Graduate Training

SPPH students

CHSPR is a leader in educating and empowering graduate students interested in advancing health policy and health services research in Canada

We aim to help our students develop core competencies necessary to become a leaders in the field, while providing students with the flexibility to advance and pursue their own interests. Across sectors and disciplines, students gain critical skills for solving complex problems and have the opportunity to collaborate in policy relevant research with some of the world’s top health services and policy researchers.

Working and studying at CHSPR, students gain an appreciation for the values that underpin strong health services and policy research that is aimed at serving the public interest.

Degree Programs

CHSPR faculty supervise students pursuing graduate degrees focused on health services and policy research. We provide instruction and mentorship within our applied research environment for students enrolled in degree programs offered through the UBC School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) and the UBC School of Nursing, as well as other related programs offered through various UBC faculties and schools. Most of our students are completing SPPH MSc and PhD programs in population and public health, with a focus on health services and policy research.

CHSPR Faculty

As a CHSPR student, you will work with professors that are internationally renowned for their expertise in a number of health services and policy research areas, including health human resources, primary health care, pharmaceutical policy, health care financing and funding, and health care use and effectiveness.

Prospective students are encouraged to contact specific CHSPR faculty, based on research interests.

A Supportive Environment

The Centre provides a positive, interdisciplinary, and inter-professional environment for our students. Student workspaces facilitate access to faculty and an internal seminar series provides opportunity to present work-in-progress and get feedback from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives.

Funding

Where there is close alignment between student research interests and a faculty supervisor’s research program, CHSPR students may be partly funded by a CHSPR faculty research grant, or alternatively may be offered a research assistantship. Students at CHSPR are consistently successful in competing for research grants from major research institutions, including the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and Michael Smith Health Research BC, as well as other more specialized funding sources. CHSPR faculty supervisors support students in developing competitive grant proposals. We proudly acknowledge that our students have been consistently funded and recognized in local and national award competitions year after year.

Publications

CHSPR graduate students have an impressive publication record. Recent journal articles first-authored by CHSPR students include:

Zeitouny S, Cheung DC, Bremner KE, Pataky RE, Pequeno P, Matelski J, Peacock S, Del Giudice ME, Lapointe-Shaw L, Tomlinson G, Mendlowitz AB, Mulder C, Tsui TCO, Perlis N, Walker JD, Sander B, Wong WWL, Krahn MD, Kulkarni GS. The impact of the early COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare system resource use and costs in two provinces in Canada: An interrupted time series analysis. PLoS One. 2023 Sep 8;18(9):e0290646. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290646. eCollection 2023. Read more

Itiola AJ, Cheng L, Zhang W, Gomes T, Shah BR, Law MR. The Impact of Blood Glucose Test Strips Reimbursement Limits on Utilization, Costs, and Health Care Use in British Columbia. Can J Diabetes. 2023 Aug 21:S1499-2671(23)00193-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2023.08.005. Online ahead of print. Read more

Zeitouny S, Cheng L, Wong ST, Tadrous M, McGrail K, Law MR. Prevalence and predictors of primary nonadherence to medications prescribed in primary care. CMAJ. 2023 Aug 8;195(30):E1000-E1009. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.221018. Read more

Desai S, Zhang W, Sutherland JM, Singer J, Quon BS. Factors associated with frequent high-cost individuals with cystic fibrosis and their healthcare utilization and cost patterns. Sci Rep. 2023 Jun 1;13(1):8910. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-35942-7. Read more

Saleeb M, Mohtashami F, Gadermann A, Murphy R, Flexman A, Crump T, Liu G, Sutherland JM. Associations between perceptions of shared decision making and health among hysterectomy patients: A prospective observational study. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2023 Apr 20. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.14802. Online ahead of print. Read more

Nisingizwe MP, Makuza JD, Janjua NZ, Bansback N, Hedt-Gauthier B, Serumondo J, Remera E, Law MR. The Cascade of Care for Hepatitis C Treatment in Rwanda: A Retrospective Cohort Study of the 2017–2019 Mass Screening and Treatment Campaign. Viruses. 2023 Feb 28;15(3):661. doi: 10.3390/v15030661. Read more

McClean AR, Cheng L, Bansback N, Clement F, Tadrous M, Harrison M, Law MR. Uptake and spending on biosimilar infliximab and etanercept after new start and switching policies in Canada: An interrupted time series analysis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2023 Feb 8. doi: 10.1002/acr.25099. Online ahead of print. Read more

Saleeb M, Mohtashami F, Gadermann A, Murphy R, Flexman A, Crump T, Liu G, Sutherland JM. A comparison of patient-reported outcomes among Canadian women having hysterectomies. Qual Life Res. 2022 Dec 22. doi: 10.1007/s11136-022-03326-5. Online ahead of print. Read more

Albanese CM, Oberle E, Sutherland JM, Janus M, Schonert-Reichl KA, Georgiades K, Guhn M, Gagné Petteni M, Gadermann A. A cross-sectional study of organized activity participation and emotional wellbeing among non-immigrant and immigrant-origin children in British Columbia, Canada. Prev Med Rep. 2022 Nov 14;31:102052. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102052. eCollection 2023 Feb. Read more

Loyal JP, Lavergne MR, Shirmaleki M, Fischer B, Kaoser R, Makolewksi J, Small W. Trends in Involuntary Psychiatric Hospitalization in British Columbia: Descriptive Analysis of Population-Based Linked Administrative Data from 2008 to 2018. Can J Psychiatry. 2022 Oct 6:7067437221128477. doi: 10.1177/07067437221128477. Online ahead of print. Read more

Interview with Jamie Daw

What did you do this summer?

As part of my training as a graduate student at CHSPR and with the Western Regional Training Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, I spent the summer of my Master’s program working as a policy analyst in the Strategic Policy Branch at Health Canada.

How did you apply your skills to your job?

During my time at Health Canada, I applied the knowledge and skills I've gained through my graduate training to real-world situations where health decisions are made. I had the opportunity to apply my knowledge of the Canadian health care system and health services research methods, and directly experienced the process of transforming evidence into sound health policy decision making.

Did this experience add value to your studies?

Absolutely, I learned more about the organizational structure of the federal government and how to effectively write for a policy audience. In the process, I formed invaluable relationships with high-level decision makers in the Canadian government, with whom I hope to collaborate with in the future. This experience will be one I remember for the rest of my career as a health services researcher.

Jamie Daw is now Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.