Health Services and Policy Research

The faculty of Health Sciences offers a Diploma in Health Services and Policy Research. Health services research is research that is intended to inform policy development and decision making regarding:

  • The organization, funding, and delivery of health services
  • The allocation of resources dedicated to improving health

Increasing the number of health services researchers to address critical issues in effective and efficient health care delivery has been identified as a high priority by national research funding agencies.

Students interested in applying for the Diploma Program must plan to:

  • do a thesis or final project/paper related to health services research, and
  • be enrolled in one of the following research-focused thesis or course-based graduate degree programs at the Master's or PhD level: Anthropology, Business Administration, Health Research Methodology, Nursing, Rehabilitation Sciences, Economics, Geography, Kinesiology, Mathematics, Social Work, Sociology or Statistics

Unique features of this Diploma Program include: availability of courses addressing important issues in health services research at any of the 6 participating universities (Lakehead, Laurentian, McMaster, Ottawa, Toronto, and York); linkages with students and faculty across universities and disciplines; and field placement opportunities in policy and research settings to work with health services researchers and decision makers across the province. Through the Ontario Training Research Centre in Health Services research, students accepted into the Diploma Program may be eligible for stipends.

The minimum requirement for the Diploma is 1.5 full course equivalents over and above graduate degree requirements. The Program will be open to both full- and part-time students. For students who undertake the diploma requirements full-time, the expected duration of the diploma program is 2 terms.

Deadline for submission of complete application file to the Health Sciences Graduate Programs office (MDCL 2235) to start in September 2011 is March 15, 2011. Students starting in the Fall 2011 must complete the basic requirements of the program by June 30, 2012.

Please note that there is an additional fee ( fee for 09/10: $3,717.36) above the regular tuition fees for the Diploma. Student stipends of up to $15,000 may be available for selected students to help cover tuition fees.

Help

For further information contact Miguel A Pérez, PhD OTC Program Manager by phone at (905) 525-9140 extension 26203 or by email at mperez@mcmaster.ca or you may visit the OTC Diploma website at www.otc-hsr.ca.