Studying Health Systems Research was my path to understanding healthcare systems, policies, funding, evaluation, performance measurement, program design, stakeholder engagement and much more.
Before joining the IHPME community, Dr. Reham Abdelhalim practiced emergency medicine and was a lecturer of Medical Toxicology in Egypt. Abdelhalim’s passion for healthcare quality as well as expertise in performance and measurement evaluation inspired her to pursue a PhD in Health Systems Research (HSR), with an emphasis on outcomes and evaluation.
“Studying Health Systems Research was my path to understanding healthcare systems, policies, funding, evaluation, performance measurement, program design, stakeholder engagement and much more,” says Abdelhalim.
Abdelhalim shares her supervisor, Dr. Walter Wodchis, quickly became an important mentor and offered valuable learning opportunities that spanned beyond the classroom. A unique opportunity for Abdelhalim was working with the Health System Performance Network to evaluate integrated care models in Ontario.
“Within this team I learned a lot about integrated care and how to evaluate it and found my passion, which is engaging with patients and caregivers to design integrated care models and incorporate their experiences as a valuable measure of performance and impact,” says Abdelhalim.
Beyond the many academic highlights of the HSR program, Abdelhalim shares a similar sentiment to many other alumni. The program has a unique ability to connect students with fellow peers, faculty, and the broader IHPME community.
“My time within the IHPME taught me even more via networking and exposure to various research projects and research teams and networks,” says Abdelhalim. “I owe a lot to all my instructors and mentors who helped shape who I am today and how I think and work.”
Abdelhalim is now an Impact Fellow and Evaluation Lead for Burlington OHT. Abdelhalim continues to work with patients, caregivers, and community members to improve existing programs and care models.
“My advice for those out there who aspire to transform our healthcare system is to come join IHPME,” says Abdelhalim. “You will learn the tools you need, meet mentors who will inspire you every single day and create the network that you will require afterwards in your future.”
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