NLCAHR has a new director
The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research (NLCAHR) has a new director. Dr. Rick Audas, professor of health statistics and economics in the Division of Community Health and Humanities in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University, has been appointed as NLCAHR’s interim director. Dr. Audas’ appointment follows the retirement of Dr. Stephen Bornstein from this role.
NLCAHR, a research centre within Memorial University, contributes to the effectiveness of the health and community services system of Newfoundland and Labrador, and to the health and well-being of the province’s population, by supporting the development and use of applied health research. NLCAHR works in a spirit of openness to the widest possible range of disciplinary and methodological research approaches that support evidence-informed decision making in health services and health policy. The centre collaborates extensively with other local, provincial, regional and national organizations that have similar objectives.
Dr. Audas brings considerable experience to his leadership role at NLCAHR, with an impressive record of research and scholarship in health policy analysis, labour, education, human resources in healthcare and health technology assessments. His research has also examined the costs and benefits of health services and medical care. Dr. Audas holds a BBA from the University of New Brunswick; MBA and MA degrees from Dalhousie University; and a PhD from the University of Wales. He has secured research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and from other research funders, including the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research.
In welcoming Dr. Audas to the new role, Dr. Margaret Steele, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University, expressed her gratitude on behalf of the faculty to Dr. Bornstein, who helped to create NLCAHR in 1999 and who has directed the centre for more than twenty years. In founding and leading NLCAHR, Dr. Bornstein has made a considerable contribution to building capacity for applied health research in Newfoundland and Labrador, to connecting the work of researchers at Memorial University with national and international organizations, to creating sustained partnerships among university, community and health system leaders and, importantly, to supporting evidence-informed decision making here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In consultation with the centre's board, Dr. Steele, Chair of the NLCAHR Board, has announced the appointment of Dr. Audas for the period September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022. “We welcome Dr. Audas on behalf of the NLCAHR board. With your experience and dedication, we know that you, together with the team at NLCAHR, will accomplish a great deal in supporting socially accountable research that improves lives and that has a direct impact on health and healthcare delivery here in Newfoundland and Labrador,” Dr. Steele said. For more information about NLCAHR, visit here.