Oct 9, 2018

Family physician and expert in population health, Dr. Rick Glazier, named Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research

Photograph of Dr. Richard Glazier

From: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Photograph of Dr. Richard Glazier

Dr. Michael Strong, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and CIHR’s Governing Council, announced today the appointment of Dr. Rick Glazier as the new Scientific Director of CIHR’s Institute of Health Services and Policy Research. This appointment will be effective January 1, 2019.

Dr. Glazier wears many hats: he is a senior scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, a staff family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and a scientist at the hospital’s Centre for Urban Health Solutions, as well as a professor at the University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

His main research interests are the delivery of primary health care services, equity in health care delivery for disadvantaged urban populations, and the application of geographic methods in health research.

"While extremely excited about taking on this role, I am also humbled by the challenges that lay ahead," says Dr. Glazier. "The need for robust data systems, advanced analytic methods, building researcher and decision-maker capacity, patient and community engagement, attention to equity, international collaborations, and partnership development has never been higher or the potential impact greater.  I look forward to working with our broad research community, policy-makers, funders, providers, patients and community members and my CIHR colleagues and their stakeholders to improve health care and the health of Canadians.  Dr. Robyn Tamblyn has provided inspiring leadership over the past eight years and I am extremely grateful for her support and that of her team in this transition." 

Dr. Glazier has been involved in a number of research projects including those investigating how to best deliver primary health care services, optimizing health care for refugees, improving cancer prevention in deprived neighbourhoods, and advancing health and wellbeing in urban neighbourhoods.

As Scientific Director, Dr. Glazier will work with his community to identify research priorities, develop funding opportunities, build partnerships, and translate research evidence into policy and practice to improve the health of Canadians and people around the world. As a member of CIHR’s leadership team, he will participate in setting and implementing CIHR’s strategic direction.

Dr. Glazier replaces Dr. Robyn Tamblyn, who has led the CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research since 2011.