Federal Funding Awarded to Schulich Professor to Improve Canadian Healthcare
Dr. Abi Sriharan, Scientific Director for Schulich’s Krembil Centre for Health Management and Leadership, in collaboration with our industry partners, Sunnybrook Health Centre and SickKids Hospital, have successfully secured funding for two groundbreaking projects under the “Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation” program. The first project focuses on cancer workforce optimization in five provinces, in partnership with Sunnybrook Health Centre. The second project centers on leadership training for pediatric healthcare managers to improve children’s health, in collaboration with SickKids Hospital. Both projects promise to make significant contributions to the Canadian healthcare system.
“Cancer has a huge and growing impact on the Canadian population and healthcare system, with nearly half of Canadians expected to receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime,” said Sriharan.
“Additionally, Canada ranked 30th out of 38 peer countries in the UNICEF Innocenti Report Card on overall child well-being, despite having the 15th largest economy. We believe well-functioning health professionals are the cornerstone of effective healthcare systems. We hope these projects reduce burnout rates, improve job satisfaction, and enhance work-life balance for healthcare providers. For patients, we aim to improve access to care, reduce wait times, and enhance the overall quality of healthcare services.”
Innovative Partnership with Sunnybrook: Optimizing Cancer Care Workforce through Tailored Health Human Resources Strategies
The first project in partnership with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is a 3-phase, 12-month program consisting of four key components: (1) structured education sessions; (2) a centre-specific workforce optimization project; (3) monthly coaching; and (4) a virtual Community of Practice. The approach capitalizes on the inherent strengths of cancer centers in quality improvement, and is centred on fostering the capacity to diagnose, design, and implement context-specific workforce optimization strategies. This is a departure from the conventional, one-size-fits-all, top-down intervention paradigm prevalent in healthcare.
SickKids Partnership Launches Simulation-Based Coaching to Boost Pediatric Health Workforce Retention and Wellbeing
The second project in partnership with The Hospital for Sick Children introduces a simulation-based coaching leadership intervention to tackle the pressing challenges of pediatric health workforce retention and wellbeing in Canada. This initiative aims to bolster the sustainability of the pediatric health workforce by understanding the unique experiences of pediatric providers and adapting a managerial coaching intervention accordingly. The project will implement and evaluate CLIMB (Coaching Leaders to Improve Management and Well-Being), an evidence-based leadership intervention designed to combat burnout, and promote a resilient, equitable, diverse, and inclusive pediatric health workforce. The insights generated from this research will equip decision-makers with the necessary evidence to evidence the pediatric healthcare workforce crisis and enhance the healthcare system’s capacity to improve the health and wellbeing of children and youth.
“What excites us most about these projects is the chance to collaborate closely with healthcare organizations to make real changes,” said Sriharan. “These projects aim to tackle these workforce challenges by improving organizational functions, working conditions, and overall performance through strategic partnerships. They build on the Krembil Centre for Healthcare Management’s commitment to strengthening healthcare through leadership and management.”
Click here to learn more about the “Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation” program.
