Co-recipients of Commonwealth Fund's Canadian Harkness Fellowship
TORONTO, May 15, 2014 /CNW/ - The 2014/15 Canadian Harkness Fellowship, co-funded by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement and The Commonwealth Fund, was today awarded to two healthcare professionals. Scott Robertson, Senior Project Manager for the medical travel program in the Northwest Territories' Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), and Fiona Clement, Director of the Health Technology Assessment Unit at the University of Calgary, will participate in The Fund's prestigious 12-month Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice.
"Mr. Robertson and Dr. Clement are outstanding candidates for the Canadian Harkness Fellowship," said Robin Osborn, Vice-President and Director of the International Program in Health Policy and Practice Innovations for the Fund, who has directed the Harkness fellowships since 1997. "We chose them both as they're talented individuals committed to making a difference in their health care systems, to achieve better access, improved quality and greater efficiency."
Established by The Commonwealth Fund in 1925, and modeled after the Rhodes Scholarships, the Harkness Fellowships aim to produce the next generation of health policy leaders in the nine participating countries -- Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Mid-career professionals are given the opportunity to spend a year in the United States to study healthcare delivery system reforms and critical issues on the health policy agenda in both the U.S. and Canada. CFHI has brought a Canadian perspective to the program since 2001 and, in 2012, began co-funding a full-time Canadian Harkness Fellowship.
"CFHI congratulates Mr. Robertson and Dr. Clement on their achievement," said Maureen O'Neil, CFHI President. "This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with international health policy leaders to develop innovative approaches to strengthen health policy and practice in Canada."
Robertson, a recently-appointed CFHI Fellow, played a pivotal role in CFHI's Chronic Disease Management collaboration with the Northwest Territories DHSS and is developing programming for other CFHI initiatives, particularly the Northern, Rural or Remote Collaboration. He has extensive operational, policy, and econometric experience to support healthcare improvement in northern and remote areas of Canada. He has a Masters degree in Health Economics and Policy and was previously the Chief Nursing Officer for the NWT and Action Canada Fellow.
"I would like to express my gratitude to CFHI and the Commonwealth Fund," said Robertson. "The Harkness Fellowship is an honour and an incredible opportunity."
Dr. Fiona Clement completed her PhD in Health Services Research with a specialization in Health Economics at the University of Calgary. Additionally, she completed a Post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Newcastle (UK), supported by CFHI and Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions. Her research interests include Health Technology Assessment, methods to achieve optimal use of technology (Health Technology Reassessment) and drug policy including reimbursement decision-making processes and system cost-containment measures.
"I'm delighted to be given this unique opportunity to take part in a prestigious and important program," said Dr. Clement.
The Harkness Fellowship Award was announced at the CAHSPR (Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research) Conference in Toronto. In addition to a series of high level policy briefings and site visits organized in the U.S. throughout the year, the Fellows all take part in a four-day Canadian Harkness Policy Briefing Tour organized by CFHI, where Harkness Fellows gain a fuller understanding of how healthcare in Canada is organized, financed, managed and delivered.
The application deadline for the 2015/16 Canadian Harkness Fellowship is November 17, 2014.
The Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating healthcare improvement by working with provinces, territories and other healthcare partners to promote efficient healthcare that delivers better outcomes. With a $10 million annual federal investment, CFHI supports the development of innovations that could save provincial-territorial healthcare budgets over $1 billion per year. CFHI is funded through an agreement with the Government of Canada.
The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that promotes a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable. The Fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy.
Image with caption: "Scott Robertson, Senior Project Manager for the medical travel program in the Northwest Territories? Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) (CNW Group/Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140515_C3114_PHOTO_EN_2163.jpg
Image with caption: "Fiona Clement, Director of the Health Technology Assessment Unit at the University of Calgary (CNW Group/Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140515_C3114_PHOTO_EN_2164.jpg
SOURCE: Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
Paulette Roberge, Senior Communications Specialist, Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, W: 613-728-2238 ext. 288, C: 613-790-1070, E: [email protected]
Share this article