Exploring the state of health policy in canada and abroad with professor john lavis

Over the course of his career, Professor John Lavis has been a proponent of using high-quality research evidence to drive public policy development. In addition to his recognition as Canadian Research Chair in Evidence-Informed Health Systems, he holds various other positions, including serving as the Director and Founder of the McMaster Health Forum, Associate Director of the Centre of Health Economics and Policy Analysis at McMaster University, and Co-Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Evidence-Informed Policy. He is also a professor in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University, and Adjunct Professor of Global Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In this interview, conducted jointly by students in the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and the University of Toronto International Health Program, Professor Lavis discusses his motivations for pursuing his career in health policy following his prior work as a primary care physician. He also speaks about the current health policy climate in Canada and internationally, and provides suggestions for passionate students interested in carving out their own path in the field.