
The North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (NAO)
The North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (NAO) is a collaborative partnership of interested researchers, research organizations, governments, and health organizations promoting evidence-informed health system policy decision-making.
Lead: Sara Allin
Affiliates: Gregory P. Marchildon
Sara Allin is an Associate Professor of Health Policy at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She is also Director of the North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (NAO), a collaborative partnership and research centre focussed on sub-national and international health systems research to support evidence-informed policy making. Sara’s research and teaching span comparative health systems and policies, health system performance and health equity. As Director of the NAO, Sara leads a program of research that includes both rapid reviews in response to pressing health policy questions by local and international decision-makers and health sector stakeholders, and longer-term in-depth studies of health systems structures and reforms. She uses comparative methods, including qualitative case studies and quantitative analyses of survey and administrative data, and applies these to health policy questions within and across Canada, and in comparison with other high-income countries.

Aidan Bodner
MSc Graduate Student
Thesis: Mental health supports in municipal housing policy during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative analysis of Vancouver and Toronto
Supervisors: Sara Allin, David Rudoler

Emily Charron
MSc Graduate Student
Thesis: Exploring How Ontario Health Teams Prioritize and Strengthen Palliative Care
Supervisors: Sara Allin

Mariana Morales
PhD Graduate Student
Thesis: Explaining governments’ decisions to adopt PrEP as a publicly funded service in Ontario and Mexico
Supervisors: Sara Allin, Ahmed M. Bayoumi

Matthew Tracey
PhD Graduate Student
Thesis: The financialization of healthcare services. Political economy and health.
Supervisors: Sara Allin