The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) has officially opened its third satellite site, ICES UofT today. The new health research facility in Toronto is helping scientists develop better ways to assess the quality and safety of healthcare in Ontario by harnessing millions of anonymous healthcare records from across the province.
“This facility will greatly enhance our ability to conduct population-based research to improve health,” said Dr. Geoff Anderson, Director of ICES UofT. “By linking data from many different sources, we will be able to highlight the most important factors that affect health and identify new approaches to deliver care more effectively and efficiently,” says Anderson, who is an adjunct scientist at ICES; and also holds the Chair in Health Management Strategies at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at U of T.
This year also marks ICES’ 20th anniversary of producing superior quality research to enhance the effectiveness of Ontario’s health system and promote better health for Ontarians. ICES has developed a highly secure system to gather data from hospitals, health insurance claims, census data and various disease registries. The data can be linked together on an individual patient level, while keeping all records anonymous and secure.
ICES UofT will present U of T faculty and students with a broad range of research opportunities through the diverse scope of contributing partners, including:
- Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, U of T
- Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, U of T
- Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, U of T
- Women’s College Hospital
- Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
- The Hospital for Sick Children
- Public Health Ontario
- Health Quality Ontario
“By increasing the number of scientists and the breadth of scientific expertise, the implementation of satellite sites expands the capacity of ICES to conduct research that contributes to the effectiveness, quality, equity and efficiency of healthcare and health services across Ontario,” says Dr. David Henry, CEO at ICES.
Satellite sites create an opportunity for scientists who wish to pursue research aligning with the ICES mission to access administrative data holdings at ICES from off-site locations. ICES Queen’s (Queen’s University) opened in 2007 and ICES uOttawa (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa) opened in 2010. A satellite site at the University of Western Ontario is scheduled to open late in 2012.
ICES is an independent, non-profit organization that uses population-based health information to produce knowledge on a broad range of healthcare issues. Our unbiased evidence provides measures of health system performance, a clearer understanding of the shifting healthcare needs of Ontarians, and a stimulus for discussion of practical solutions to optimize scarce resources. ICES knowledge is highly regarded in Canada and abroad, and is widely used by government, hospitals, planners, and practitioners to make decisions about care delivery and to develop policy.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
- Deborah Creatura
- Communications, ICES
- [email protected]
- (o) 416-480-4780