or ‘Too good to be true?’: a qualitative exploration of job advertisements for remote and rural posts
Rural and Remote Health, vol. 25, no. 3, 9498Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
- Research
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Research Overview
Professor Watson's research focuses on the validity and reliability of stated preference methods, particularly discrete choice experiments and contingent valuation. Her work addresses the fundamental question: "does this method actually measure what we think it measures?"
She examines the cognitive processes underlying preference elicitation and investigates factors that influence response quality, developing approaches to improve the reliability of preference data. This methodological focus on validity testing has established best practices that guide researchers in understanding when and how stated preference methods can be reliably applied across different contexts and populations.
Professor Watson's research spans health economics, environmental economics, and public policy applications, bridging methodological innovation with real-world implementation. Her work enables pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and policymakers to make confident decisions based on robust preference evidence.
Through her role at RTI Health Solutions, Professor Watson translates academic research advances directly into practical applications that inform healthcare decision-making and pharmaceutical development.
Research Specialisms
- Economics
- Health Policy
- Health and Social Care
- Health and Welfare
- Public Policy
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is , published under the licence.
Knowledge Exchange
Professor Watson is committed to making preference research methodology accessible to diverse audiences beyond academia. She created an animated educational video on discrete choice experiments that has become the most-viewed resource on this topic globally (7.9k+ views), reaching thousands of researchers, students, and industry professionals.
She regularly contributes thought leadership to industry publications, including ISPOR's Value & Outcomes Spotlight, and presents at major international conferences. At ISPOR 2025, she will participate in the issue panel "Patient Preference Evidence in Health Technology Assessment: What Do We Really Know?" and delivered a podium presentation on valuing healthcare outdoor spaces.
Through her role at RTI Health Solutions, Professor Watson directly translates academic research into practical applications for pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations. The annual DCE course that Professor Watson co-created in 2003 has trained over 500 professionals globally, establishing methodological best practices across academic, government, and industry sectors.
Supervision
Professor Watson has supervised eight PhD students to successful completion, who have gone on to careers in both academia and industry. She serves as an international PhD examiner, contributing to research quality and capacity building in health economics globally.
- Teaching
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Non-course Teaching Responsibilities
In 2003, Professor Watson co-created the internationally recognized course "Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics," which she continues to teach annually in Aberdeen and internationally. Over 22 years, this course has trained 500+ researchers and industry professionals from academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and consulting firms worldwide, establishing DCE best practices across the field.
Professor Watson is committed to making complex methodology accessible. Her animated educational video on discrete choice experiments has become the most-viewed resource on this topic globally, reaching thousands of researchers, students, and industry professionals.
- Publications
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Page 1 of 1 Results 1 to 72 of 72
Estimating the value of the health and wellbeing benefits of the NHS Scotland outdoor estate: a cross-sectional study
UK Public Health Science Conference, pp. A1Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI:
NHS Scotland's open space health benefits from recreation and use of outdoor estate
Non-textual Forms: Data Sets and Databases- [ONLINE]
Valuing the health and wellbeing benefits of NHS Scotland’s outdoor estate: How NHS staff uses and values the outdoor estate
Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI). 40 pagesBooks and Reports: Other Reports- [ONLINE]
'Come and work here!’ Qualitative research exploring community-led initiatives to improve healthcare recruitment and retention in remote and rural areas
Health and Social Care Delivery Research, vol. 13, no. 34Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
‘Get away from it all’ or ‘Too good to be true?’: a qualitative exploration of job advertisements for remote and rural posts
Rural and Remote Health, vol. 25, no. 3, 9498Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
‘Come and work here!’: A qualitative exploration of local community-led initiatives to recruit and retain health care staff in remote and rural areas of the UK
Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 180-188Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Over 30 Years of Discrete Choice Experiment Studies in Health Economics: Systematic Review of Current Practice and Reflections on Evolving Practice
ISPOR 2025, pp. S348Contributions to Journals: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI:
Validating and Updating the OHTS-EGPS Model Predicting 5-year Glaucoma Risk among Ocular Hypertension Patients Using Electronic Records
Ophthalmology Glaucoma, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 143-151Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
ICANEQUAL multi-stakeholder partnership: Reducing inequalities in liver cancer (HCC) diagnosis, treatment and care across the UK
NIHR Open Research, vol. 5, no. 5Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Valuing the health and wellbeing value of the NHS Scotland’s outdoor estate: How are NHS open spaces used and what is their value to the Scottish population
Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI). 76 pagesBooks and Reports: Other Reports- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Preferences of Recent Mums in Remote and Rural Areas for Type of Intrapartum Care: A Discrete Choice Experiment
The Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, vol. 17, pp. 663–672Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Treatment preferences of patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer: A discrete choice experiment
BJUI Compass, vol. 5, no. 11, pp. 1059-1068Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Do the Scottish population value NHS outdoor spaces?
Rural & Environment Science and Analytical Services Science, Evidence and Policy Conference 2024Contributions to Conferences: PostersCost-effectiveness of monitoring ocular hypertension based on a risk prediction tool
BMJ open ophthalmology, vol. 9, no. 1, e001741Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
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Stability of Willingness to Pay: does time and treatment allocation in a Randomised Controlled Trial influence willingness to pay?
Medical Decision Making, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 470-480Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for a Net Zero NHS: a protocol for a discrete choice experiment in England and Scotland
BMJ Open, vol. 14, no. 6, e082863Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
‘Moving to the countryside and staying’?: Exploring doctors migration choices to remote and rural areas
Journal of Rural Studies, vol. 108, 103210Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Teleworking and housing demand
Regional Science and Urban Economics, vol. 101, 103915Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Research Project Briefing: Enhancing recruitment and retention of doctors in rural Scotland
Chief Scientist Office (Document).Other Contributions: Other ContributionsThe perception of women in rural and remote Scotland about intrapartum care: A qualitative study
The Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, vol. 16, pp. 117-125Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
Public contributors' preferences for the organisation of remote public involvement meetings in health and social care: a discrete choice experiment study
Health Expectations, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 146-159Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Teleworking and Housing Demand
Working Papers: Preprint Papers- [ONLINE]
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Prescribing antibiotics: factors driving decision-making in general practice. A discrete choice experiment
Social Science and Medicine, vol. 305, 115033Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
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Public acceptability of non-pharmaceutical interventions to control a pandemic in the United Kingdom: a discrete choice experiment
BMJ Open, vol. 12, no. 3, e054155Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
A Systematic Review of Patients’ Values, Preferences, and Expectations for the Treatment of Metastatic Prostate Cancer
European Urology Open Science, vol. 36, pp. 9-18Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Regional Differences in COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in December 2020: A Natural Experiment in the French Working-Age Population
Vaccines, vol. 9, no. 11, 1364Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Metastatic prostate cancer men’s attitudes towards treatment of the local tumour and metastasis evaluative research (IP5-MATTER): protocol for a prospective, multicentre discrete choice experiment study
BMJ Open, vol. 11, e048996Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Is relational continuity of care as important to people as policy makers think?: Preferences for continuity of care in primary care
Family Practice, vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 569-575Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
The Value of Preventative Dental Care: A Discrete-Choice Experiment
Journal of Dental Research, vol. 100, no. 7, pp. 723-730Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Metastatic prostate cancer patients’ Attitudes towards Treatment of the local Tumour and metastasis Evaluative Research (IP5-MATTER): A multicentre, discrete choice experiment trial-in-progress
EAU21 Virtual Congress, pp. S1217-S1218Contributions to Conferences: Abstracts- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
The burden of dengue in children by calculating spatial temperature: A methodological approach using remote sensing techniques
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 18, no. 8, 4230Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in a representative working-age population in France: a survey experiment based on vaccine characteristics
The Lancet Public Health, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. e210-e221Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Radical Treatment Without Cure: Decision-making in Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer
European Urology, vol. 79, no. 4, pp. 558-560Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
Understanding public preferences and trade-offs for government responses during a pandemic: a protocol for a discrete choice experiment in the UK
BMJ Open, vol. 10, no. 11, e043477Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Evaluating the Trade-offs Men with Localized Prostate Cancer Make between the Risks and Benefits of Treatments: the COMPARE study
Journal of Urology, vol. 204, no. 2, pp. 273-280Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
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How are debriefing questions used in health discrete choice experiments? An online survey
Value in Health, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 289-293Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Case study: A realistic contaminated site remediation and different scenarios of intervention
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Environmental Health Interventions. Elsevier, pp. 229-256, 28 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
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Monetary analysis of health outcomes
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Environmental Health Interventions. Guerriero, C. (ed.). Elsevier, pp. 73-93, 21 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
Mode and Frame Matter: assessing the impact of survey mode and sample frame in choice experiments
Medical Decision Making, vol. 39, no. 7, pp. 827-841Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Investigating users' preferences for Low Emission Buses: Experiences from Europe's largest hydrogen bus fleet
Journal of Choice Modelling, vol. 32, 100169Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Choice certainty and deliberative thinking in discrete choice experiments: A theoretical and empirical investigation
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, vol. 164, pp. 235-255Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Testing the Expert Based Weights Used in the UK’s Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Against Three Preference-Based Methods
Social Indicators Research, vol. 144, no. 3, pp. 1055-1074Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Patients' experiences and preferences for primary care delivery: a focus group analysis
Primary health care research & development, vol. 20, e106Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Value-elicitation and value-formation properties of discrete choice experiment and experimental auctions
European Review of Agricultural Economics, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 3-27Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Eye Care Service in Scotland: Did the Scots Get it Right?: Project Report
Other Contributions: Other Contributions- [OPEN ACCESS]
Comment on: Patients' preferences for anti-osteoporosis drug treatment: a cross-European discrete choice experiment: reply
Rheumatology, vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 584-585Contributions to Journals: Comments and Debates- [ONLINE] DOI:
The Best of Both Worlds: An Example Mixed Methods Approach to Understand Men’s Preferences for the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
The Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 55-67Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Decision heuristic or preference? Attribute non-attendance in discrete choice problems
Health Economics, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 157-171Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
More Than Meets The Eye: Has the Eye Care Policy in Scotland Had Wider Health Benefits?
Working Papers: Discussion Papers- [OPEN ACCESS]
What do UK medical students value most in their careers?: A discrete choice experiment
Medical Education, vol. 51, no. 8, pp. 839-851Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Patients’ preferences for anti-osteoporosis drug treatment: a cross-European discrete-choice experiment
Rheumatology, vol. 56, no. 7, pp. 1167-1176Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Patient satisfaction in community pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. 298, no. 7899, pp. 169Contributions to Journals: Letters- [ONLINE]
Economic considerations and patients’ preferences affect treatment selection for rheumatoid arthritis patients: A discrete choice experiment among European rheumatologists
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, vol. 76, no. 1, pp. 126-132Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
Patients want to learn about their condition and medicines
Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. 298, no. 7899Contributions to Journals: Letters- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
Men’s preferences for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia: a discrete choice experiment
Patient preference and adherence, vol. 2016, no. 10, pp. 2407-2417Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Managing Minor Ailments: The Public’s Preferences for Attributes of Community Pharmacies. A Discrete Choice Experiment
PloS ONE, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 1-15Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
- [ONLINE]
“Doctor my eyes”: A natural experiment on the demand for eye care services
Social Science & Medicine, vol. 150, pp. 117-127Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
What do UK doctors in training value in a post?: A discrete choice experiment
Medical Education, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 189-202Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
The impact of information, value-deliberation and group-based decision-making on values for ecosystem services: integrating deliberative monetary valuation and storytelling
Ecosystem Services, vol. 21, no. Part B, pp. 270-290Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Managing Poorly Performing Clinicians:: The Value of Independent Help
Working Papers: Preprint Papers- [ONLINE] DOI:
What Triggers Multiple Job-Holding?: A Stated Preference Investigation
Working Papers: Discussion Papers- [OPEN ACCESS]
Looking below the surface: The cultural ecosystem service values of UK marine protected areas (MPAs)
Ecosystem Services, vol. 10, pp. 97-110Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
A generation of childless women: lessons from the United States
Women's Health Issues, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. e21-e27Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
Uncertainty and framing in a valuation task
Journal of Economic Psychology, vol. 39, pp. 204-214Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [ONLINE]
Utilisation of eye-care services: The effect of Scotland's free eye examination policy
Health Policy, vol. 108, no. 2-3, pp. 286-293Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
- [OPEN ACCESS]
Involving the public in priority setting: a case study using discrete choice experiments
Journal of Public Health, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 253-260Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Job satisfaction and quit intentions of offshore workers in the UK North Sea oil and and gas industry
Scottish Journal of Political Economy, vol. 58, no. 5, pp. 607-633Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Is it all about money?: An examination of the motives behind moonlighting
Applied Economics, vol. 43, no. 26, pp. 3767-3774Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Comparing welfare estimates from payment card contingent valuation and discrete choice experiments
Health Economics, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 389-401Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Rationalising the 'irrational': a think aloud study of discrete choice experiment responses
Health Economics, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 321-336Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI:
Choosing Not to Choose: Considering Serial Non-Participation in Discrete Choice Experiments
Working Papers: Preprint Papers- [ONLINE]
Exploring preference anomalies in double bounded contingent valuation
Journal of Health Economics, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 463-482Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: