Office of the Chair

Louise Lemieux-Charles Appointed Chair

On May 13, 2002 Dr. David Naylor, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, announced the appointment of Dr. Louise Lemieux-Charles as Chair, Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation for a 5-year term, effective July 1, 2002.

In addition to her role as Chair, Dr. Lemieux-Charles is an Associate Professor in HPME, Program Director of the Hospital Management Research Unit, an adjunct scientist with the Institute for Work and Health and a member of the Collaborative Centre for Bioethics at the University. Prior to her appointment in HPME, she held positions in senior management in the acute care system, in teaching and in consulting.

Dr. Lemieux-Charles is actively involved in both the MHSc and the MSc/PhD programs as teacher, preceptor and thesis supervisor. Her current research focuses on performance management, human resources management, organizational learning, knowledge transfer and, service delivery networks - all within the context of healthcare. Some of her ongoing research projects involve the relationship of performance indicators to an organization's strategic performance; the role of evidence in major system change; and the effectiveness of community-based networks in the delivery of care to individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Her most recent findings have been published in The Journal of Organizational Behavior, Health Care Management Review and the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

Dr. Lemieux-Charles is on the Board of Governors of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Chair of the CHSRF General Grants Review Committee, a member of the DHC Toronto Health Service Plan Committee and a member of the MOHLTC Provincial Alzheimer's Strategy Committee.

HPME Website Stakeholder Survey

Introduction

As the University of Toronto moves to an electronic academic environment, it is critical for the Graduate Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (HPME) to maintain a web site that is comprehensive, current, easy-to-use, and esthetically pleasing. Therefore a Web Site Working Group was convened to evaluate the current site (http://www.utoronto.ca/hpme/) and plan future enhancements. The Working Group suggested that a survey was warranted to ensure that the needs of all stakeholders - staff, faculty, current students and prospective students - were addressed.

A survey was developed to elicit opinions on the content and functionality of the current site, and recommendations for further development. The survey was distributed to faculty, staff, and current students by email. Students accepted to graduate positions in Clinical Epidemiology also received the survey by email. Students being considered for acceptance to the MHSc program were asked to complete a print version of the survey while waiting to be interviewed. The results were presented to the HPME Curriculum Committee for their comments.

Discussion

Although the response rate was low (see Table 1), overall results (see Table 2) show that most respondents to the HPME web survey provided positive feedback regarding the usability of the HPME web site (range 76% to 91%). However, there was less agreement that the Department's mission, objectives and research activities were clearly described and highlighted (60%).

Members of the Web Site Working Group noted that the web site was originally designed to disseminate information about educational programs, but that its mandate has broadened in scope to include a knowledge transfer function. This necessitates some minor modifications to better "brand" the Department through clearer definition of its mission and more apparent, dynamic display of research activities.

Through discussions with the Curriculum Committee, it was decided that Rhonda Cockerill will serve as the web content manager of educational information and that educational web content would become a standing item on the agenda of the Curriculum Committee to ensure that there is a clear mechanism for decision-making regarding changes and updates to the web site. It should be noted that, as requested by written comments from current and prospective students, course descriptions are being compiled and will be posted to the HPME web site as they are finalized. Anna Gagliardi, in her role with HPME as coordinator of knowledge transfer, will be responsible for web content to feature the Department's research activities and contributions.

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