Course and Masterclass


Nano Course

The Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit and McMaster Health Forum are offering a 90-minute virtual nano course that complements our previous Masterclass offerings. The course is designed for interested individuals from the following groups – all of whom need to be engaged as part of building a learning health system (LHS) in Ontario: government policymakers, system and organizational leaders, professional leaders, citizen leaders and researchers interested in providing patient-partnered evidence support to a learning health system.

The course will focus on four objectives:  

  1. demystifying the idea of a LHS from the perspective of government policymakers, system and organizational leaders, professional leaders and citizen leaders
  2. moving beyond data analytics being the single driver of learning and improvement to capitalize on recent innovations that can bring multiple forms of evidence and business intelligence to bear in ultra-short timelines
  3. moving from researcher-led efforts to a ‘three-legged stool’ supported by a system or professional leader, a citizen or patient partner and a researcher
  4. moving from pilot projects to making this the ‘new normal’ in health systems

For each objective, representatives from each key group will begin discussions with a short presentation, followed by ‘rapid-fire’ deliberations among participants.

All offerings of this 90-minute nano sessions will be conducted online using Zoom.

  • 21 February, 2024 (9:30-11am ET) – REGISTRATION CLOSED
  • 9 May, 2024 (noon to 1:30pm ET)
  • 22 July, 2024 (noon to 1:30pm ET)
  • 10 October, 2024 (noon to 1:30pm ET)
  • 30 January, 2025 (noon to 1:30pm ET)

Complete this online form to register for one of the upcoming sessions of the nano course.

Masterclass on EP2

The Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit and McMaster Health Forum offered a virtual Masterclass on Evidence Products and Processes (EP2) that Support Rapid Learning and Improvement. The masterclass was designed to assist teams to develop innovative evidence products and use innovative processes to drive changes in a health system.

Participating teams consisted of three to five individuals, including one to two researchers, one to two citizen (or patient) partners, and one decision-maker partner (ideally, but not mandatory). We particularly welcomed teams that strove for gender diversity and that included racialized and Indigenous individuals.

The design of the virtual masterclass curriculum and coordination of the faculty involved were led by the McMaster Health Forum.

Masterclass on POR

Three offerings of a 3-day course, included face-to-face sessions, with online modules and updates, prepared individuals to champion patient-oriented research (POR) in Ontario’s health system. Patient-oriented research engages patients as partners in the planning and conduct of health research and in efforts to support the use of health research. Patients, family members and caregivers, healthcare providers, policy-makers and managers, and researchers are critical participants in ensuring that the health system in Ontario is based on high quality, relevant research evidence.

The objectives of the masterclass were:

  • To develop the competencies needed to conduct and use patient-oriented research in Ontario;
  • To become familiar with additional training and other supports available in Ontario to conduct and use POR; and,
  • To identify ways that you, your organization and other organizations with whom you (could) work could better support patient-oriented research in the future.

Following the initial offerings, a ‘virtual’ version of the masterclass was developed for the conduct and use of patient-oriented research in Ontario’s health system. The virtual masterclass was offered four times, each over the course of 11 weeks. All sessions were conducted online using Webex.

We hope to provide additional offerings in the future.

The course materials used are available in the links below to help anyone involved in patient-oriented research.

General Information about POR

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NOTE: The material on this website is available for use under two types of Creative Commons licenses:

The design of the Masterclass on POR curriculum and coordination of the teaching faculty were led by the McMaster Health Forum in partnership with the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, with input from an advisory group and key patient partners and university faculty members.