Associate Professor, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Director, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis

Julia Abelson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Associate Member of the Department of Political Science, the director of CHEPA and director of CHEPA's Health Policy Program at McMaster University. She is a past holder of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator award and an Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Career Scientist award. She obtained her M.Sc. in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health and her doctorate in social and policy sciences at the University of Bath, U.K. Her research interests include public engagement in health system governance; the analysis of the determinants of health policy decision-making; and the evaluation of innovations in the organization, funding and delivery of health services. Through her research, education and service activities, Abelson works closely with decision-makers in provincial, regional and local governments.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• democratic participation in health policy decision-making
• governance, organization and funding of community care
• health policy analysis

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

Abelson J,Forest P-G, Eyles J, Casebeer A, Martin E, Mackean G and the Effective Public Consultation Project Team. Exploring the Role of Context in the Implementation of a Deliberative Public Participation Experiment: Results from a Canadian Comparative Study. Social Science and Medicine, 2007; 64: 2115-2128.

Abelson J, Giacomini M and Lehoux P. Bringing ‘The Public’ into Health  Technology Assessment and Coverage Policy Decisions: From Principles to Practice. Health Policy 2007; 82:37-50.

Abelson J, Mendelsohn M, Lavis J, Morgan S, Forest P-G and Swinton M.  Canadians Confront Health-Care Reform. Health Affairs, 2004;23(3):186-193.

Abelson J, Forest P-G, Eyles J, Smith P, Martin E, Gauvin F-P. Deliberations about deliberation: Issues in the design and evaluation of public consultation processes. Social Science and Medicine, 2003;57:239-251.

Hutchison B, Abelson J and Lavis J. Primary Care in Canada: So much innovation, so little change. Health Affairs, 2001; 20(3):116-131.

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

• Health Policy Analysis