“The College of Pharmacy and Nutrition is very honored to serve as the home for this new chair for the health sciences at the university,” says Dean David Hill, College of Pharmacy and Nutrition. “We expect the chair to guide innovative curriculum enhancements in this important area that will benefit health profession students in their care of patients and communities. It is also anticipated that the research program of the chair will provide valuable new knowledge to help inform policy makers within Canada and internationally about the quality of health care systems, services and interventions.”

Through the investment from the U of S and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, the chair will address different dimensions of health quality including safety, patient-centeredness, timeliness, effectiveness and access to health care. Healthcare professionals require interprofessional tools and skills to provide the best care possible. The chair will work with the health sciences colleges and schools at the U of S, the Health Quality Council and health regions to contribute to continuous, system-wide improvements in health care quality.

“This new research chair position will bring methodological rigor to the study of quality improvement initiatives and boost awareness of and interest in quality improvement [QI] research,” said Bonnie Brossart, CEO of the province’s Health Quality Council. “It will also lead to major changes in how we are training our providers for tomorrow – by embedding QI science and interdisciplinary teamwork in the health sciences curriculum. We know from high-performing health systems elsewhere, and from our own improvement initiatives here in Saskatchewan, that teamwork is key to better, safer care.”

“This area of research fits well with government’s emphasis on building a more efficient, patient-centred health care system. Quality improvement will have a positive effect on the care and services we provide to clients and patients,” Health Minister Don McMorris said. “In partnership with the University of Saskatchewan, we are pleased to provide funding for this new chair in quality improvement science and interprofessional health education.”

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For more information, contact:

Heather Dawson, Advancement Officer
College of Pharmacy and Nutrition
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-2502
Email: heather.dawson@usask.ca

Greg Basky, Director of Communications
Health Quality Council (Saskatchewan)
Tel: (306) 668-8814
Email: gbasky@hqc.sk.ca