Research Areas

Toronto General HospitalPolicy and strategy The performance of healthcare systems is very often dependent on the policies and strategies as well as operational procedures. This area of research examines the effects of policies and strategies on the overall state of the healthcare system and uses quantitative measures to suggest new policies.

Healthcare operations Hospital operations range from scheduling elective surgery patients to planning facility layouts to managing patient flow. Our work in hospital operations centers on examining activities at the local hospital level and modelling and streamlining those processes. By recognizing that each process is part of a larger system, we can recommend changes that will improve the system as a whole.

Medical technologies Medical technologies research investigates the performance, maintenance, design and implementation of medical equipment. Whether through the design of radiation therapy treatment plans or the maintenance schedules of EKG machines, medical technologies have far-reaching impact into healthcare delivery.

Information engineering Information Engineering research is concerned with the storage and retrieval of information. For healthcare systems, information engineering focuses on eHealth capabilities to better manage information and improve patient outcomes, as well as to provide medical decision-making tools based on patient records.

Human factors Medical equipment and healthcare systems all depend on the people that operate them. Human factors is a field of research concerning human interactions with their environment, and the design of systems around human abilities and limitations.