New BC research Fellows tackle pressing health system challenges

MSFHR has partnered with CIHR’s Institute of Health Services and Policy Research to co-fund six 2019 Health System Impact Fellows, enabling a total of 11 Fellows to be awarded in BC. These Fellows will be working to inform health policy and system transformation to address pressing issues in our province.

The six MSFHR-funded Fellows are focused on projects that address issues faced by BC’s health system such as responding to the overdose crisis, assessing air quality in northern British Columbia and better serving people with multiple complex care needs.

The CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship program provides both PhD trainees and post-doctoral fellows with a paid experiential learning opportunity within health system organizations including health authorities, the BC Ministry of Health and the BC Ministry of Mental Health & Addictions.

The 11 Fellows are part of a national cohort of 51 individuals based in Ontario (28), BC (11), Quebec (7), Alberta (1), Saskatchewan (1), Manitoba (1), Nova Scotia (1) and the Northwest Territories (1).

In 2017, MSFHR put its Health Policy Fellowship Program on hold to partner with CIHR on the new Health System Impact Fellowship. The aim was to meet the goals of the MSFHR Health Policy Fellowship while leveraging federal funds to BC to support the development of health policy research talent and the uptake of evidence to inform planning, policy, and practice.

The partnership allows MSFHR to leverage our funds to increase the number of funded Fellows in BC who will work with health authorities, the provincial government, and other not-for-profit organizations to build capacity for the integration of policy research into decision-making. Since partnering with CIHR, MSFHR funding has enabled a total of 24 Fellows in the province.

 

• Find out more about the Health Policy Fellowship Program
• Interested in co-funding an MSFHR award? Visit our prospective partner pages