Allan S. Detsky
Encyclopedia
Allan Steven Detsky is a Canadian physician
and health
policy
expert.
He is the ex-Physician-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Professor of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
, and Senior Scientist, Division of Clinical Investigation and Human Physiology
, Toronto General Research Institute.
, and he graduated from Harvard Medical School
in 1978, obtaining his MD
and PhD
from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
.
He was certified as a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
in 1980, with specialization in internal medicine
.
Dr. Detsky's initial research
interest was health economics
, and he quickly became recognized as an expert in the field, after a number of publications in the early 1980s. These included assessments of resource management
in the intensive care unit
, an evaluation of regulatory strategies in containing hospital costs in Ontario
, and early ventures into economic planning in the wake of the AIDS epidemic.
Dr. Detsky posed many probing questions into the reality of cost effective medicine, and his 1990 contribution A clinician's guide to cost-effectiveness analysis is considered to be a user manual into cost-effectiveness
analysis. He followed this with an article on How to use a clinical decision analysis as part of the JAMA
Users Guides to the Medical Literature series http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/vol273/issue16/index.dtl.
His most recent research interest has stemmed from the SARS epidemic
, which was especially devastating in Toronto
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/289.21.JOC30885v1. His other ongoing research includes bias in clinical care and research, the funding of the Ontario
drug benefit program and the use of economic information to assess whether the Canadian government should pay for particular drugs.
.
He is currently the Chair holder of the Lionel and Sandra Waldman Family Chair for the Physician-in-Chief.
He has served in many managerial capacities within the Department of Medicine
of the University of Toronto
, and was Physician-in-Chief of Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto until 2009. He is a Professor and clinical investigator
at the University of Toronto Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation http://www.hpme.utoronto.ca/English/Detsky-Allan.html.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
policy
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
expert.
He is the ex-Physician-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Professor of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, and Senior Scientist, Division of Clinical Investigation and Human Physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, Toronto General Research Institute.
Biography
Dr. Detsky's initial training was in economicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and he graduated from Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
in 1978, obtaining his MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Founded in 1970, the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, or HST, is one of the oldest and largest biomedical engineering and physician-scientist training programs in the United States and the longest-standing functional collaboration between Harvard University and the...
.
He was certified as a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada ' , French: Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada, is a national, private, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada...
in 1980, with specialization in internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
.
Research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
interest was health economics
Health economics
Health economics is a branch of economics concerned with issues related to efficiency, effectiveness, value and behavior in the production and consumption of health and health care...
, and he quickly became recognized as an expert in the field, after a number of publications in the early 1980s. These included assessments of resource management
Resource management
In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or information technology...
in the intensive care unit
Intensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
, an evaluation of regulatory strategies in containing hospital costs in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and early ventures into economic planning in the wake of the AIDS epidemic.
Dr. Detsky posed many probing questions into the reality of cost effective medicine, and his 1990 contribution A clinician's guide to cost-effectiveness analysis is considered to be a user manual into cost-effectiveness
Cost-effectiveness
Cost-effectiveness analysis is a form of economic analysis that compares the relative costs and outcomes of two or more courses of action. Cost-effectiveness analysis is distinct from cost-benefit analysis, which assigns a monetary value to the measure of effect...
analysis. He followed this with an article on How to use a clinical decision analysis as part of the JAMA
Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
Users Guides to the Medical Literature series http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/vol273/issue16/index.dtl.
His most recent research interest has stemmed from the SARS epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
, which was especially devastating in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/289.21.JOC30885v1. His other ongoing research includes bias in clinical care and research, the funding of the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
drug benefit program and the use of economic information to assess whether the Canadian government should pay for particular drugs.
Professional career
Professionally, Dr. Detsky was elected as a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation in 1992, was selected as a trustee member of the Society for Clinical Decision Making, and has served on the editorial board of the New England Journal of MedicineNew England Journal of Medicine
The New England Journal of Medicine is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It describes itself as the oldest continuously published medical journal in the world.-History:...
.
He is currently the Chair holder of the Lionel and Sandra Waldman Family Chair for the Physician-in-Chief.
He has served in many managerial capacities within the Department of Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, and was Physician-in-Chief of Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto until 2009. He is a Professor and clinical investigator
Clinical investigator
A clinical investigator involved in a clinical trial is responsible for ensuring that an investigation is conducted according to the signed investigator statement, the investigational plan, and applicable regulations; for protecting the rights, safety, and welfare of subjects under the...
at the University of Toronto Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation http://www.hpme.utoronto.ca/English/Detsky-Allan.html.
See also
- Evidence-based medicineEvidence-based medicineEvidence-based medicine or evidence-based practice aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to clinical decision making. It seeks to assess the strength of evidence of the risks and benefits of treatments and diagnostic tests...
- EpidemiologyEpidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
- University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
- University Health NetworkUniversity Health NetworkUniversity Health Network is a medical centre that comprises three teaching hospitals affiliated with the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine....