Office of the Chair

Robert Rich on Knowledge Transfer and Health Policy

In conjunction with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation hosted a presentation by visiting Professor Robert Rich on Tuesday February 18 at the Koffler Institute of Pharmacy Management. The event was attended by 55 faculty, staff and students from HPME, other University of Toronto departments, and affiliated research institutes, who also enjoyed a post-presentation reception.

The focus of Dr. Rich’s presentation was on critical issues in knowledge utilization and health policy making. He addressed the “uneasy partnership” between science and the government, each of which has different perspectives on the use of scientific knowledge. He described different types of knowledge and common myths, for example, the notion that bridging the “gap” between the two cultures, often referred to in the literature on knowledge transfer, will solve the primary problem of translating research into action. In health care, understanding the use of scientific and technical knowledge continues to be a real challenge – governments often fail to implement programs or services which have demonstrated public benefit. Therefore use is not the same as dissemination or impact, and future research should address which types of information are preferred by policy-makers, how do they define their needs, and to what extent do they use research to make decisions.

Robert Rich is a Professor of Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Robert Rich has a joint-appointment with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA), where he was Director from 1986-1997. He is also appointed in the College of Medicine and the Political Science Department. He is currently Director of the Office of Public Management of IGPA. His research focuses on health law and policy, federalism and the role of the states, environmental policy, and science policy.

His major recent publications include: Health Policy, Health Insurance, and the Social Contract (Journal of Comparative Labor Law and Public Policy); Social Science Information and Public Policy-Making, the second edition of a book originally published in 1981; and Rationality and Use of Information in Policy Decisions" (Science Communications).

Dr. Rich's Presentation (PowerPoint)

Invitation from the Chair - HPME Research Day 2003

Please mark your calendars for the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation’s annual Research Day, taking place on Wednesday, May 7 from 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building (Stone Lobby and Alumni Lounge). A student poster session will be followed by a key note address, awards ceremony, and catered reception.

For students this is an opportunity to present a poster based on either their thesis work or other interesting research in which they are involved. Posters will be objectively judged by faculty members and Poster Awards presented at the ceremony directly following the poster session. Those interested should see the Students section of this newsletter for further information.

Faculty and students will be interested in the key note address being delivered this year by Dr. Deborah A. Freund. Dr. Freund is Vice Chancellor for academic affairs and Provost of Syracuse University, Professor of public administration, and Senior Research Associate at the Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Dr. Freund is an internationally known health economist, recognized particularly in the areas of Medicaid, health care outcomes and PharmacoEconomics, a field she is credited with beginning. With more than 100 articles and chapters plus two books to her name, she has been the principal investigator of grants and contracts totaling more than $30 million; an editorial board member of nine journals; a visiting professor at Harvard, Stanford, London, Australian National and Keio universities; and consultant to two presidential administrations, Congress, 40 states and 10 multi-national pharmaceutical companies.

More information about Dr. Freund is available at
www-cpr.maxwell.syr.edu/faculty/freund/.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Table of Contents

Next Item>>