Featured Initiative

Engineer a better healthcare system

The Centre for Healthcare Engineering uses data-driven research to improve health system efficiency and enhance patient care across Canada.

A machine to treat cancer with intensity-modulated radiation therapy: a flat bed surrounded by rotating equipment.

Healthcare costs are growing rapidly, and they constitute the single largest expense for provincial and territorial governments across Canada. COVID-19 exacerbated long-term challenges such as wait times, bed occupancy, operating room scheduling, and health human-resource management, making healthcare organizations even more complex to manage efficiently.

After a dozen years, the Centre for Healthcare Engineering has become one of a small group of international leaders in making an impact on the healthcare system.
Michael Carter, Founding Director,
Centre for Healthcare Engineering

The Centre for Healthcare Engineering (CHE) at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering bridges academic research in engineering with healthcare practice. CHE engineers have developed various decision support tools to improve the quality and efficiency of care in Canadian hospitals. Examples include models of patient flow to reduce waiting times in access to care; forecasting the long-term need for various medical personnel; and optimizing the procurement of surgical supplies for operating rooms. During the pandemic, they created and implemented a model to predict how many patients could be booked for ambulatory care without compromising COVID-19 safety protocols and developed decision support tools to guide patient transfer decisions between hospitals.

By supporting the Centre for Healthcare Engineering, you can ensure that this pioneering research continues to make an impact on Canada’s future healthcare capacity and improves the lives of Canadians from coast to coast.