From York University Gazette, August 15, 2001
Atkinson deemed "visionary" by Chair of new school
By Cathy Carlyle
Because the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and
Professional Studies
was sharp-eyed in spotting a trend in the health
field, York now has a
new School of Health Policy and Management. The school
now offers
an undergraduate program, which is unique in Canada.
Marcia Rioux, the school's Chair, has enthusiastically
credited the
Faculty with having a "visionary" outlook. "For
Atkinson, for York, to
have set up the school when other universities are
cutting programs,
is an indication that this University wants to stay
on top of what
students need and what employers want."
The health field has changed dramatically, Rioux
pointed out. "Society is looking at health in a
different light, as a state of well-being and as an
issue of quality of life. Our students will have the
advantage of undertaking a critical analysis of the
health care system. This new program will address
the challenge of the changing and increasingly
complex health system. It will be examining health
initiatives across the campus - women's health,
kinesiology, nursing and so on - with a view to
cooperating with them. We see this new school as part
of the health interest at York," she explained.
Students will be taught by faculty who have a wide
range of specialties - from political science,
epidemiology and medicine to economics, jurisprudence
and information technology. "In addition, the
faculty has wide experience in academic study as well
as advocacy, in areas of pharmaceuticals,
community health, marginalization, disability, human
rights and equality issues," said Rioux.
The School of Health Policy and Management houses
three integrated programs: Health Policy,
Health Management and Health Informatics, all leading
to a specialized honours bachelor of health
studies. The school's work-study component (co-op
placement) is evolving as Rioux and others make
contact with possible employers, such as health
institutes, businesses, non-governmental
organizations, government ministries, public health
offices, long-term care facilities etc. "We'll also be
working with students themselves to ascertain what
kinds of co-op opportunities interest them."
Some examples of the many career opportunities for
the school's graduates are: health policy
analyst, health systems planner, community health
worker, researcher, health care advocate, health
administrator, health information specialist, systems
designer and system integration specialist.
For more information on the School of Health Policy
and Management, check the Web site at:
http://atkinson.yorku.ca/frschhstm.htm.
|