Health Care Debate - March 10

The student Medical Reform Group (MRG) at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry has been a successful and outspoken advocacy group for Canadian Medicare for the past two years.

On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, MRG hosts a formal debate on health care funding in Canada, featuring Drs. Gordon Guyatt and Kellie Leitch. These highly accomplished physicians and health policy experts will discuss the pros and cons of public vs. private health care financing in Canada.

Dr. Gordon Guyatt is a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He is known for his integral work on evidence-based medicine, a term that first appeared in a paper he published in 1990. He has published over 450 peer-reviewed articles in medical journals and has written extensively on health care policy in the popular press. He is widely known for his teaching, mentoring and advocacy. His contribution to quality of life research, randomized trials and meta-analysis have been considered groundbreaking. In 2007, the BMJ launched an international election for the most important contributions to healthcare; evidence-based medicine came 7th in the line-up, ahead of the computer. Dr. Guyatt is the co-editor of the Users' Guides to the Medical Literature, a comprehensive set of journal articles and textbook for clinicians wishing to incorporate evidence-based medicine into their practices.

Dr. Kellie Leitch is Chair of Paediatric Surgery at the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario/Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. She serves as Assistant Dean at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and Director of the Health Sector MBA program at the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario. She also maintains her paediatric orthopaedic surgical practice. Dr. Leitch recently served as Chair of the Expert Panel for the Children's Fitness Tax Credit, which made recommendations to the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, regarding the best ways to implement this tax credit designed to encourage health and fitness among Canadian children. Dr. Leitch was selected as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 for her work in both medicine and business. Currently, she publishes in the clinical and best practice model areas of the health care field.

The event starts at 5:30 p.m. in University Hospital, Auditorium A and will feature opening remarks by Dean Herbert, as well as closing remarks by former Dean, Dr. Robert McMurtry. Light refreshments will be served. All welcome to attend.