Research in Health Informatics (HI) is generally applied in nature. However, as the field grows and matures, there is a growing need to develop its theoretical foundation. The body of knowledge and theory in HI stems from diverse disciplines as Information Science, Computer Science, Cognitive Sciences and Human Computer Interaction, Communication, Management Information Systems, Social Psychology, and Sociology. The purpose of this course is to expose students to theories from the above disciplines that have informed, or could possibly inform, research in HI. The course will be delivered as a graduate seminar and students will select theories, present them to the class, and discuss their potential use in health informatics research.

Objectives: at the end of this course, students will be able to: 1) Describe and explain in-depth, a number of theories from cognitive, social, and information sciences. 2) Explain and discuss how these theories may inform research in Health Informatics, as well as the limitations of these theories and their applicability to Health Informatics. 3) Incorporate theory from cognitive, social, or information sciences into their own HI research as demonstrated, for example, through a theory-informed research proposal.

This course will provide an introduction to the principles of surveying and the use of psychometrics to support appropriate tool design. Topics covered will allow one to assess if a survey will provide the data it intends to collect and if the data accurately reflects reality. The approach will be a pragmatic one, balancing appreciation for rigorous technique with practical constraints. The course will cover steps needed to create, assess, and utilize a valid survey and describe the intersection of qualitative and quantitative techniques required to successfully execute a survey. It provides relevant content to those who may wish to develop their own survey tool, use and/or adapt a tool found in the literature or develop skills in critical appraisal of survey related literature.

Objectives: 1) Understand when and how to use surveys. 2) Acquire and apply skills in survey development. 3) Understand what testing is appropriate to ensure validity of a survey. 4) Appreciate diverse data analysis techniques and reporting considerations. 5) Develop critical skills in assessing surveys. 6) Understand the importance and roles of qualitative and quantitative approaches in surveying.

This course is designed to support master's and doctoral students' understanding of concepts in the knowledge to action continuum: obtaining the necessary evidence, disseminating it and implementing it. It will be delivered online through a mixture of asynchronous methods, i.e., modules, podcasts, and periodic synchronous methods (i.e., lectures and discussions).

Objectives: the objective of this course is to enhance students' critical assessment of evidence and practices in the context of knowledge transfer and exchange, and implementation science fields and how to practically apply their acquired knowledge to action.

The purpose of this seminar is for doctoral students to gain an understanding of the fundamental issues of organizational behaviour (OB) — the study of individual behaviour in organizations. Drawing on theory and research in psychology, social psychology, and organizational behaviour, we shall explore individual, interpersonal, and group processes in work organizations. We will examine both classic and contemporary theories, enduring controversies, and emerging research on a range of topics in OB. The course is designed to provide an overview and introduction to the field and an understanding of its central concepts.

Objectives: 1) Enable a better understanding of the OB field. 2) Provide the skills to critically analyze and evaluate academic research. 3) Enable the integration into research of approaches and insights from OB.

Despite promises that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will transform health care, the development and adoption of AI in health care has lagged behind other industries. Some of the causes for this lag include restrictions on the use of health care data, resistance from the clinical community, the gap between hype and reality of AI, ethical concerns, regulation of health technologies, and difficulties bridging the cultures of health care and engineering. Yet despite spectacular failures such as Watson Health, AI is slowly beginning to appear in health care settings, most often in the context of research, but increasingly in the form of FDA and Health Canada-approved products. The aim of this course is to build a critical understanding of end-to-end lifecycle of AI in health care, from working with raw health care data, to integration of AI with clinical workflow, through to regulatory approval. This course will be of particular interest to translational AI researchers looking to apply their work to health care, as well as health care practitioners and informaticians seeking to understand how to leverage AI in their industry.

Objectives: upon completion of the course, students will be able to: 1) Describe the opportunities for AI to provide value in health care and how to engage with health care providers to identify real clinical problems that AI can address. 2) Explain the regulatory and ethical frameworks that govern AI development in health care, including a working understanding of the governance of personal health information, the regulation of software as a medical device, and fairness in AI. 3) Develop roadmaps for how AI can be integrated into the health care environment, including clinical decision support design, health care interoperability paradigms, and clinically relevant model explanations. 4) Develop practical knowledge of the idiosyncrasies of health care data types, how to define AI research questions in health care, how to interface with hospital information systems, how to satisfy privacy and security requirements during AI development, and how to transition AI research projects into production.

The course will introduce the field of knowledge translation (KT) and implementation science. With an increased demand for evidence-based health practices, researchers, and practitioners have become aware of the complexities involved in optimizing the uptake of knowledge from research and transferring research findings into practice and policy. To do this effectively requires tailor made approaches well aligned to the complexities of health systems and their wider environments. This increased emphasis has also led to explorations of approaches that are likely to work and the evolution of the KT and implementation science field. It is important for researchers and practitioners alike to develop understanding and insight into KT and implementation science so they can incorporate these in their work, and contribute towards enhancing the quality and effectiveness of their health systems.

The course will delineate the main features of KT and implementation science and provide students with the opportunity to develop insight into the wider environment that has shaped this field. The course consists of core components where the main KT and implementation science concepts are defined; it discusses the history of the field and the different foci that have shaped the evolution of the field; it presents perspectives, theories and frameworks used in KT and implementation science; and it introduces the main research approaches and methodological challenges for the practice of KT and implementation science.

These introductory components will provide a basic foundation for the students to start to explore a few topics in more detail, including the social network perspective of KT and implementation science; the sustainability of the interventions; the need and challenges for de-implementation; the complexity science approaches to implementation science; implementation science in global health; and different approaches to scaling the health interventions.

The course will provide a general overview of KT and implementation science so in future courses students can start to build their capacity to incorporate KT and implementation components in their research. The course will be taught by the two course directors, other IHPME faculty and other leading scholars in this field. Emphasis will be placed on active student participation to deepen students understanding of the field.

Objectives: at the end of the course students should be able to: 1) Demonstrate an understanding of the core concepts of the KT and implementation science field and explain what factors and conditions have shaped its evolution. 2) Outline the main theories and frameworks used in KT and implementation science and be able to critically apply them. 3) Describe main challenges for KT and implementation science and compare and contrast approaches that have been used to address them.

Leadership skills are essential to make a positive contribution to health and societal well-being in a range of career paths. The challenges confronting health systems are increasingly complex and it is recognized that research skills alone are insufficient to catalyze change. The growing emphasis on learning health systems requires a skill set that encompasses research and leadership and an ability to work in collaborative partnerships within complex systems. The COVID-19 pandemic and the weaknesses and inequities it has emphasized in health and health care systems require sophisticated research expertise coupled with inclusive leadership skills to build forward stronger and more equitably. However, leadership training is under-emphasized in most health services and policy (HSP) and population and public health (PPH) PhD programs. Complementing the PhD student's research tool kit with leadership skills that emphasize equity, diversity, and inclusion and opportunities to develop mentorship relationships with health system leaders will elevate the student's ability to lead, inspire change and apply innovative solutions to complex challenges in a diversity of career pathways. This course aligns with The Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Alliance (CHSPRA) pan-Canadian Training Modernization Strategy and its aims to prepare a new cadre of PhD graduates for embedded research and leadership roles within health system organizations and learning health systems.

Using a combination of interactive seminars, small-group dialogue and mentorship with health system leaders, and applying an equity, diversity, and inclusion lens throughout the course, this specialized IHPME and PHS full-year 0.5 FCE course (Credit/No Credit) will elevate students' leadership readiness by introducing the art and science of inclusive leadership and how to apply leadership skills to make a difference in health systems. The course is primarily delivered virtually, comprising 2.5 hour online interactive sessions held approximately every three weeks, with several in-person sessions (with virtual options) to foster relationship building.

The leadership domain areas this class covers include: leading self, collaborative leadership, working with policy and decision makers, change leadership, influence and impact, communicating for impact, project management, cultures of inclusive leadership, leadership skills for sustainable health systems, and career preparedness. Students will receive unconscious bias training at the outset of the course.

Please note: This course is led by Drs. McMahon and Essue and introduces students to a range of academic and health system leaders with expertise in key areas of health system leadership. Each session provides an opportunity for students to meet, engage with, and learn from academic and system experts in the subject domain area (e.g., Rob Reid, Laura Desveaux, Nakia Lee-Foon, Kate Mulligan, Andrew Boozary, Tina Smith, Christine Shea, Steini Brown, Samuel Oduneye, Mimi Lowi-Young, Wendy Nelson, Robert Steiner, Seema Marwaha, Alison Paprica, Akwatu Khenti, Fiona Miller, and more). Additionally, students have an opportunity to interact and engage with Senior Fellows and health system mentors throughout the duration of the course. Learn more.

Objectives: the intention of the course is to broaden students' exposure, knowledge, and skills in various areas of health system leadership, with emphasis on leadership that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion. Upon successful completion of this reading course, students will have: 1) Knowledge related to health system leadership, awareness of unconscious bias in the health system, and strategies to lead and foster cultures of inclusive leadership.2) Capability to integrate research and leadership skills to address complex health system challenges. 3) Identified personal leadership strengths and development needs, and constructed goals and strategies for growth. 4) Ability to identify and describe the leadership competency skills they were introduced to. 5) Developed new relationships and an extended professional network involving peer, emerging, and established health system leaders.

This highly interactive course analyzes macro- and meso- health system level issues related to quality of care in health systems globally, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries: the state of quality of care globally; key findings and recommendations from global reports on quality of care (2018); key interventions to improve quality of care at scale in health systems (evidence and limitations); innovation in service delivery and its impact on quality of care; better measurement of quality of care; approaches to develop national policies and strategies to improve quality of care at scale. The course builds on scientific literature in the health sector and direct experience from the World Bank, OECD and the World Health Organization to support countries in developing, financing, and implementing quality of care strategies and policies at scale. The course includes direct exposure to leading voices in global health (policy practitioners and world-class academics) through student-led virtual interviews with guest lecturers, as well as discussion during synchronous lectures.

Objectives: 1) Understand the concepts related to quality of care and articulate the determining characteristics of quality of care and importance in health systems. Analyze and discuss current trends in quality of care globally. Identify and understand key interventions to improve quality of care at scale in health systems and be able to discuss their evidence and limitations. 2) Be familiar with and discuss methods for measuring quality of care within and across health systems. 3) Expand thinking and engage in discourse on the implications of quality of care for health systems globally. 4) Develop a national quality strategy.

The focus of this seminar series is on the practicalities of doing research in health economics. It is open to all IHPME graduate students. The students will gain experience in the application of the methodological and theoretical tools of economics to their own work. The aim in part of the seminar is to reinforce concepts covered in IHPME graduate courses. The seminar also aims to expose students to emerging issues in the field of health economics. There will be invited speakers who will discuss particular issues in research in health economics theory and methods as they are encountered in actual ongoing research projects. Thesis stage students will be required to present their own research and to actively participate in discussions of each other's presentations and presentations of invited speakers. The seminar series takes place over 2 terms (September to April) and students are expected to attend 75% of all sessions.

Objectives: 1) Learn how to present a scientific paper. 2) Learn about a range of econometric (regression) methods that can be applied to health and health care data.

Economic models of human and institutional behaviour are employed in this course to analyse the workings of the medical market. Specific attention is paid to the behaviour of both health care providers (e.g., physicians and hospitals) and health care clients. In analysing the behaviour of these participants in the health care industry, attention is paid to the socio-economic dimensions of health, health reform, physician supply management and payment reform, and health system restructuring.

Objectives: 1) To introduce participants to theoretical and empirical research conducted internationally in health economics. 2) To acquaint participants with major public policy issues in the field of health that have attracted the attention of health economists. 3) To develop analytic skills so that participants will be able to read and critically evaluate theoretical and policy research in health economics.

This course provides students with a basic understanding of Information Systems theory. The primary focus is on the development and management of information systems and computer applications. It should be stressed that this is not a course on computers per se — but rather a course that applies computer technology as a means to an end. This end is, hopefully, the competent management of information and decision support systems.

Objectives: upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: 1) Describe the critical success factors that can facilitate the development and implementation of better Information, Information Management Technology and Information Technology systems. 2) Analyze strategies for creating innovative solutions and their successful implementation. 3) Apply basic continual improvement methods and tools for analyzing work processes for improving IS processes. 4) Analyze and describe the strengths and weaknesses of systems and communicate that to the technology community. 5) Compare the efficiency and effectiveness of different information systems or platforms to the point of being able to define optimal strategies in health care. 6) Measure the status of information systems in place today.

Learner competencies: achievement orientation; analytical thinking; change leadership; communication skills; impact and influence; information seeking; information technology management; innovative thinking; organizational awareness; project management.

This course covers conceptual and methodological issues relevant to health services research (HSR). Topics covered include principles of HSR and epidemiological methods, methodological issues in defining study populations using secondary data sources in HSR, quality measures in HSR, methodological consideration in evaluating relationships between measures, comparative effectiveness research in HSR, implementation science and quality improvement evaluation in HSR, analytic approaches and methodological issues addressing measured and unmeasured confounding in HSR, and analytic approaches in evaluating longitudinal health data in HSR.

Objectives: 1) To provide students with an understanding of the design and conduct of a range of experimental and non-experimental quantitative research designs applied to HSR. 2) To further develop an understanding of research methodologies, introducing more complex forms of study design and higher-level methods applicable to HSR.

By the end of the course: students will possess a sound understanding of the fundamental principles and methodological aspects of the conduct and critical appraisal of HSR that can support them in assessing the quality of existing studies, developing their own research proposals, and ultimately conducting more rigorous research.

This course analyzes the formation and implementation of public policy through the use of case studies, focused about important theoretical concepts. Students will develop the ability to understand and analyze the processes by which public policies are formed, and the ability to perform comparisons of policy alternatives. Guest lecturers may be used where appropriate to expand upon the process of policy implementation in an informal format. Cases to be analyzed will be selected from the attached list by the class. With the permission of the instructor, new cases may be added.

Objectives: upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: Understand and analyze the processes by which public policies are formed and implemented. Perform comparisons of policy alternatives. Analyze and discuss case studies in class. Organize and manage an in-class discussion of a case study, and apply appropriate theoretical concepts to better understand and analyze public policy.

To dispel a common misunderstanding: Marketing is NOT selling, and it is NOT advertising per se. Rather, Marketing can be best described as: The process by which companies/organizations engage customers, build strong customer relationships, and create customer value in order to capture value from customers in return. In other words, Marketing does not revolve around "selling" the product or service to a customer but rather causing the customer to "buy" that product or service, thus benefitting both the marketer and the customer.

Every single product/service we choose to buy or use involves the marketing process. We evaluate choices and make our decision based on the best fit possible of the benefits offered.

Now we must explore why Health Services offerings are unique from the perspective of Marketing. Rather than singular customer points of decision, we have multiple stakeholders to the purchase or usage decision — the patient, their family, the physician, the place of service delivery and in the publicly funded sector, the government. All these stakeholders must be carefully considered and uniquely marketed to. Overlay upon this, the evolving nature of health care consumers in Canada — they are wiser, more discerning, better educated about their health issues, and far more demanding than ever before. More and more, they are recognizing that they do in fact have choice in terms of health resolution, point of delivery, and physician delivery.

The harsh reality, as well, is the ever increasing financial burden being placed upon The Canada Health Act, which bears out within provincial budgets and product/service choices. The answer is not so easily stated that more publicly funded services should be privatized, but rather that health care in Canada must be delivered in the future better, more efficiently and safer — with the backbone of this being innovation, engagement, research, sound strategy, positioning, positive mutual impact — i.e., HEALTH SERVICES MARKETING.

Learner objectives: upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1) Understand and create a Marketing Roadmap. 2) Company Vision/Mission/Values. 3) Current product/service portfolio analysis and assessment. 4) New product/service assessment and introduction stages. 5) Market research, segmentation, targeting, product/service differentiation, value proposition; product/service market positioning. 6) Marketing Plan (build, execute, measure, and adjust). 7) Build a detailed marketing plan based on a real-world new product or service.

Learner competencies (competencies refer to the National Centre for Healthcare Leadership Competency Model): Relationship and Network Development; Achievement Orientation; Communication Skills; Analytical Thinking; Initiative; Collaboration; Impact and Influence; Interpersonal Understanding; Innovation; Information Seeking.

The overall objective of this course is to increase learners' appreciation for and skills in managing a diverse workforce in health care. The focus is on creating high-quality health care workplaces through strengthening the employment relationship (including union-management relations) taking into account the social, economic and regulatory context within which that relationship is defined. As health care organizations have decentralized decision-making, many of the traditional HRM functions have become the domain of the manager. In some organizations the human resources management processes are well integrated with overall organizational strategy while in others they are limited to the technical component. Students will be introduced to the basic human resources management functions including selection, training, performance management, and management of the collective agreement but, it is not the intent that they will become specialists in these areas. The principal strategic issues which will be addressed include what it means to be a high quality workplace, the changing nature of work and workplace organization including employee engagement as a human resource strategy, the concern with productivity and the measurement of that productivity through performance indicators in a rapidly restructuring system, the impact of new working arrangements on the employer-employee relationship and the creation of learning organizations. Cases, course readings, role playing, and guest lecturers are the approaches used to give learners an opportunity to critically analyze the complexity of the employment relationship.

Learner objectives: upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 1) Analyze strategies to link human resources practices to the overall formation and implementation of strategies in health service organizations. 2) Based on the evidence, demonstrate how managers can create healthy workplaces. 3) Apply the regulatory framework which affects human resources management practices to a number of cases. Understand the relationship of work design to the changing skill mix of the health care workforce. 4) Determine the manager's role in human resources management and the role of the HR specialist in advising management. Demonstrate how health care managers can work within a Collective Agreement. 5) Compare the differing perspectives managers and employees have of the employment relationship. 6) Increase own understanding of the different perspectives individuals have about diversity. 7) Develop strategies for addressing the challenges faced by health care managers in managing the performance of a diverse workforce. 8) Examine one's perspective related to the concept of justice (fairness) and how it can be reflected in HRM practices. 9) Differentiate different approaches to compensation practices and their challenges. 10) Describe the relationship of competency development to job analysis, recruitment, selection, and retention. 11) Evaluate effectiveness of different approaches in the management of employee performance. 12) Conduct effective performance management interviews. 13) Distinguish between different approaches to the management of knowledge within the organization. 14) Become more familiar with the types of employee health-related problems in the health care workplace and management practices used to address these issues. 15) Present research findings before an audience of experienced administrators and scientists.

Learner Competencies (referring to the National Center for Healthcare Leadership Competency Model): analytical thinking; communication skills; human resources management; impact and influence; information seeking; organizational awareness; process management and organizational design; performance management; self-development.

This course will provide an overview of the current status of program planning and evaluation. Its purpose is to give participants an understanding of the planning and evaluation process, to familiarize them with current program planning and evaluation techniques and to have them develop the skills to apply these techniques to the health and social services sector.

The objectives of the course include: 1) Reviewing the role of program planning and evaluation within broader management and policy processes, and discussing the characteristics and nature of these activities. 2) Discussing the different types of evaluation, including needs assessments, process and outcome evaluations, from the perspectives of different stakeholders. 3) Developing the skills to apply planning and evaluation concepts to the health and social services sector. 4) A secondary objective of the course is to provide an opportunity for students to develop expertise in working in groups in an online environment.

Learner Competencies: Accountability; Analytical Thinking; Change Leadership; Collaboration; Impact & Influence; Information Seeking; Initiative; Organizational Awareness; Process Management and Organizational Design.

This course will introduce students to key topics in priority setting (resource allocation) from both theoretical and practical viewpoints. The goal is for students to develop a better understanding of priority setting (resource allocation) in health care institutions and health systems from an interdisciplinary perspective. We will explore the contributions and interaction of ethics, economics, political science, and management science approaches to priority setting. Case studies will be a constitutive component of each session.

Objectives: 1) To introduce priority setting (resource allocation) and different approaches and perspectives to priority setting, including traditional disciplinary perspectives. 2) To examine different ethical issues in priority setting and introduce 'accountability for reasonableness' as a priority setting framework for health care institutions. 3) To examine the most recent cutting-edge research and/or practice improvements. 4) To develop and present a case study of priority setting in learner's own context.

This course is designed to prepare students in the following areas: correlation; regression; analysis of variance (including factorial, repeated-measures, mixed-design, multivariate); analysis of covariance; regression; logistic regression and factor analysis. Note: Students are required to bring a laptop to each class (including session 1) with SPSS installed. This software is available from the University at a reduced rate for students. Data sets will be provided. Students are expected to conduct analyses prior to each class. Enrolment is limited. Priority is given to IHPME students.

Objectives: at the end of this course, students should be able to: 1) Demonstrate an understanding (both conceptual and practical) of the analysis approaches covered in this course. 2) Identify appropriate analysis approach(es) to address specific research questions. 3) Identify appropriate analysis approach(es) to use with data that has already been collected. 4) Use of the computer program SPSS for data management, statistical exploration and analysis, and understanding and explaining results. 5) Present analysis results in APA format.

This seminar introduces the dominant theories used by health services researchers to study phenomena relating to organizational behaviour in health services organizations and systems. Theories reviewed in this course are applicable to micro-, meso-, or macro-levels of analysis. Seminar topics typically include organization theory; system-level performance; inter-organizational relationships and networks; social capital; organizational learning; knowledge transfer, knowledge translation and knowledge utilization; innovation diffusion; change theory including complexity theory and whole systems change; group decision-making and team effectiveness; leadership and followership; and an array of micro-OB topics including organizational commitment, organizational justice, job satisfaction, motivation theory/expectancy theory and organizational citizenship behaviours. The last two sessions are allocated to student presentations, where students present a research idea and related research question(s) that are motivated using theory reviewed in the course.

Objectives: Conversance with dominant theories of organizational behaviour and their relevance to the study of issues in health services organizations; Ability to critically analyze a research article that uses as its theoretical framework one of the theories discussed in seminar; Ability to develop a viable research question(s) that is motivated and explored using one or more of the theories discussed in seminar.

Current changes in the Canadian health system, including most prominently changes in the accountability requirements on health system organizations have renewed interest in strategic planning techniques more common to private sector organizations. A number of strategic planning tools such as balanced scorecards and scenario planning are used in Canada, but there is varied understanding of how they can be adapted to a Canadian context that has different characteristics from the competitive marketplace that stimulated their uptake elsewhere and how these concepts affect institutions within the Canadian health system.

This course endeavours to show how these tools can be used to understand and respond to critical issues in Canadian health system management. Students taking this course explore a number of issues around the application of strategy and performance measurement frameworks to cases from the for-profit, government, and broader public sectors in health care. This is a survey course that touches on a number of issues and examples in the management of health system organizations.

Objectives: 1) To increase students' ability to synthesize different pieces of information on competitive forces in the environment to support the development and evaluation of strategy. 2) Enable students to apply industry and corporate strategic analysis and performance measurement techniques to address common health policy topics through organizing disparate sources of information on an organization's competitive environment.

Learner competencies: achievement orientation; analytical thinking; communication skills; financial skills; initiative; innovative thinking; organizational awareness; performance measurement; self-confidence; strategic orientation.

In this course, learners are presented with a leadership framework that focuses on building the capacity within themselves, their teams and their organizations to respond adaptively to the depth, pace and scope of change that is creating unprecedented conditions in health care systems today (S. Dalzo-Parks, 2005).

Based on the work of Ronald Heifetz, the framework requires a paradigm shift from viewing leadership as a role or person to seeing it as an activity — the activity of making progress on adaptive challenges; and from viewing the organization as a static entity to seeing it as an organism capable of adapting to its environment. It requires those exercising leadership to understand the dynamics of social systems, and to trust in their own and others creativity and intuition (S. Dalzo-Parks, 2005). Finally, it addresses the ethical challenges associated with leadership as critical choices must take into account the diversity of perspectives surrounding the issue, and the moral courage and resilience required to challenge assumed values, i.e., the notion of a good death.

The second, in a two-part series on Leading and Managing Change, the overall goal of this course is to facilitate the building of adaptive capacity within health care systems by deepening the practice of developing both ourselves and others intentionally, mindfully and creatively. Through in-class discussion and small group consultation labs, participants will learn to mobilize constructive change through the development of a new and enhanced capacity to see, effectively analyze, and strategically intervene.

Objectives: 1) Distinguish between adaptive and technical work and explain what each requires to make progress (C4–Analysis). 2) Indicate the difference between the role of authority and the exercise of leadership (C6–Evaluation). 3) Perceive that there is a productive range of tension to make progress on leadership challenges (C5– Synthesis). 4) Identify the sources of resistance and develop strategies to manage them (C4–Analysis). 5) Identify the polarities within adaptive work and generate a process for managing them (C5–Synthesis). 6) Display an ability to continually reflect in action (A5–Characterization by a Value or Value Complex). 7) Relate the practices to current health care challenges (C6–Evaluate). 8) Value the need to thrive while leading adaptive change (A3–Valuing).

Each country's health system and policies are largely shaped by historical, political, social, and economic contexts; but in general, they have similar challenges such as rising expenditures, limited accessibility, poor patient responsiveness, limited coordination across the health continuum and public health and health system threats from both communicable and non-communicable diseases. This comparative health systems and policy course is intended to capture the rapidly expanding field of comparative studies in health systems and policy. It will provide a comprehensive theoretical and methodological foundation to understand why we compare health systems in different countries or provinces within a country and what we can learn from those comparisons. In the second part, the course will provide specific examples of health system and policy development in high income countries as well as low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Although this a taught course, the main requirement is to complete a major paper applying theoretical and methodological tools to a comparative health systems or comparative health policy case study including two or more jurisdictions (a province/state and/or country).

Objectives and competencies: 1) A comprehensive understanding of a range of conceptual and theoretical issues relevant to comparative health systems and policies. 2) An understanding of health system structures and typologies and the ability to use typologies when comparing health systems. 3) An understanding of some of the key health system and policy differences and similarities among high income and LMIC countries. 4) A developed ability to apply relevant concepts and theories to differing health systems or to comparative issues in health policy in general and to compare and contrast health policies across jurisdictions at each stage of the policy cycle. 5) An ability to apply the ideas and methods learned in this course in a major research paper on a topic of interest to the student and that will hopefully be relevant to the student’s dissertation for those in the doctoral track.

This course will help students understand the role of evidence synthesis in health services, systems and policy research, and provide them with knowledge and skills to conduct systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Students will learn how to formulate a research question for a systematic review, develop a review protocol, conduct a comprehensive search of relevant literature, evaluate the level of evidence and the quality of studies, extract information, synthesize the evidence (using appropriate statistical methods for meta-analysis), and report the findings. Students will also learn principles related to other approaches of evidence synthesis (e.g., critical interpretive synthesis, realist review, meta-narrative review, scoping reviews, rapid reviews, overview of reviews). As part of the course, students will develop and register a systematic review protocol and conduct the systematic review potentially followed by a meta-analysis. This course will provide an overview of the current status of program planning and evaluation. Its purpose is to give participants an understanding of the planning and evaluation process, to familiarize them with current program.

Objectives: 1) Understand the role of evidence synthesis and the different approaches to systematic review for health services, systems and policy research. 2) Become familiar with the basic concepts of traditional systematic reviews and meta-analyses for different research designs. 3) Appreciate the limitations and challenges of applying evidence synthesis methods in practice by conducting a systematic review/meta-analysis. 4) Acquire theoretical and practical skills to conduct systematic review and meta-analysis.

Case study research (CSR) can be an effective but often misunderstood and underutilized approach for health services, systems, and policy research. This course will review the history and evolution of CSR, unpack key terminology and definitions, assess its key strengths/weaknesses, review guidance on how to design, conduct, analyze, and report on CSR and culminate in the development of a CSR protocol. An overarching focus of the course will be on the critical appraisal of published CSR, including assessment of available critical appraisal guidance for CSR and its sensitivity to research focus and publication type.

Objectives: 1) Understand the history/evolution of CSR. 2) Understand and appropriately use CSR terminology. 3) Understand the strengths/weaknesses of CSR and emerging approaches for critically appraising CSR. 4) Understand key elements in the design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of CSR. 5) Develop a CSR protocol.

The overall objective of this course is to provide you with the conceptual tools and the practical skills to enable you to reflect, self-assess, and critically evaluate your continuous development as a health care leader. Learning Portfolios (LPs) are used in a variety of professional education programs as a mechanism for demonstrating growth and mastery across a representative breadth of competencies for professional success. The process involves reflection on personal progress towards attaining competency mastery; feedback to stimulate a diversity of ideas and perspectives on current and future learning goals; and self-assessment of strengths and gaps in leadership development. Leadership competency portfolios are an assessment tool that go beyond the graded assignments that have accompanied your competency development to date. Designed as a capstone project, the development of a Best Work Leadership Competency Portfolio will provide insights into how you learn, and how your accomplishments fit into a framework of continuous leadership development, so that completion of the program is seen as the beginning or waypoint on your leadership development journey not the end. Finally, a portfolio will provide you with tangible evidence of the attainment of the 26 NCHL Leadership competencies that can be shared with both current and future employers.

Objectives: upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1) Reflect on your leadership development across the program and have confidence in your ability to make sense of the experience as a coherent unified process (A5–Characterization by Value). 2) Identify and describe artifacts that demonstrate mastery of the 26 NCHL leadership competency levels at the targeted program levels in a Best Work Leadership Portfolio (C6–Evaluate). 3) Connect the depth, breadth and growth of your learning throughout the program to your future leadership development as you describe what, why, and how you learn and the impact of that learning on your continuous leadership development (C6–Evaluate). 4) Assess current leadership competency strengths and gaps, identify future learning goals and methods to achieve them through the development of a Personal Learning Action Plan (C6–Evaluate). 5) Support colleagues in the development of their Best Work Portfolio and Learning Action Plans and generate diverse thinking through peer coaching, advising, and feedback (C5–Synthesis).

The overall objective of the practicum is to broaden the student's appreciation for and skills in managing health services organizations by allowing students to evaluate, test, and further develop their managerial/policy competencies in a practical setting. Practicum placements are specifically tailored to individual student needs given their past work experience and their specific learning and career objectives. While the student is expected to synthesize and apply the academic knowledge gained in the first two blocks of the program, the focus of the practicum is on what the student identifies as his/her learning needs. The fieldwork is seen as incremental and developmental, being adaptable to the individual student's needs, and building on their work experience.

Objectives: upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1) Identify their own learning needs and design a learning contract that will address those needs. 2) Complete the activities outlined in the learning contract, as negotiated with their preceptor and faculty advisor. 3) Optimize their learning opportunities by regular reflection, both through their learning journal and their discussions with their preceptor and faculty advisor. 4) Evaluate their professional strengths and development needs for successful career progression through self-reflection. 5) Organize and develop a business plan for a health care organization. 6) Understand the key components of successful career planning in a health care environment. 7) Further enhance their organization and delivery of oral presentations.

The Research Internship requires a proposal from the student, put together with a faculty member, and must be submitted to the Program Assistant for the Program Director's approval. The proposal is usually for a research project which the student will complete under the supervision of the faculty member. The work completed for a research internship should be roughly equivalent to that required for a course. Therefore, development of a research proposal, part of a research project, contribution to a systematic review would all be appropriate (i.e., make sure you are not doing a mini MSc thesis). The outline must clearly state what the student will do and how the student will be evaluated. Proposals must be signed by the student and faculty member. Proposals must be approved prior to starting your research practicum.

Your supervisor should be a faculty member of the CEHCR Program. Once the student has completed the work, the supervisor is required to submit a Research Internship Completion Form to the Program Assistant. After this is done, the credit is entered into ROSI. (The research internship is marked on a Credit/No Credit basis.) Proposals should be no longer than one page.

Students must include the following components in their proposal: name and student number; submission date; internship start and finish date; supervisor; study title; objectives; description of activities; specific method of evaluation (in percentage form); signatures of the supervisor; student review of manuscripts; grants for research internship credit.

Some students have submitted research internship proposals describing projects consisting of editorial review of manuscripts for journals. This can be a very worthwhile endeavour, particularly if students receive feedback from both their supervisors and from journal editors. Similarly, reviewing grant submissions can be a valuable educational activity. The following guidelines should help guide students preparing a research internship in which the main activity is review of manuscripts or grants. Timelines and evaluation procedures for research internships apply.

Students and supervisors may wish to consult with other faculty to ensure an adequate number of manuscripts/grants for review within the period of the research internship. Faculty are also encouraged to ensure that the manuscripts under review are of sufficiently high quality that the review process is a valuable learning experience.

The Research Internship requires a proposal from the student, put together with a faculty member, and must be submitted to the Program Assistant for the Program Director’s approval. The proposal is usually for a research project which the student will complete under the supervision of the faculty member. The work completed for a research internship should be roughly equivalent to that required for a course. Therefore, development of a research proposal, part of a research project, contribution to a systematic review would all be appropriate (i.e. make sure you are not doing a mini MSc thesis). The outline must clearly state what the student will do and how the student will be evaluated. Proposals must be signed by the student and faculty member. Proposals must be approved prior to starting your research practicum.