Sam Sheps MSc, MD, FRCP

Director, WRTC

Professor, School of Population and Public Health
Director, MSc/PhD Program
University of British Columbia
Email: Sam.sheps@ubc.ca

Areas of Specialty

• Clinical Epidemiology as a basic and applied science in medical research and clinical decision making: Developed Faculty of Medicine wide residency training program in clinical epidemiology and critical appraisal.
• Organization and delivery of child health services.
• Changing pattern of incidence and prevalence of infant mortality and handicapping conditions among children in B.C.  Health Policy Research – particularly utilization management and procedure variation and appropriateness of health care utilization.
• Development and implementation of a health service research training program in collaboration with the University of Manitoba.

Current Research Projects

• The incidence of changing trends in birthweight-specific infant mortality in B.C. 1952-89.
• Utilization of long term care by the elderly using the B.C. health linked database.
• Impact of educational influentials on management of whiplash injuries by physicians – using linked data to assess diagnostic test use and clinical interventions.
• Surgical waitlists: Determinants in BC, development and evaluation of priority tools. ‚Ä®Effect of downsizing acute care hospital capacity in B.C.
• High uses of health services.  Issues of continuity of care.  Epidemiology of medical error.

Eileen Boriskewich

Program Coordinator, WRTC University of Manitoba

Department of Community Health Sciences
University of Manitoba
Email: wrtc@cc.umanitoba.ca

Ann Casebeer BA, MPA, PhD

Director, University of Calgary

Associate Professor
Department of Community Health Sciences
Associate Director, Centre for Health and Policy Studies

University of Calgary
Email: alcasebe@ucalgary.ca

Dr. Casebeer combines an applied practice background with an academic grounding in organizational learning and systems change. Her understanding of innovation and broad social policy mechanisms for change within complex environments is grounded by 10 years in the UK National Health Service, and in over a decade with SEARCH (a public service organization targeting knowledge development for health gain). Dr. Casebeer is co-editor of Innovations in Health Care: A Reality Check (2006). Research expertise includes the use of qualitative and mixed methods in action-oriented contexts and for knowledge exchange and use.

Carolyn DeCoster RN, MBA, PhD

Associate Director, University of Calgary

Assistant Research Professor
Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary
Assistant Professor
Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
Senior Research, Alberta Health Services
Email: Carolyn.DeCoster@albertahealthservices.ca

Areas of Specialty

• waiting lists
• arthroplasty
• hip & knee replacements
• referral and consultation; remote consultation
• international classification of diseases
• administrative data
• utilization; triage

Malcolm Doupe BPEd, MSc, PhD

Director, WRTC University of Manitoba

Assistant Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences
Senior Research Scientist, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
University of Manitoba

Email: Malcolm.doupe@cpe.umanitoba.ca

Areas of Specialty

• Utilization of health care services by older adults; alternative care strategies for this population.

Current Research Projects

• Testing the effectiveness of health lines in chronic disease management of congestive heart failure.
• Performing activities of daily living tasks: determining why some nursing home residents become more dependent with time.

Lisa Lix BSHEC, MSc, PhD

Director, WRTC University of Saskatchewan

Associate Professor, School of Public Health
Centennial Chair, School of Public Health
University of Saskatchewan
Email: Lisa.lix@usask.ca

Areas of Specialty

• Health services research methodology, focusing on statistical methods for ascertaining chronic disease using administrative data; and techniques for assessing data quality.

Current Research Projects

• Classification algorithms to distinguish chronic disease cases from non-cases in administrative data.
• Variable importance and multiple testing for multivariate longitudinal data with applications to health-related quality of life.
• Multivariate techniques applied to longitudinal health-related quality of life.
• Maintaining and enhancing tools for administrative databases.
• Structures and processes of care in colorectal cancer surgery (SPoCCS) study.
• Research and community alliance for quality of life in long term care (The QOL Team).
• Understanding the biological, clinical, and psychosocial determinants of health outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease.
• CIHR Team in circumpolar health research: Averting emerging chronic diseases in northern populations.
• Administrative database research in rheumatic diseases: Novel techniques.

Isabella Losinger BA, MLS, MA

Manager, WRTC

School of Population and Public Health

University of British Columbia

Email: Isabella.losinger@ubc.ca

Greg Marchildon BA, LLB, MA, PhD

Director, WRTC University of Regina

Canada Research Chair in Public Policy and Economic History (Tier I)
Professor, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
University of Regina

Email: Greg.marchildon@uregina.ca

Areas of Specialty

• Canadian public policy and economic history.
• Evolution of public health care in Canada.
• Political, administrative and economic history of postwar Saskatchewan.

Leah Phillips, BA, MA, PhD (Cand.)

Program Coordinator, WRTC University of Alberta

University of Alberta

Email: Leah.phillips@ualberta.ca