Supporting the sustained integration of medical research into decision making

03 May Supporting the sustained integration of medical research into decision making

The expectation that government decision-making be built on a foundation of credible evidence has become a growing demand of the Canadian public and the health care system. Access to information, availability of appropriate resources, and strong relationships with researchers are just a few of the many factors required to ensure government can obtain the best available data. While both researchers and government can agree that an evidence-based approach to policy-making is critical, the relationships between these sectors are not so clearly established and defined. Thus, to better support government efforts towards evidence-based decision making, it is worthwhile to keep strengthening the channels that bridge these gaps.

Canada’s current federal government reaffirmed its commitment to evidence-based decision making through the creation of a Ministry of Science and the re-appointment of a Chief Science Advisor, to name a few examples. Moreover, the commissioning of the Fundamental Science Review (also known as The Naylor Report) has brought much needed attention towards the critical role fundamental research plays in the growth of Canadian society. With increasing support towards science for policy at the federal level comes an opportunity for governments to capitalize on this momentum at the provincial level. Many domains fall under the jurisdiction of provincial governments, including health, education, natural resources, and social services. Moreover, provinces are the primary funders of Universities, and are therefore linked to Canada’s scientific efforts.

BC Science & Policy Conference

Come join the discussion in bridging the gap between science and policy-making at the BC Science & Policy Conference on May 11th at UBC. This will be an interactive day conference where you will hear lightning talks from Sam Sullivan, former Vancouver Mayor, Kei Koizumi, former Tech and Science White House Advisor, Terry Lake, former BC Health Minister and more.

BC Science & Policy Conference 
Tickets here
Promo code: GENXYS