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Innovative Research for Healthcare Systems

Published Date

Learning Health Systems Modeling Laboratory logo

On Thursday, April 13th, the Telfer School of Management welcomed 45 clinicians, health administrators, industry leaders and researchers for a special event jointly presented by the Telfer Health Transformation Exchange (THTex) and the Learning Health Systems Modeling Laboratory.

Launch of the lab

The evening marked the official launch of the Learning Health Systems Modeling Laboratory, a one-of-a-kind research initiative dedicated to helping Canada’s healthcare system make the transitions required for it to realize its true potential. Telfer professors Lysanne Lessard and Antoine SauréThe Lab is co-led by Lysanne Lessard, Associate Professor, Information Systems, Telfer School of Management and Antoine Sauré, Associate Professor, Analytics, Telfer School of Management. The Lab conducts collaborative and interdisciplinary research focused on creating novel models, methods, and tools to accelerate the creation and implementation of Learning Health Systems in Canada.

Both the THTex and the Learning Health Systems Modeling Laboratory align with the Telfer School of Management’s strategic vision for a Better Canada. These core initiatives help to strengthen our partnerships with the health community and facilitate collaborative research projects with clinicians in the region, contributing to a dynamic and interdisciplinary health systems research ecosystem at Telfer.

Interdisciplinary collaborations

True to the collaborative nature of the lab, the event began with thought leadership from Dr. Jean-François Ethier, a clinician scientist and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Computer Science at the University of Sherbrooke. Dr. Ethier presented essential elements for the successful clinical implementation of learning health systems, using examples of exploiting technological and analytical opportunities while being mindful of ethical, legal, and social aspects. Drawing from a recent project on mortality prediction for hospitalized patients, Dr. Ethier illustrated how framing such initiatives as research projects vs. learning cycles impacts their clinical utility and patient results.

A panel discussion followed, moderated by Telfer Professor Panelists at the lab launchEmeritus Wojtek Michalowski. Dr. Ethier was joined by panelists Dr. Peter Tanuseputro, a Public Health and Preventive Medicine physician, Family Physician, and health services researcher; Dr. Michael Fung-Kee-Fung, Full Professor at the Departments of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Surgery and cross-appointed Professor at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa; and Lysanne Lessard, Associate Professor, Telfer School of Management. The panel explored challenges and opportunities for building a foundation for connected, agile and patient-centered care and whether this requires large, system-wide changes, or multitude of small changes at the service delivery or patient front.

The panelists took the time to thoughtfully answer audience questions before the event concluded with a networking session.

Events such as these allow diverse stakeholders to connect and collaborate on the innovation necessary to improve our health systems. Find out more about the Learning Health Systems Modeling Laboratory, its members, and their work.