Student Research Conference 2011
By: Agnes Grudniewicz, MSc student; and Jenna M. Evans, PhD candidate
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Agnes Grudniewicz
MSc Student, HSR
HPME |
Jenna M. Evans
PhD Candidate, HSR
HPME |
On May 4, 2011, the HPME Graduate Student Union hosted its 7th annual Student Research Conference, a morning companion event to the faculty-organized afternoon Research Day. The theme of the 2011 conference was Ontario’s Health Care System: Let’s Get Our Priorities Straight. The event was a great success and attracted approximately 175 attendees, including students, faculty, alumni, and invited guests.
The conference program opened with a lively panel discussion on priority-setting in health care. The panellists were five influential experts: Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, Mr. Paul Huras, Dr. Andreas Laupacis, Mr. Jim O’Neill, and Dr. Ross Upshur, as well as HPME’s chair, Dr. Louise Lemieux-Charles, who moderated the discussion.
The speakers discussed the broad system goals of quality improvement and cost reduction, and the need to identify priorities that balance provincial, regional, and provider needs. Although Ontario health care is more accountable than it ever has been, we continue to face pressing questions in this resource-constrained environment.
For example, some of the panellists argued that health care’s moral mission is human dignity; given this, what needs to be done to improve health equity and the patient experience? When considering patient needs and demands, where do we draw the line? How should we manage public pressure, evidence, and resource allocation within an ethical framework? The panel discussion demonstrated that while much progress has been made, ongoing efforts are needed to “get out priorities straight.”
The panel discussion was followed by an afternoon of 65 oral and poster presentations by HPME students, representing both the research and professional streams within the department. The keynote speaker, Sir Michael Rawlins, chairman of the National Institute of Health & Clinical Excellence, discussed the United Kingdom’s experience in his presentation “Politics and the Rationing of Health Care.” Research Day 2011 closed with the presentation of student and faculty awards.
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