The Dr. Mathias Gysler Research Chair in Patient and Family Centred Care
Organised by Trillium Health Partners FoundationEvaluating and improving the patient and family experience for our community and beyond.
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Trillium Health Partners established the Dr. Mathias Gysler Research Chair in Patient and Family Centered Care through our Institute for Better Health.
The Chair is named in honour of Dr. Mathias Gysler who is highly regarded as a leading obstetrician, gynaecologist, and fertility expert. Dr. Gysler was the former Chief of Medical Staff at the Credit Valley Hospital, known for providing exceptional patient experiences across all clinical programs. Dr. Gysler's enduring commitment to the families of our community in the area of fertility and reproduction alone has enabled the creation of countless new lives and ensured the health of generations to come.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to family, friends, patients and community members who have come forward to make donations to establish the Chair. We would also like to acknowledge the generosity of a patient who came forward with a substantial gift in recognition of the compassionate care she received from Matt over the years . She was his patient and this gift helps ensure the Chair continues being funded.
We invite you to make a donation to the Dr. Mathias Gysler Research Chair in Patient and Family Centered Care today to support the work of Dr. Kerry Kuluski who was appointed to the Chair in July 2019.
Dr. Kerry Kuluski is the inaugural Dr. Mathias Gysler Research Chair in Patient & Family Centred Care and Scientist at the Institute for Better Health, and Associate Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (University of Toronto). She is an Applied Health Services Researcher and a Social Worker by training. She received her PhD in Health Services and Policy Research from the University of Toronto followed by a Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowship at the University of Oxford. At U of T she supervises graduate students, teaches the foundational course on Canadas health care system and is designing curriculum on patient engagement. Her research focuses on quality and health system performance from the perspectives of people with multiple health and social needs and their caregivers in the contexts of primary health care, homecare, hospital care, delayed hospital discharge and transitions between care settings. She uses multi methods, including co-design to understand what is required for care services to be person centred.
The focus of Dr. Kuluski's first year as Chair has been threefold: implementing a program of research through a number of peer reviewed, externally funded research projects; building capacity for Patient and Family Engagement with external partners; and building partnerships within the hospital and community to assess the needs of THP to inform her program of work.
In my first four months, I engaged leaders throughout THP and in the community to learn about the needs of the organization to inform the patient experience portfolio. Dr. Gysler's fearless leadership and sense of accountability to patients and families came out strongly in my conversations with those who worked most closely with him. What stood out was a need to prioritize enhancing the patient and family experience, while also understanding the factors that drive staff attitudes about patient and family care with the goal of improving the culture around patient and family experience at THP. - Dr. Kerry Kuluski
Despite her short tenure, Dr. Kuluski has already amassed several accomplishments, accolades and publications including:
- 14 new research papers published in peer reviewed journals with 8 additional manuscripts submitted and currently under review. Click here to access Dr. Kuluski's research papers.
- 14 invited speaking engagements conducted including keynote remarks for a regional rehabilitation conference
- 160 interviews conducted with patients, caregivers, front line providers and senior managers
- 6 research awards and grants totaling $851,681
The ultimate goal of Dr. Gysler's Chair is to establish a practical, family-first research program to improve the design and delivery of our services. Your generous support will help accelerate Dr. Kuluski's work, helping us create a new kind of healthcare for a healthier community - while continuing to honour the legacy of Dr. Mathias Gysler.