Robert Paul

Research Interests

Robert Paul, BScH, MBA, PhD, is a scholar of the history, organization, and stewardship of academic health science centres. His research examines how hospitals, universities, governments, health professions, and other institutional actors have shaped the development of academic medicine, with particular attention to public policy, organizational change, institutional strategy, and the relationships among clinical care, research, education, and philanthropy.

Professional Interests

His doctoral research examined 120 years of Canadian academic medicine, tracing the changing relationships among academic institutions, the state, and commercial practices. His work combines historical research with organizational and policy analysis, drawing on his training as a historian and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management.

Other Affiliations

• Strategic Plan Implementation Lead, The Wilson Centre, University Health Network/University of Toronto
• Scholar, Wilson Centre, UHN/University of Toronto
• Education Researcher and Scientist, The Institute for Education Research at UHN

Dr. Paul leads the Becoming UHN Initiative, a historical and organizational study of University Health Network and its predecessor institutions. The Initiative examines how UHN developed into a leading publicly funded academic health science centre, why it continues to evolve, and what its institutional experience can contribute to understanding judgment and stewardship in complex health care organizations. His related research includes studies of the history of education, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and the institutional origins and development of UHN’s constituent organizations.