McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada has been appointed an Evidence-based Practice Center as designated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) for a second term. This reflects the leadership role taken by the faculty in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the development of evidence-based health care and health services research and methodology and its international reputation for innovation and excellence.
The McMaster EPC has the capacity to produce scientific reviews of existing knowledge in topics assigned by AHRQ and of importance to government, private organizations, consumer groups, and others concerned with health care. It will also apply the same rigorous and transparent methodology on contracts with other organizations to assess topics not funded by AHRQ. The McMaster EPC promotes research that supports the development, dissemination, and application of evidence to clinical practice and policy as well as student involvement and training for better understanding of the role of evidence in health care decisionmaking.
Members of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University are continuously contributing to evidence-based health care through monographs and textbooks in the fields of clinical epidemiology and evidence-based medicine; technology assessment; economic evaluation; and health-related quality of life. Members have also contributed monographs produced by the Cochrane Collaboration and on evidence-based informatics. Major strengths include economic evaluation, systematic reviews including meta-analysis, clinical practice guidelines, health care systems research, and consumer research and education.
The McMaster EPC is managed by the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics under Director Parminder Raina, Ph.D. Noel Fraser is coordinator of the EPC and manager of the Department. Local partners with the Department include the Health Information Research Unit, the Canadian Cochrane Centre, Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre, Population Health Research Unit, the Centre for Evaluation of Medicines and the Institute for Work and Health (Toronto). Dr. Patricia Huston (Ottawa) continues to participate as the criticism editor for the peer review version of the reports.
Access the McMaster EPC Web site at: http://hiru.mcmaster.ca/epc/
Or contact:
Parminder Raina, Ph.D.
Director, McMaster Evidence-based Practice Center
Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics
McMaster University
Postal Address:
1280 Main Street West, Courthouse T-27, 3rd floor
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4L8
Street Address (suitable for courier):
McMaster University Downtown Centre
50 Main Street East, 3rd floor
Hamilton, ON L8N 1E9
Phone: (905) 525-9140, ext. 22197
Fax: (905) 546-7681
E-mail: praina@mcmaster.ca
Internet Citation:
McMaster University Evidence-based Practice Center. Profile, June 2002. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epc/mcmacepc.htm
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