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WINTER 2009

Chair's Message

This year looks to be one of the most challenging economic and social periods Canada - and the rest of the industrialized world - has endured in over three decades. As the fiscal situation deteriorates, many of us are concerned about the implications for health care.

I have been hearing from many of my colleagues at HPME and throughout Canada's health system that leadership is essential both for surviving the tough times and building a stronger future. The qualities most often mentioned in this regard include:

  • the ability to articulate a vision that's based on a clear mission,
  • decision-making transparency,
  • resilience and the flexibility to change, and
  • staying connected to and sharing information with all stakeholders.

In the interest of fostering such attributes in the health system, at HPME we are continuing our emphasis on leadership and change-management in our professional programs. And we are sharpening our focus on innovation through pioneering research. This issue of In Focus will give you a glimpse of the wide-ranging work HPME members are undertaking in these and other areas.

To good health,

Louise Lemieux-Charles, Chair
Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation
University of Toronto


Leadership

Quality Improvement Study Surpasses 70,000 Downloads
High Performing Healthcare Systems "should be read by anyone interested in the pursuit of high-quality health care, particularly in our larger health care organizations and enterprises,” concludes Professor Denis Protti in his review of the collection of seven analytic case studies by HPME’s G. Ross Baker and his five colleagues on the Quality by Design project. Launched in October 2008, the book examines leadership strategies, organizational processes, and investments in creating and sustaining health care delivery improvements in the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, and Canada.

As of January 25, 2009, the book had been downloaded over 71,700 times. “I think this e-publishing initiative worked,” says Anton Hart, publisher of Longwoods, “because of the quality of the work, the reputation of the systems written about, and the high regard the international health care community has for Dr. Baker and his colleagues.” Copies of High Performing Healthcare Systems are available from Longwoods.

HPME Alumnae among Canada's Most Powerful Women
HPME graduates are among the most influential health services leaders in the country. Solid proof of their status appeared recently when the Women's Executive Network (WXN) published its annual list of Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100. The entire HPME community proudly congratulates alumnae Mary Jo Haddad (MHSc '98) and Elisabeth Ross (MHSc '99) for landing in the Top 100 in 2008 – each of them for the second time!

Mary Jo Haddad, the president and chief executive officer of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and an adjunct lecturer for HPME, was honoured as a Public Sector Leader, the same category in which she had been recognized the year before. Elisabeth Ross, the chief executive officer of Ovarian Cancer Canada, was honoured in the Trailblazers & Trendsetters category. In 2006, the WXN recognized Ross as a Champion.


Research Highlights

HPME Faculty Receive Applied Chairs in Health Services and Policy Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (CIHR-IHSPR) has granted Applied Chairs in Health Services and Policy Research to three of our faculty members – nearly half of the total across Canada. HPME congratulates Ahmed M. Bayoumi, Chaim M. Bell, and Michael J. Schull on their well-deserved success.

Bayoumi, the director of HPME’s Clinical Epidemiology program, will focus on effective ways of incorporating equity concerns into resource allocation decisions in Canadian health care. Bell’s research will address patient safety and quality improvement for transitions between hospitals and long-term care facilities. And Schull’s work will focus on evaluating interventions to improve patient flow in hospitals, from ED to inpatient through to discharge in order to reduce wait times and improve care quality.

HPME Student Honoured with Prestigious IHI Award
System-level performance measures are essential to top-quality health services delivery. HPME doctoral candidate Karen Born is preparing to advance this field through her dissertation research, which will explore improving patient-focused performance measurement when individuals are moved from one care setting to another. This is a vital area of inquiry because, Karen explains, “poor transitions can affect patient centredness, safety, and quality of care.”

Karen’s innovative research plan led the US-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to honour her in 2008 with the first Dr. Calkins Memorial Scholarship. This award funded her travel to and participation in the IHI’s National Forum in December. In addition to her doctoral work, Karen recently founded an interprofessional U of T chapter of the IHI Open School for Health Professions, a group dedicated to helping students become “change agents” in health care improvement


Events

Health Services Research Seminars - Winter 2009
Following an outstanding fall roster of seminars, we’re looking forward this winter to delving further into health care economics and policy.

From late February through early April, join your colleagues at these free seminars to learn from international leaders about the subjects you need to understand:

  • The real - or imagined - pressures of demographic change
  • Value-based insurance and health care reform
  • Evidence and health-care decision-making
  • Policy levers that affect health in developing countries
  • Health-care policy and children

Visit us online to get up-to-date details about the expert speakers and their topics.