Fellowship in Health System Improvement relaunched after pandemic pause

The Fellowship in Health System Improvement is designed to enhance skills in leading systems change.

In 2015, faculty members agreed that the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health needed to take a more active role in the professional development of mid-to-senior level health leaders across Canada.

With Canada's health-system performance trailing that of many other countries, there was a noticeable gap in leaders prepared to bring about transformative change.

A new program was created with a unique combination of leadership development and health system improvement content knowledge to better prepare leaders to lead transformative change.

To respond to this need, the School of Public health created the Fellowship in Health System Improvement, a professional development program designed for professionals with significant health-system experience who are eager to enhance their skills and knowledge in leading systems change.

Over five intensive weekends, students advance their leadership development by increasing their knowledge of health system performance, improving their organizational leadership skills, exposure to international health systems and developing a better understanding of the abilities needed to lead transformative change. The program blends online learning and in-person sessions, enabling senior managers to attend.

“The Fellowship in Health System Improvement is a gem of a program,” says director Dev Menon. “Attendees hear from experts and health-system leaders on topics related to developing transformational health systems. They learn the LEADS Framework for leadership in health, a leadership approach widely adopted by Canadian health authorities.”

“They get to work on real-world problems and projects brought to the program by executives of health authorities across Canada,” says Menon.

Those successfully completing the program receive designation as a certified health executive and become part of a community of practice in health-system transformation. The program also counts toward a number of professional continuing education credits.

After being put on pause during the pandemic, the Fellowship in Health System Improvement was relaunched this year. 

“We’re very excited to be back. Preparing tomorrow’s health-system change leaders in Canada is an important step in improving health care. If you’re a health-system leader or senior health manager, we encourage you to apply,” says Menon.

The next course module begins in September 2023 and applications are accepted on a continuing basis.