Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw played an important role in an international exercise to strengthen how the World Health Organization develops guidelines to improve public health. The world’s governments use these guidelines to set their health care policy. However, developing public health guidelines that work equally well in many economic and cultural contexts is challenging. Dr. Grimshaw was part of a team of international research experts, WHO staff and UN agencies that met to develop evidence-based methods that can be used to inform WHO guidelines. He chaired several of the meetings and is an author on three papers in the series published in BMJ Global Health. The group explored the best ways to summarize data from qualitative studies like interviews and case studies, which can help predict how well an intervention will work in different contexts. Ultimately their work should lead to more impactful guidelines that will meet the health needs of various countries.
“It’s exciting to be part of an international project that could improve health policy around the world,” said Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa.
Funding: United States Agency for International Development, The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Research at The Ottawa Hospital is possible because of generous donations to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by compassion
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.
University of Ottawa: —A crossroads of cultures and ideas
The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca
Media Contact
Amelia Buchanan
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Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73687
Cell: 613-297-8315
ambuchanan@ohri.ca
