Primary Areas of Study (PhD)
Although the PhD (Health Services Research concentration) is interdisciplinary in focus, students will receive advanced training in one of the following areas of study including:
- Health Services Organization and Management
The Health Services Organization and Management area of study draws upon the disciplines of organization and management science, implementation science, sociology and organizational psychology to understand the organization of health services and the impact of management and organizational practices on performance.
Students involved in this area of study come with a variety of backgrounds ranging from the basic sciences to the social sciences; all are interested in training for a career in health services research and in leading future research initiatives that include examining meso- and macro-level organization issues, system-level structure and performance, and the uptake and application of research evidence in practice and decision making at all levels of the health care system. Topics of particular interest include: patient safety and quality of care, organizational learning and knowledge transfer, organizational change, leadership, inter-organizational relationships and networks, governance, evidence based management, and evidence based practice change.
Successful completion of this area of study requires demonstrated knowledge of: dominant theoretic frameworks applied to the study of health services organization and management; quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods; research design; and strategies used in primary and secondary data analysis.
In undertaking their dissertation research, students are expected to employ an appropriate theoretical and conceptual framework to guide their dissertation work, and to make both theoretic and practical contributions through their dissertation research. - Health Policy
The Health Policy area of study draws on a range of disciplines including political science, health economics, sociology of health and illness, science and technology studies and bioethics to consider the design and governance of health care systems locally, nationally and globally.
Students and faculty in this area of study aim to understand and influence how health services are funded, delivered and allocated to different populations including children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and diverse communities. We engage health care providers, organizations and decision-makers as partners and collaborators in education, research and knowledge transfer, and consult and participate in policy initiatives and policy-making bodies.
Students include experienced health professionals, who want to make sense of the complex environments in which they work, as well as advanced graduates of the social and health sciences, who wish to apply their academic skills to the field of health care.
Faculty lead major research and knowledge mobilization initiatives (including the Canadian Research Network for Care in the Community, the CIHR Team in Community Care and Health Human Resources, the Health System Performance Research Network, etc.). They publish widely in peer-reviewed publications, attract significant research funding, and network extensively within the University of Toronto and beyond (including the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, the School of Public Policy, the Joint Centre for Bioethics, the Centre for International Health, and the Institute for Work and Health). - Health Services Outcomes and Evaluation
The Outcomes and Evaluation area of study draws upon several academic disciplines including economics, epidemiology, and program evaluation to systematically examine the impacts of health services (e.g., mental health, primary care, acute care, chronic care, mental health) on the health status of various populations. Successful completion of this area of study requires demonstrated knowledge of: quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods; primary data collection and secondary data sources; and the strengths, weaknesses and appropriate application of different research designs and data analysis strategies. Students will be exposed to a variety of theoretical and conceptual frameworks and are expected to select and/or adapt such a framework as part of the dissertation. Topics of particular interest include: access to care, health services costs and economic evaluation, performance measurement, and quality improvement. - eHealth Innovation and Information Management
This primary area of study will nurture a new generation of graduate students to become researchers, clinicians, managers and policy makers who are proficient in their discipline and also in healthcare information management. It will also act as a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaborative research to tackle major issues around the design, development, evaluation and use of electronic health solutions. - Health Economics
Health Economics is concerned with the study of resource allocation within the health sector and between that sector and other sectors. The Health Economics area of study is designed to enable participants to apply the foundations of economic analysis to theoretical, empirical, evaluative, and policy issues in the field of health and health care. Specific attention is paid to the choices and other behaviours of health care recipients, health care providers, and third party payers and regulators as well as methods for evaluating health care services, technologies and programs. Graduates will acquire knowledge and skills in the application of theories, concepts and methods to important contemporary issues.
There are a number of generic competencies in Health Economics including knowledge of theories and concepts in health economics and the ability to use and apply it to frame and address health policy problems; knowledge relating to the application of mathematical and statistical techniques to understand and assess the impact of underlying change, including policy shifts, on human and organizational behaviours; conversance with the collection and use of primary and secondary health and economic data obtained from various sources and methods; and the ability to effectively communicate research motivations, study designs, findings and implications for various audiences including academics and decision makers.
Specific Health Economics competencies include knowledge regarding how to develop and apply economic theory and methods in order to:
- understand approaches taken to the study of the health and health services marketplaces;
- understand theories and empirical studies of health related behaviours including the demand for health and health services as well as potentially deleterious behaviours such as smoking;
- understand theories and empirical studies concerning the supply of health services and their application to hospitals, health care professionals and other settings and providers;
- understand how health care markets work (e.g., those for labour, health services and insurance) including knowledge of the potential sources of market failures, roles for regulatory agencies, informational asymmetry and empirical studies;
- undertake health service, health technology, and health program appraisals; and appropriately acquire data and apply empirical techniques to identify causal effects.
Secondary Area of Study: Knowledge Translation
Students may choose Knowledge Translation as a secondary area of study. This area of study focuses on developing knowledge and research skills that will contribute to the effective and timely incorporation of evidence-based information into the practice of health professionals in such a way as to effect optimal health care outcomes and maximize the potential of the health system. Students who complete the course requirements will acquire a firm understanding of the elements of knowledge translation and be prepared to undertake a research career in this burgeoning and critical area. Students may come from a variety of backgrounds and may include clinicians, clinician-scientists, health services researchers, policy analysts and policy makers.