Proposal

A Proposal To Create ….

A Chair in Health Information

2Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3

The Need 5

A Chair in Health Information 6

What The Chair Will Fund 7

The Impact of Your Support 8

Recognition Opportunities 9

Appendices 10

Profile: Dr. Gunther EysenbachThe Centre for Global e-Health InnovationUniversity Health Network Board of Trustees 11Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation Board of Directors 12

3Executive Summary

University Health Network, comprising Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital, is one of the largest hospital networks in Canada and a world leader in hospital-based medical research. Our continuous improvements and excellence in research combines with our exemplary delivery of patient care to provide a continuum of health care that is unmatched in Canada.

Achieving global impact is the vision of University Health Network. In continuing to strive towards this aim, UHN’s partner Foundations – Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and The Arthritis & Autoimmunity Research Centre Foundation – are embarking on a $400 million campaign. Together We Make Life Better is one of the largest fundraising campaigns ever undertaken by a Canadian hospital.

One significant priority of our hospitals is research into the field of electronic health informatics – or “e-health”. With the explosion of new communications technology, the internet and the plethora of information now available to the public, University Health Network is taking a leadership role in harnessing this new potential to deliver the best possible care for our patients – as well as to improve the health of people across the globe.

University Health

Network draws on the

combined expertise of

our three leading

hospitals to make success

stories happen every day.

4Executive Summary (continued)

The Centre for Global eHealth Innovation – a joint partnership between University Health Network and the University of Toronto – has a mission to promote the introduction of innovative technology to enhance the relationship between the public and health system worldwide. A major focus of the Centre is the analysis and evaluation of news ways of using information and communications technologies in the health sector.

Since its creation, the Centre has experienced rapid growth, however, it has only been able to secure core funding to meet the most basic needs of its operations. To secure scientific leadership, we are requesting your consideration of a gift of $3 million to create a Chair in Health Information.

Your gift will enable the Chairholder to pursue new innovative research initiatives to maximize the use of technology to help people achieve the highest level of health regardless of who they are or where they live.

Together we make life better.

The Centre for Global

eHealth Innovation is a

joint partnership

between University

Health Network and

the University of

Toronto.

5The Need

The Internet is redefining the way in which patients and clinicians learn, think and communicate with each other. It is also promoting a disorderly explosion of information, creating confusion and putting pressure on the healthcare system. The Internet could enhance the patient-clinician relationship by providing services and activities designed to meet patients’ informational, emotional, physical, social and practical needs.

Dr. Gunther Eysenbach is a senior scientist in the Centre For e-Health who has earned an international reputation for his work in the field of medical informatics and public health, in particular “cybermedicine” (Internet and Medicine) and consumer health informatics, including computer interventions for health promotion, patient education, health and informed decision making

Much of Dr. Eysenbach’s past and current research has focused on the impact of electronic information and communication via the Internet on health care consumers and patients. His recent research has, for example, addressed questions around the quality of health information on the web or how consumers search for and appraise health information on the world wide web.

Before formulating

policies we first must

understand what

consumers are

dealing with and how

they are navigating

through the

“information jungle”.

6A Chair in Health Information

The creation of a Chair in Health Information would secure Dr. Eysenbach’s position at UHN by providing him with the research staff to effectively advance this critical area of health informatics.

His research will explore both potential benefits and challenges of electronic health information, and he will be able to develop systems which aim to push the balance towards the good. Among the benefits are an informed consumer, enhanced access to health care services, opportunities for public health and health promotion, and gathering data through the Internet. Among the challenges are changing expectations, quality issues, access and equity issues.

This research is motivated by the overarching goal to generate evidence which informs the development of policies as well as educational and technological innovations to guide consumers to trustworthy health information, help them in decision-making, and provide emotional and social support for patients and their families facilitated through information and communication technologies. Additionally, Dr. Eysenbach’s research will enhance the understanding of how health information should be conveyed to consumers, and how the Internet and technology can be used to address major public health issues such as obesity.

“Through eHealth

Innovation we want to

help transform the health

system into a good

companion for people,

worldwide.”

Alex R. Jadad,

MD, DPhil, FRCPC

Director, Centre for Global

eHealth Innovation at

University Health

Network; Canadian

Research Chair

in eHealth

7What The Chair Will Fund

Generates approximately$150,000/year*

Salary Support and a portion of operating

support for the Chairholder

Support for a Programmer,

Informatics technologistor

Usability Specialist

Chair in Health Information$3 Million (endowed)

* Based on an investment return rate of 5%

8The Impact of Your Support

The creation of the Chair in Health Information will ultimately improve global health by evaluating the impact that new media has on consumer as well as harnessing this technology effectively. Tremendous potential benefits are reflected in the following examples:

• Health consumers will become progressively more comfortable with the electronic transfer of information between them and healthcare professionals and organizations.

• Patients will be increasingly responsible for their own health and health care decision-making.

• The quality of care for hospital stays will increase; length of admissions as well as their number and frequency will decrease.

• There will be an improvement in the continuity of care.

• Effective privacy and data protection will be established.

• The physician-patient relationship will be strengthened, particularly in how information flows in both directions.

 Your support will play a significant role in bringing about these improvements.

A Chair in Health

Information will

have tremendous

benefit to the

overall health of

consumers.

9Recognition Opportunities

An endowed Chair is the highest honour in academic life and it provides donor recognition in perpetuity:

Physical Recognition• Recognition on the central donor walls located at Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital.• Recognition in the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation•All letterhead, communication and discoveries will reflect the Chair name.

Ongoing Stewardship• Annual personalized stewardship reports, providing an overview regarding areas which funding has supported and the benefit the Chair has derived;• A special invitation to a private reception organized to showcase the gift and thank the donor.

We would develop this recognition package in consultation with you in order to incorporate your wishes. Thank you for allowing us to present this proposal.

Our Foundation

is committed to

excellence in

our

stewardship

practices.

10

Appendices

11Profile: Dr. Gunther Eysenbach

Gunther Eysenbach, MD (Freiburg) MPH (Harvard), is Senior Scientist at the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation at the Toronto Research Institute/Toronto General Hospital and Division of Medical Decision Making and Health Care Research. He also holds an academic appointment as Associate Professor at the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. He studied medicine in Munich and Freiburg in Germany, and obtained a Master in Public Health from Harvard University. Dr Eysenbach is recognized by many as one of the leading researchers in the field of eHealth and Internet & Medicine.

Dr. Eysenbach has authored more than 120 publications, including almost 40 book-chapters as well as several pioneer studies and comments on cybermedicine, e-health and Consumer health informatics, published in respected international journals such as JAMA, BMJ, and the Lancet.

He founded and headed the first research group on cybermedicine and eHealth worldwide at the University of Heidelberg between 1999 and 2001, where his main research interest was consumer health informatics, and came to Canada in March 2002.

The research group at the Centre led by Dr. Eysenbach is pursuing projects from a wide area of disciplines including consumer health informatics, population health technology, usability of ehealth systems, electronic publishing, knowledge synthesis and knowledge transfer / knowledge translation.

Dr Eysenbach has received numerous awards and distinctions. He has been called “one of the most productive researchers, editors, and publishers in the online health field.” (Ferguson Report's Distinguished Achievement Award) and in 2004 received the Janssen-Cilag Future Award, referred to as the German "health care nobel prize".

12The Centre for Global eHealth Innovation

The Centre for Global eHealth Innovation was developed from the Program in eHealth Innovation, created in October 2000 as a joint initiative of University Health Network and the University of Toronto. These institutions realized that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are having a major impact on health, research and education, as well as offering tremendous opportunities for worldwide collaboration.

One of the Program’s first achievements was the successful application to the Canada Foundation for Innovation for funding to develop a research centre infrastructure on the 4th Floor of the R Fraser Elliott Building, Toronto General Hospital, UHN.

With over 15,000 square feet of space located in the heart of Toronto’s health care, academic and commercial core, the Centre offers interested parties an opportunity to undertake usability studies, have solutions evaluated and to work directly with the multidisciplinary researchers who populate the Centre, to develop strategic business and development plans.

13University Health Network Board of TrusteesChairAnthony S. Fell, O. C.ChairmanRBC Capital Markets Dyanne AffonsoFaculty of NursingUniversity of Toronto

Geoffrey BeattiePresidentWoodbridge Co. Ltd. Dr. Robert J. BirgeneauPresidentUniversity of Toronto David A. Brown ChairmanOntario Securities Commission Dr. Carl CardellaChairMedical Advisory CommitteeUniversity Health Network Tom R. ClossonPresident & CEOUniversity Health Network 

Dr. Wilfred DemajoPresident Medical Staff AssociationUniversity Health Network

Mary Ferguson-ParéVice PresidentProfessional Affairs & Chief Nurse ExecutiveUniversity Health Network Amy GoYee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care Laurie Hicks Richard W. IveyChairmanLivingston Group Inc. John A. MacNaughtonPresident & CEOCCP Investment Board Eileen A. MercierVice ChairWorkplace Safety & Insurance Board  

John P. MulvihillPresident & CEOMulvihill Capital Management  

Dr. C. David NaylorDeanFaculty of MedicineUniversity of Toronto Dr. Gerald O’learyVice PresidentMedical Staff AssociationUniversity Health Network Philip S. Orsino President & CEOMasonite International Sandra Rotman Jordan G. SullivanPartnerGreybrook Corporation

14Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation Board of Directors

ChairDavid W. SmithDavies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg LLP Annette Addison  Everett AnsteyChair, President & CEOSun Microsystems

Dr. Michael BakerPhysician-in-Chief, UHN Dennis BenniePresidentXDL Capital Corporation G.Raymond Chang,C.A,C.F.A.Chairman, C.I. Mutual Fund Management Inc. Tom ClossonPresident & CEO, UHN Mary J. Connacher George A. CopePresident & CEO, Telus Mobility Inc. Bryce W. Douglas

R. Fraser Elliott, C.M, Q.C.Stikeman Elliott

George EnnsPartner, Enns Partners Inc

Fraser M. Fell, C.M., Q.C.Fasken Martineau DuMoulin

 Jim GinouArt Printing Company Leo GoldharFirst Professional Management Inc David Goldstein

Dr. J. Bernard GosevitzVice President & Chief Medical OfficerRogers Communications Gerald Halbert, C.M. Todd Halpern

Tennys HansonPresident & CEOToronto General & Western Hospital FoundationVice President & Chief Development Officer UHN Tsun-Yan HsiehDirector, McKinsey & Company Donald K. JohnsonVice-Chairman, Nesbitt Burns  Robert C. KrembilChiefswood Investors Ltd. James W. LeechSenior Vice President, Merchant BankingOntario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board

Pamela Medjuck

Mitchell MerowitzSenior Director, Corporate AffairsThe Loyalty Group

Ronald D. MunkleyVice Chairman, CIBC World Markets Dr. Christopher PaigeVice-President, Research, UHNRonald R. Buick Chair in Cancer Research H. Keith PattersonPartner, Deloitte & Touche Dr. Richard K. ReznckVice-President, EducationUHN

Dr. A. Keith StewartDirector, Toronto General Research InstituteScott/Whitmore Chair in Haematology

and Gene Therapy Research  Dr. Bryce TaylorSurgeon-in-Chief, UHNJames Wallace McCutcheon Chair in Surgery Dr. Peter St. George-HyslopDirector, Toronto Western Research Institute John F. T. WarrenBorden Ladner Gervais LLP  Dr. John R. Wright President & CEOToronto Medical LaboratoriesVice President, Medical Affairs, UHN

Toronto General & Western Hospital FoundationR. Fraser Elliott Building, 5th floor, 5S-801190 Elizabeth St.Toronto, ONM5G 2C4

Email: foundation@uhn.on.caTel: (416) 340-3935, Fax: (416) 340-4864Toll free donation hotline 1-877-846-4483 (UHN-GIVE) http://www.tgwhf-uhn.ca/