Mike Wilson's role with Forum expands with appointment as assistant director

September 21, 2011 - Mike Wilson will take on a greater role in the work of the McMaster Health Forum with his appointment as assistant director.

Wilson has been working as a Research Fellow with the Forum for the past several months, preparing evidence briefs that are used to inform stakeholder dialogues on pressing health issues. His new role will involve taking the lead in the scientific aspects of preparing evidence briefs and dialogue summaries, as well as chairing steering committee meetings, drafting terms of reference for briefs, overseeing the identification and presentation of research evidence, and preparing scientific articles.

He will also support the continued development of Health Systems Evidence, a key aspect of the Forum’s work, and be involved in teaching senior undergraduate courses and offering training programs for decision-makers involved in health systems.

In addition to his new role at the Forum, Wilson was also recently appointed as a part-time assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster, and named a faculty member with the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis. He is also an investigator with the Program in Policy Decision-making, a CHEPA-affiliated program.

He holds a PhD in health research methodology and a B.H.Sc. (Hons.) from McMaster University. He has also studied political science at the University of Toronto.

Wilson’s research focuses on supporting the use of research evidence in health systems, with a specific focus on community-based organizations and health system managers and policymakers. He helped lead the development of Health Systems Evidence, a continuously updated repository of syntheses of research evidence about governance, financial and delivery arrangements within health systems, and about implementation strategies that can support change in health systems.

During his studies at McMaster, Wilson earned numerous awards, including an Outstanding Thesis Award, the Dean’s Award for Graduate Student Knowledge Translation and Innovation, and the Faculty of Health Sciences’ Graduate Student Entrepreneur Award, Graduate Programs Outstanding Achievement Award and Graduate Programs Excellence Award.

He was also the recipient of a Rising Star Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in 2009, for his work on what is now known as Health Systems Evidence.

In addition to his work at McMaster, Wilson works with the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, as a scientist in health policy and Knowledge Transfer and Exchange.