Industrial engineering methods and principles can provide effective solutions for many problems encountered in healthcare systems. Through the Centre for Healthcare Engineering, healthcare providers can get access to faculty and students with expertise and experience in applying methodologies from operations research, data analytics, human factors, and information systems to healthcare settings.
- Healthcare providers benefit from having keen students apply advanced methods to their problem of interest.
- Students benefit from applying their knowledge to real-world problems in their area of interest.
- University faculty benefit from continued interactions with industry that often lead to identification of new research and educational opportunities.
Expression of interest for discussing collaboration options can be submitted through the Project Request Form.
A range of options are available depending on the scope and demands of a project:
- Team of undergraduate students who work with the client as part of a Capstone project during the autumn and winter semesters. Such a project would be defined with the assistance of a faculty advisor and does not require funding from the client. The work would typically involve the standard application of well-known methods to a problem. More information on the Capstone program is found on our departmental website.
- Undergraduate student who would work over the summer semester (May-August). Such a project could be summer employment paid by the healthcare provider, or research experience paid by the faculty advisor or scholarships. Different arrangements could therefore be discussed, and the student would be expected to apply standard methods as directed by the healthcare provider or the university faculty.
- Master of Engineering (MEng) student who would conduct a technical project full-time over the summer or part-time over multiple semesters to total a similar effort, as part of their graduate training. Examples of past projects considered are found on our website, and they typically involve the application of standard industrial engineering methodologies. A stipend is welcomed for these students but is not always required.
- Master of Applied Sciences (MASc) student who would conduct a research project typically for 1-2 years. Academic supervision by a faculty is required. Funding for MASc students may be covered by the client, faculty supervisor, or both.
- PhD student who would conduct a research project that requires development of new methodology, typically for 2-4 years. Academic supervision by a faculty is required. Funding for PhD students may be covered by the client, faculty supervisor, or both.
- University faculty who would develop a long-term research program to address problems prioritized by the healthcare provider. Consultations would be undertaken with the healthcare provider to define the scope of the problem to be addressed, and its suitability for securing funding to potentially engage multiple students over a span of two years or more. Please note that any available funds may be useful for leveraging additional funding from other sources.
- University faculty or students who would provide consultancy or contract research, typically over 6 months or less. Such a project will be defined in discussion with the healthcare provider.
Supervision of the projects are typically provided by Faculty Affiliates of the Centre who have a range of expertise, illustrated by their core research areas and recent and past research projects
