CHSPR Conference: Call for abstracts

Conference Theme: Why are some policies healthy and others not?

CHSPR’s twenty-eighth annual health policy conference will celebrate the career of Canada’s Undisciplined Economist, and our very own, Robert G. Evans. We are excited about our amazing line up of speakers.

Why is it so difficult to improve our health care system? Good policy ideas abound. Unfortunately all such ideas create winners and losers, such that health care policy is always intensely “Contested Ground”. Potential losers are frequently in a position to block or subvert progress because those who stand to lose are concentrated and strategically placed, while the beneficiaries are diffuse and disorganized. This conference will explore why some policies are “healthy” and others not. Some survive the contest, while others, although potentially also contributing to a more effective and efficient health care system, and/or improving a population’s health, don’t. Still others, with well-understood unhealthy effects, thrive like weeds.

Bob Evans has spent his career exposing “inconvenient truths” about the impacts of interests, positions, and policies in the health realm. The conference, intended to celebrate the vision, contributions and impacts of that body of work, will feature speakers addressing some of Bob’s most visible lifetime preoccupations. Conference themes will include international perspectives on contemporary Canadian health policy challenges, health care financing, other current health policy issues such as legal challenges, and the role of broader health determinants.

Learn more about Bob Evans and the Robert G. Evans Legacy Fund.

Pinnacle Hotel Vancouver Harbourfront

Submission guidelines

Email your completed abstract, within the body of the email, to reception@chspr.ubc.ca no later than 11:59PM PST on Tuesday, December 15, 2015.

Submissions must contain the following:

  • Title
  • Full name of presenting author (presenting authors must register for and attend the conference
  • Full name(s) of co-authors, if applicable
  • Organizational affiliation
  • Source(s) of funding for research
  • Abstract text of no more than 325 words. Abstracts must be submitted in four sections: Objectives (50-word limit); Results (125-word limit); Methods (100-word limit); Conclusion (50-word limit)

Poster guidelines

  • Posters will be displayed throughout the conference and featured at the networking reception that evening.
  • Presenters must register for and attend the conference and are responsible for all associated costs.
  • Poster display space is limited to 48 inches in height and 60 inches in width.

Follow @CHSPR on Twitter for regular conference updates and use #CHSPR2016 to share your thoughts before and during the event.