Revived Interest in Health Policy

Why an interest in health policy?

Health policy has always captured my attention. My first exposure to the field was in 3rd year of undergrad with a course taught by John Lavis. All throughout my graduating year, I attended lectures on health care by Gordon Guyatt. Both made me wonder about macro level issues and gave me a taste of politics, economics, and social psychology. I even applied to graduate programs in public policy and health services research at UofT with the goal of informing the ongoing debate on a national pharmaceutical strategy. In med school, interest in health policy waned b/c of little curricular exposure. Generally speaking, anything related to the field was lumped together under the umbrella of a "Determinant of Community Health" course, which almost every UofT med student I know despises...unfortunately.

Why a revival?

A federal election is on the horizon and health care is a big topic. In order to comprehend the implications of health system changes, medical students may benefit from a basic understanding of health policy (re: physician/policy scientist). Most importantly, medical students should engage in dialogue to discuss about health care platforms and forums should be built into the curriculum to facilitate this (i.e. why not incorporate it in the "Determinants of Community Health" course that I alluded to before). Understanding how physicians and their patients fit into a larger system helps make sense of limitations in their every day practice.

Where does this leave me?

Desperate for conversation with someone who shares some interest in health policy. Where is Sartorius when I need him? My free time is spent reading posts on healthydebate.ca, an informative website I recently stumbled upon. I encourage all to take a look. Finally, I'm left thirsting for a mentor and thoughts of pursuing a MSc. in the field become more appealing. At this rate, I will never settle.

WC