Verity Watson

Professor Verity Watson is an internationally recognized health economist at the University of Aberdeen's School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, where she serves as Honorary Professor in the Health Economics Research Unit. With over 25 years of experience, she specializes in stated preference research including discrete choice experiments and contingent valuation, focusing on methodological validity and real-world application in health economics, environmental economics, and public policy contexts.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Economics from the University of Aberdeen (2003), MSc in Economics from Glasgow University (1998), and MA(Hons) in Economic Science from the University of Aberdeen (1997). Professor Watson developed and co-leads the internationally recognized annual course 'Using Discrete Choice Experiments in Health Economics,' which trains researchers and industry professionals globally.

Professor Watson's research examines fundamental questions about how stated preference methods perform in practice, investigating cognitive processes underlying preference elicitation and factors influencing response quality. Her work has established best practices in preference studies and guides researchers in understanding when and how these methods can be reliably applied across different contexts. Her recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on rural and remote healthcare access, patient preferences across various conditions, environmental valuation of healthcare spaces, and methodological advancements in discrete choice experiments. Her interdisciplinary work bridges economics, public health, and healthcare policy, with publications spanning leading journals in health economics, public health, and clinical specialties.

Professor Watson was Personal Chair in the Health Economics Research Unit until April 2024, leading the Preference and Value research theme, before transitioning to her current Honorary Professor position. She has over 75 widely cited peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Health Economics, Social Science and Medicine, and The Lancet: Public Health.