Webcast: Smart Healthcare

Earlier discussion. The webcast was held on October 25, 2011.

The role of Canadian universities in addressing our healthcare challenges.

On the occasion of its centennial, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada broadcast a webcast on the role of universities in addressing Canada’s healthcare challenges.

The panel examined the transformations taking place in our healthcare system and how Canadian universities are responding.

The webcast was designed to promote greater public dialogue and engage Canadians by promoting interactive discussions with the panelists.

Panelists

Dr. Guy Breton, Rector, Université de Montréal  set the stage for the discussions and moderated this distinguished panel:

• Dr. Jean-Louis Denis, Canada Research Chair in Governance and Transformation of Health Organizations and Systems, École nationale d’administration publique »

  

  Jean-Louis Denis has been a full professor at the École nationale d’administration publique since April 2010 and is a researcher at the Institute of Public Health Research, Université de Montréal. He holds the Canada Research Chair on the transformation and governance of health organizations. He has been training health care administrators and conducting research on the transformation of health care systems and organizations for over 20 years. Professor Denis has published numerous scientific articles on the strategic transformation, leadership and governance of healthcare organizations, and is currently conducting research on the integration of health care, the reform of health systems, governance regarding the quality and safety of health care and the role of research-based evidence in the adoption of clinical and managerial innovations. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and chair of the Institute of Health Services and Policy Research Advisory Board of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
• Dr. Janice MacKinnon, Professor, School of Health, University of Saskatchewan »

  

  Janice MacKinnon is a professor of fiscal policy at the University of Saskatchewan, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP), a federally endowed Montreal-based research institute, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She has an honours B.A. from the University of Western Ontario and a M.A. and PhD from Queen’s. She is the author of three books, The Liberty We Seek published by Harvard University Press, While the Women Only Wept and Minding the Public Purse. Between 1991 and 2001 she was a cabinet minister in Saskatchewan and held various portfolios including Minister of Finance, Minister of Social Services, Minister of Economic Development, and Government House leader. During her tenure as Finance Minister, Saskatchewan became the first government in Canada to balance its budget in the 1990s. She is Chair of the Board of Directors of the OmubudService for Life and Health Insurance and she is on the Board of Directors of the Canada West Foundation. In 2009 she was appointed to the National Task Force on Financial Literacy. In 2010, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty appointed her as Chair of Canada’s Economic Advisory Council.
• Mr. André Picard, Columnist, The Globe and Mail »

  

  André Picard is the public health reporter at The Globe and Mail and one of Canada’s leading commentators on public policy. He has received much acclaim for his writing, including the prestigious Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism from the Public Policy Forum. André was also honoured as the country’s top newspaper columnist by the National Newspaper Awards. He is currently on leave from The Globe, and is the CIBC Scholar-in-Residence at the Conference Board of Canada. André attended both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University – where he spent most of his time working on student newspapers and specialized in the five-year B.A.
• Dr. Arthur Porter, Director General and CEO, McGill University Health Centre »

  

  The Honourable Arthur T. Porter, P.C. MD, is Director General and CEO of McGill University Health Centre, President of RUIS McGill and a Member of the Queen’s Privy Council. Dr. Porter received his MD from Cambridge, MBA from the University of Tennessee and Medical Management certificates from Harvard and University of Toronto. He is a Fellow, with Diplomat Status, of the American Academy of Medical Administrators. Dr. Porter’s major areas of academic endeavour relate to the medical uses of radioactive isotopes and prostate cancer treatments. He introduced new technologies to his field, including Strontium-89, a bone-seeking isotope. He has held professorships in four universities and is the only Canadian to have been President of the American College of Radiation Oncology. He has been a consultant to the World Health Organization and World Bank, and has helped establish medical programmes around the globe. A consultant for companies in the Airline, Mining and Energy sectors, he is also an Advisor to the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and serves on several boards, including Munder Funds, CancerpartnersUK and Air Canada. Since 2010, he is the Chair of Canada’s Security Intelligence Review Committee.

Agenda?

The healthcare panel and dialogue with audience members tackled provocative issues, such as:

• Achieving sustainable healthcare in Canada
• The multiple roles of the university in improving healthcare outcomes
• How governments can best work with Canadian universities to improve systemic outcomes
• Private sector and universities: a shared healthcare mission for the public good
• Universities and communities: emerging partnerships in health