Roberta Labelle, right, was one of the Centre's founding members. Her death in 1991 was unexpected and occurred when broad recognition for her research in health economics was just starting to emerge. In memory of Roberta, CHEPA and the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics collaborated on establishing the Annual Labelle Lectureship Series. In October each year a health services researcher with emerging recognition and an inter-disciplinary approach to research, gives a general interest lecture on a topic in the broadly defined areas of health economics and/or health policy. The Labelle Lecturer is also available for consultations with individuals in and outside McMaster University during the period of his/her visit. An endowment was established to assure the ongoing funding of the Lectureship.
2012: Irfan Dhalla
Guest lecturer Irfan Dhalla presented The Virtual Ward and other policy-relevant trials in health care at the 21st Annual Labelle Lectureship on Oct. 3, 2012.
About one third of patients discharged from internal medicine wards are readmitted within 90 days. Dhalla spoke about an initiative dubbed the ‘virtual ward,’ which takes an interdisciplinary community approach to reducing hospital readmissions by providing recently-discharged patients with the best elements of hospital care, including 24/7 access, a single point of contact and a single patient chart.
Dhalla is Assistant Professor, Medicine and Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto Scientist and Staff Physician, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital.
For a list of previous speakers at the Labelle Lecture, click here.