The case for PhD modernization in Canada Adalsteinn Brown (and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The case for PhD modernization in Canada

Adalsteinn Brown (and Stephen Bornstein and Meg McMahon) Academy Health, New Orleans 26 June 2017

The Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Alliance (CHSPRA): Training modernization is a top priority

Mission: Build and sustain an integrated pan- Canadian health services and policy research community that adds value to the health of Canadians and health services for Canadians.

CIHR-IHSPR identified building the next generation of leaders for Learning Health Systems as a top priority

Why mess with a good thing? (I)

Convocation, University of Chicago, 1901 Canadian HSPR PhD Training is Strong

• HSR graduate training provided in

more than 20 universities and in related disciplines across almost every Canadian University

• Canadian HSPR PhD candidates

regularly win international awards for dissertation work

• While Canada has the highest

proportion of tertiary training, it has a relatively low number of PhDs

Grudniewicz et al., 2014; Terrence Sullivan & Associates 2014; OECD, 2012, .

Why mess with a good thing? (II)

Significant investments in HSPR have been made

• Pan-Canadian

investment to support research, build capacity, advance KT

• Multiple funders and
• rganizations invest in

HSPR

• Coordination/alignment
• f efforts and

investments is starting to occur (new Alliance)

Why mess with a good thing? (III)

Growth in HSPR Funding and Applications in Canada Similar but Uncoordinated Growth in PhD Training

• Enrollment in HSR doctoral

programs across the country has climbed

• The market has expanded as new

doctoral programs are established (e.g., McMaster in 2008, and Dalhousie in 2015).

• “This growth and expansion in

capacity, however, has occurred without strategic intent and in the absence of systematic and

• ngoing analysis”

Tamblyn et al., 2016; IHSPR 2016

200 400 600 800 1000 1200 $ #

2001/2 012 2011/2 012

Why mess with a good thing? (IV)

• r “Why don’t we have the health system we want?”

Launch Health System Impact Fellowships competition ($2.8 m = 39 Fellowships) Engage potential host partner

• rganizations

(n=44) Launch Start- Up Grants competition Design phase for funding

• pportunities:

working group meetings + scanning Training Modernization Symposium March 2016 Working Group established, White Paper produced, Strategy released

Fellows Funded + inaugural National Cohort meeting + curriculum pilot Design Health System Impact Doctoral Awards competition

Planning: Retrospective & Prospective Trainee Tracking Curriculum Development Meeting May 2017 Fund Start-Up Grants ($1.5M  10 Start-Up Grants) Environmental scanning: pan- Canadian curriculum

Phases 1 & 2: Planning, Design and Implementation (Dec 2014 – Jan 2017)

8

Phase 2, continued: February 2017 – Fall 2017)

Our assessment of current PhD training built off of CIHR-IHSPR’s asset map & strategic plan

Challenges in the Health Research Enterprise Reflect broader challenges in PhD Training

Health Research is Evolving

Health research is increasingly complex, interdisciplinary and global

Career Paths are Changing

51,000 PhDs and 6,000 Fellows in Canada. Most (≈85%) do not secure a tenure-track position, yet not enough PhDs according to the OECD

Expertise in Critical Areas is Lacking

Data-intensive research ● Indigenous health research

• Health-professional scientists ● Patient-oriented

research ● Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Training Challenges: Future trainees must be:

Research Leaders of Tomorrow who can lead high-impact, multi-disciplinary research in a rapidly evolving environment of advancing technologies and globalization Leaders Across Knowledge Sectors who can apply their scholarship and talent to lead innovation across different sectors of Canada’s knowledge-based economy Experts in Critical Priority Areas who can establish and fill Canadian priority areas

• f specialized expertise and advance the frontiers
• f science

What did we find in the phase 1 assessment?

i. The HSR field in Canada has grown tremendously but without clear strategic intent or alignment with career trajectory trends; ii. Canada could do a better job harnessing its PhD-trained workforce for improved health system performance; iii. Pockets of innovation exist on which to learn and build; and

• iv. Health system organizations are keen to partner in

training modernization efforts.

What did we do? The Training Modernization Strategy

Pan-Canadian Curriculum and Course Materials Experiential Learning Opportunities New Grant Evaluation Criteria Access to New Funding Linked to Curriculum and Competencies Enriched Competencies Strategic Oversight, Engagement and Communication Tracking and Social Media Marketplace

1 3 4 5 6 7 2

The Enriched Core Competencies

Analysis & Evaluation of health & health-related programs & policies Analysis of data, evidence & critical thinking Change management & implementation Knowledge translation, communication & brokerage Networking Leadership, mentorship & collaboration Interdisciplinary work Understanding & comparing health systems & the policy making process Project Management Dialogue & Negotiation

Professional Skills Research & Analytic Skills

Implementing the Strategy

Training Modernization Start- Up Grants (Start date: March 2017) Health System Impact Fellowship Awards

(Start date: September 2017)

Health System Impact Doctoral Awards

(Start date: June 2018) $1.5M investment 10 Start-Up Grants funded 12 Fellows supported New pan-Can curriculum $2.8M investment Funding for 39 Fellows 1 & 2 yr fellowships 44 partner organizations New national cohort Design phase. Stay tuned!

Pan-Canadian Curriculum with enriched core competencies Student-Led Data Platform: Tracking Career Trajectories

U of A – AB Health

• Dr. Jeff Johnson
• Ms. Kathleen Ness

U of C – AHS

• Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn
• Dr. Kathryn Todd

U of MB – MB Health

• Dr. Malcolm Doupe
• Ms. Jean Cox

Dalhousie-NSHA

• Dr. Alice Aiken
• Ms. Janet Knox

Laval-CIUSSS-CN

• Dr. Elisabeth Martin

Guy Thibodeau McGill-INSPQ

• Dr. Gilles Paradis
• Dr. Alain Poirier

U of T – NYGH

• Dr. Steini Brown
• Dr. Donna McRitchie

Waterloo-PHO

• Dr. Craig Janes
• Dr. Heather Manson

U Montreal-INESSS

• Dr. Lise Lamothe
• Dr. Denis Roy

McMaster-CADTH

• Dr. Lisa Schwartz
• Dr. Tammy Clifford

Start-Up Grants: Building a foundation for pan-Canadian Training Modernization

10 dyads of university & health system leaders supporting 12 Health System Impact Fellows and co- creating a new pan-Canadian enriched curriculum

Health system organizations are keen to partner in training modernization efforts

HSR Doctoral Training Better health, health care & health systems

Professor Decision maker Embedded Scientist Analyst

Thank-you

Adalsteinn D. Brown

Co-Chair of CHSPRA Training Modernization Working Group Director, Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation; Dalla Lana Chair in Public Health Policy University of Toronto; and 4th Floor, 155 College Street Toronto, Ontario M5T 3M6 Phone (416) 946-0911 Email adalsteinn.brown@utoronto.ca