About EXTRA

OVERVIEW AND BENEFITS

As one of the Foundation's flagship programs, the Executive Training for Research Application (EXTRA) program develops capacity and leadership to optimize the use of research evidence in managing Canadian healthcare organizations.

EXTRA gives health system managers across Canada the skills to better use research in their daily work, as a way to increase evidence-informed decision-making in the health system.

The EXTRA program targets health service professionals in senior management positions - nurse executives, physician executives, and other health administration executives.

Since 2004 and until 2014, up to 24 fellows are accepted annually in the two-year EXTRA training program. Spread over four away-from-home residency sessions which incorporate six curriculum modules, the fellowship experience offers:

1. knowledge of research evidence (its existence, location, and relevance/application);
2. the capacity to draw on "system thinking;"
3. development of collaborative professional relationships; and
4. the ability to introduce and manage evidence-informed change.

The EXTRA call for fellowship applications is launched in October and the competition closes on March 1 every year. All applicants must adhere to the Foundation's conflict of interest policy.

Program Benefits

EXTRA is designed to have short-term and long-term impacts at three levels: on the fellows themselves, on their organizations, and on the overall healthcare system.

Professional Development

• Gain the skills to find, assess, and apply research to become more effective at evidence-informed decision-making - knowledge and skills that will serve you throughout your career.
• Use research, data, and information with greater confidence.
• Collaborate with colleagues from across the country and across disciplines to acquire skills in evidence-informed decision-making in the management of health systems, learning from diverse healthcare settings.
• Gain exposure to the forefront of today's healthcare management issues and gain comparative and international perspectives with access to top-flight faculty, recognized experts, and guest lecturers from Canada and abroad.
• Play a leadership role in your organization and help create an evidence-informed decision-making culture.
• Communicate and teach the skills needed for improved use of research in the management of healthcare organizations.
• Develop collaborative working relationships that go beyond the formal EXTRA program and take part in an emerging community of practice.
• Earn a program diploma conferred by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the Canadian College of Health Service Executives (CCHSE), the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, and the Agence d'évaluation des technologies et des modes d'intervention en santé (AETMIS); qualify for a CCHSE fellowship designation and CCHSE Maintenance of Certification Level 1 credits; and accrue continuing medical education credits through EXTRA. Additional credentials, including university credits toward graduate degrees, are under consideration.
  
  

Organizational Performance

• Benefit your organization with use of research to improve healthcare delivery, innovation, and cost-effectiveness.
• Create a culture of evidence-informed decision-making; share your new skills with colleagues and accelerate change in the organizational culture.
• Bring new ideas and knowledge into your organization through interaction with peers from diverse healthcare settings and disciplines.
• Assess your organizational performance and benchmark against best practices of other organizations and regions across the country.
  
  

Health System Benefits

• Improve the overall quality and effectiveness of the Canadian healthcare system through better decisions, supported by evidence from research.
  
  

HISTORY

The EXTRA program represents a significant step in the evolution of moving evidence from the people doing research to the people using research (or knowledge transfer and exchange), as well as evidence-informed decision-making in Canada.

The establishment of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation in 1997 was a response to the awareness that the capacity to produce good and relevant health services research was important to the quality and sustainability of the country's healthcare system. In its short history, the Foundation has refined its understanding of knowledge transfer and exchange and become a leading advocate for interaction between researchers and decision makers.

Over time, the ideas of knowledge transfer and evidence-based change became more prominent in healthcare management and policy-making. This created a demand for improved performance in knowledge transfer and exchange. It also created a "coalition of the willing" to promote investment in these areas.

Circumstances were therefore ripe for building a partnership to create the EXTRA program. Four leading national organizations - the Canadian College of Health Service Executives, the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, the Canadian Medical Association, and the Canadian Nurses Association - agreed on the overall goals for such a program. In 2002, they approached the federal government to seek its support. After a number of consultations, the government responded favourably to the proposal and allocated $25 million to the Foundation's endowment in February 2003. Since then, a consortium of Quebec partners has also joined the founding organizations.

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ADVISORY COUNCIL

The EXTRA program operates under a distinguished advisory council that is responsible for annually evaluating the pool of EXTRA applicants and selecting a cohort of fellows. In addition, the council assists with program promotion; ongoing strategic advice and direction for program development; and monitoring and evaluation activities to ensure continuous improvement of program design and delivery. The advisory council also provides important input on local, provincial, and national issues and developments that could affect the success of the program.

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PARTNERS

The EXTRA program is supported by a group of partnering organizations:

• the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation;
• the Canadian College of Health Service Executives;
• the Canadian Nurses Association;
• the Canadian Medical Association; and
• represented by the Agence des technologies et des modes d'intervention en santé (AETMIS), a consortium of 12 Quebec partners including:
  • the Association des directeurs généraux des services de santé et de services sociaux du Québec;
  • the Association des cadres supérieurs de la santé et des services sociaux;
  • the Association des gestionnaires des établissements de santé et de services sociaux;
  • the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec;
  • the Collège des médecins du Québec;
  • the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec;
  • the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec;
  • the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec;
  • the Association québécoise d'établissements de santé et de services sociaux;
  • the Institut national de santé publique du Québec; and
  • les agences de développement de réseaux locaux de services de santé et de services sociaux du Québec.

The Foundation is responsible for the overall management and delivery of the EXTRA program. While administered by the Foundation, the EXTRA program will collaborate closely with partners and other stakeholders in setting program directions.

The EXTRA program was set up with a grant from Health Canada. The views expressed within the program do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.

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CONTACT US

Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
1565 Carling Avenue, Suite 700
Ottawa, Ontario K1Z 8R1
Canada

Telephone: 613-728-2238
Fax: 613-728-3527

Nina Stipich, ext. 231
Senior Program Officer, Executive Training
nina.stipich@chsrf.ca

Michèle Ménard, ext. 224
Program Officer, Executive Training
michele.menard@chsrf.ca

Jessie Checkley, ext. 356
Program Officer, Executive Training
jessie.checkley@chsrf.ca

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