Research & Resources Hub
The Health policy impact lab focuses on research in 4 areas.
Science and Technology funding in the local, national and international landscape
Collaboration with Pegasus institute for supporting international medical education program and curriculum development
Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) pre-conference workshop on AI for leaders
Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario Cancer Research
Our Research Topics
Project Management
Project Management Models and Frameworks — Studies project management frameworks that enable successful scaling of health interventions across regions, provinces, and organizations. Focuses on stakeholder engagement and partnership building.
Governance Models for Health Projects — Investigates how governance structures influence timelines, accountability, and outcomes in health policy projects. Identifies models that improve coordination and reduce implementation delays.
Investigators: Dr. Sandra Song, Dr. Vidhi Thakkar and Dr. Ali Khazraei
Health Policy
Design of Healthcare Systems — Investigates how health systems design policies at the provincial and federal level
Regulatory Impact on Access — Examines how licensing rules, reimbursement structures or scope‑of‑practice laws shape access to care. Evaluates which regulatory reforms most effectively reduce inequities.
Investigators: Dr. Sandra Song, Dr. Vidhi Thakkar, Dr. Sherry Abdellatif and Dr. Mustafa Ornek
Health Economics
Cost‑Effectiveness of Preventive Programs — Quantifies long‑term savings from preventive interventions such as chronic disease management or early screening. Helps policymakers prioritize investments with the highest population‑level return.
Economic Burden of Health Inequities — Estimates the direct and indirect costs of inequitable health outcomes across populations. Provides evidence for targeted policy interventions that reduce system‑wide financial strain.
Investigators: Dr. Vidhi Thakkar, Dr. Mustafa Ornek and Dr. Raaj Tiagi
Artificial Intelligence
AI for Business Planning Communication — Explores use of AI for Leaders for streamlining workflows
AI‑Driven Health System Optimization — Investigates how predictive models can improve resource allocation, staffing, or patient flow. Evaluates whether AI tools enhance equity or inadvertently reinforce disparities.
Investigators: Dr. Vidhi Thakkar, Dr. Amirhossein Zaji and Dr. Mohsen Ghodrat
Finance
Financial Stability of Health Systems — Examines how hospitals and insurers manage financial risk under shifting policies, demographic pressures and economic shocks. Identifies strategies that maintain solvency without compromising care quality.
Investment Trends in Health Innovation — Analyzes how public and private capital flows influence the development and adoption of new health technologies. Evaluates whether investment patterns align with population health priorities.
Investigators: Dr. Sherry Abdellatif
Our Resources
The Courage to use AI in Healthcare Decision-Making
The Courage to use AI in Healthcare Decision-Making: A Scoping Review and Recommendations for Leaders led by the Health Policy Impact Lab at University Canada West, examined the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare decision-making, with a focus on leadership, policy and system-level implications.
Courage to use AI Executive Leaders Briefing Note
Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the system has received growing attention, including in the healthcare sector, due to its support in improving efficiency by automating particular tasks. This briefing note synthesizes academic research evidence into practical recommendations for health systems leaders attending the CCHL pre-conference workshop.
CCHL Pre-Conference Workshop Handout
AI Adoption Checklist for Health Leaders: An AI Decision Checklist for Health Leaders
CCHL Pre-conference Workshop presentation slides
The Courage to Use AI: A Briefing Report for Health Systems Decision Makers on Insights from Research Evidence
Health Policy Impact Lab Publications
A new paradigm for AI-Ethics /Health Ethics/AI-Health Ethics/Health AI-Ethics
Overview
A new paradigm for AI-Ethics /Health Ethics/AI-Health Ethics/Health AI-Ethics: Advancing Equity-Driven framework for Sustainable Healthcare Systems through Artificial Intelligence.
Details
2026 | Dr. Vidhi Thakkar and Dr. Sherry Abdellatif
Public Spending on Health Service and Policy Research in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States: A Modest Proposal
Overview
Health service decisions are informed by evidence at the clinical, organizational, and policy level, levels with distinct, managerial drivers. HSPR has an evolving discourse spanning knowledge translation, linkage and exchange between research and decision-maker partners and more recently, implementation science and learning health systems. Local context is important for HSPR and is important in advancing health reform practice.
Details
2017 | Dr. Vidhi Thakkar and Dr. Terrence Sullivan
Dr. Vidhi Thakkar, Dr. Ali Khazaeri
Overview
Tyalor and Francis Book Chapter -"Immersive Empathy: Redefining Mental Health Education and Therapy through Experiential Virtual Reality.
Details
2026 | Dr. Vidhi Thakkar and Dr. Ali Khazaeri
Partnerships
When you are looking to establish a professional presence for the Health Policy Impact Lab, please contact:
