Saint Mary’s University has been approved by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission to join a consortium of Atlantic Canadian universities offering a Masters in Applied Health Services Research (MAHSR) program.
The interdisciplinary program is in collaboration with Memorial University, the University of Prince Edward Island and University of New Brunswick.
“I am extremely pleased and excited that Saint Mary’s have joined with UPEI, UNB and MUN in the Master of Applied Health Service Research program,” said Dr. Kevin Vessey, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at Saint Mary’s. “Saint Mary’s has excellent research being pursued in health care systems, patient outcomes, and social, cultural and environmental factors that affect the health of populations, but this is our first graduate program where health is the main focus.”
The MAHSR program is completed over a two-year period and includes eight web-based courses, workshops, a residency and thesis research.
Dr. Lucie Kocum, Saint Mary’s Psychology Professor is the program coordinator at Saint Mary’s. She says through the program students are trained by scholars of diverse disciplines and will acquire the necessary skills to investigate complex health systems.
“The training prepares students for a variety of careers, including health policy research and administration,” she says.
The program is also the first academic program being hosted by one of Saint Mary’s research centres, specifically the CN Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
Funded by the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation and in partnership with Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit, the MAHSR program comes at an important time in Nova Scotia, where this type of research could lead to improvements in the services provided by a health care system that faces may challenges now and in the future.
“The MAHSR is a great collaboration that will educate experts for leadership positions in health services careers, as well as contribute to fundamental and applied research that will improve health and health care delivery in Nova Scotia and beyond,” says Dr. Vessey.