G. Ross Baker and Peter Norton Honoured for Contributions to Health Services Research

Presented in Calgary at the annual conference of the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research, the Health Services Research Advancement Award recognizes the contributions Dr G. Ross Baker and Dr Peter Norton have made to Canada’s health services research community. Ross serves as a professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (HPME) at the University of Toronto. Recently retired, Peter is a professor emeritus in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta.

“Ross and Peter have worked tirelessly throughout their careers on the quality and patient safety agenda,” observes Louise Lemieux-Charles, chair of HPME. “They have had a major impact on advancing this agenda both in Canada and internationally.”

One of their most influential initiatives was The Canadian Adverse Events Study. Completed in 2004, their research fundamentally shaped the development of patient safety activities in Canada. An article based on their findings appeared in the May 2004 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal; in just four days, the journal’s Website had received a record-breaking 25,000 hits related to the piece. Since then, the article has been cited over 500 times, and their work was the basis of Ross and Peter’s joint receipt of the Canadian Healthcare Manager’s sixth annual Who’s Who in Healthcare Award for Medical Research.

While important in its own right, The Canadian Adverse Events Study built upon Ross and Peter’s contributions over the previous 15 years to quality improvement and safety – undertaken both separately and together as researchers, consultants, and teachers. Most recently, Ross and Peter were instrumental in the adaption and use of the hospital standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) in Canadian hospitals, and in launching the Safer Healthcare Now! campaign. Internationally, both are also active with the World Health Organization’s patient safety portfolio.

The Health Services Research Advancement Award includes a certificate recognizing Ross and Peter’s accomplishments, as well as a cheque for $10,000. They will use these funds in support of their research.