The MSFHR/CIHR Science Policy Fellowship aims to bridge the gap between the worlds of science and policy by funding Noreen Kamal to be embedded for six months in the British Columbia Ministry of Health. In this position, Kamal will be tasked with developing evidence-based provincial policy and funding options for emergency department services in BC.
Despite a wide range of provincial initiatives to increase quality and efficiency in emergency departments throughout the province, there are still a number of outstanding issues relating to emergency department services. The BC Ministry of Health is currently undertaking a cross-divisional operational review of emergency care, with phase one ccompleted in March 2012.
The first phase will be focused on qualitatively and quantitatively describing services in BC using a variety of information sources. Kamal will co-lead the second phase of work that focuses on analyzing current services in the context of evidence-based best practices in service configuration and funding and proposing options appropriate for BC.
The program was designed with the goal of establishing and nurturing critical links between policy-makers and external researchers in support of evidence-based public policy.