Posted on June 10: Skilled health services researchers will be trained at new centre

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/DiCenso.jpg” caption=”Alba DiCenso”]McMaster and five other universities (Lakehead, Laurentian, Ottawa, Toronto and York), will receive $2.1 million over the next six years from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) to develop and evaluate an Ontario training centre for health services and health policy researchers. The funding is part of a $88-million investment in this area which was announced today by CIHR.

Health services research develops knowledge that assists in policy development and decision-making concerning the organization, funding, delivery of health services, and the allocation of resources dedicated to improving the health of Canadians.

Using a consortium approach, the training centre will draw on faculty and research expertise at the six universities to build a critical mass of skilled health services researchers. Students will be trained to conduct research that meets the needs of health services policy makers, planners and managers, including those in rural, remote and northern communities.

Students enrolled in the centre (faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and health care managers) will have access to highly experienced researchers and health services decision makers through collaborative research, distance education, summer institutes, and field placements.

Lead McMaster faculty include Alba DiCenso, professor of nursing and clinical epidemiology & biostatistics, Christel Woodward, professor of clinical epidemiology & biostatistics and a member of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, and Brian Hutchison, professor of family medicine and director of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis. One of the unique features of the training centre is that faculty from a variety of disciplines such as economics, geography, labour studies, political science, and business, will participate in developing and offering relevant courses, and in mentoring and supervising students. This will enrich and broaden the learning experience and will reflect the variety of challenges in health services delivery. Over 30 McMaster faculty from these and other departments will be involved in the training centre.

“CIHR, CHSRF, and the federal government are on the right track in providing funds to train the next generation of health researchers. This training centre will build a critical mass of skilled health services researchers and will offer specialization in addressing issues pertinent to rural, remote, and northern communities,” said DiCenso.

Enrolment in the training centre will begin in September 2003.

To view the CIHR release announcing the $88-million investment, click here