Harkness Project Title:
The Use of Health System Performance Data to Make International Comparisons
Biography at time of Harkness Fellowship: Jennifer Zelmer, a 2002–03 Canadian Associate of the Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice, is a director of special projects at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). She initiated and now oversees an integrated program of analytical activities, including leading teams responsible for developing CIHI's annual report on health care in Canada. She is also leading a corporate data quality strategies study. Prior to joining the institute, she worked with a variety of health, academic, and governmental organizations in Canada, Australia, Denmark, and India, among other countries. She is currently completing a doctoral thesis at McMaster University, focusing on the economic burden of chronic illnesses. Zelmer is also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Toronto, a research associate with the Research Institute for Quantitative Studies in Economics and Population at McMaster University, and a member of a number of health-related boards and advisory committees.
Project: Zelmer investigated short- and long-term opportunities for more systematic and sophisticated approaches to making cross-national health system comparisons in order to inform the policy debate. She used population-based survey data in Canada, Australia, and the U.S. to examine the impacts of health care policies such as universal coverage on health care disparities across both time and countries.
Career Activity Since Fellowship
- Senior Vice President for Clinical Adoption and Innovation, Canada Health Infoway, 2010
- Editor-in-Chief, Healthcare Policy/Politiques de santé, 2009
- Career Award, Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2008
- CEO, International Health Terminology Standards Organisation, 2008
- Vice President, Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2003
Current Positions:
- Executive Vice President for Clinical Adoption and Innovation, Canada Health Infoway.
- Editor-in-Chief, Health Care Policy/Politiques de santé
(Updated 1/2014)
E-mail: https://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/contact-us
Selected Publications
Zelmer J, Hagens S. Understanding the gap between desire for and use ofconsumer health solutions. Healthc Pap. 2014;13(4):9-21. PubMed PMID: 25148119.
Zelmer J. Teams make the dream work. Healthc Policy. 2014 May;9(4):8-9. English, French.
Zelmer J. da Vinci revisited: building momentum for action. Healthc Policy. 2014 Feb;9(3):8-9. English, French.
Zelmer J. Achieving healthcare reform: by the numbers. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2013 Nov;9(2):8-11.
Zelmer J. Path dependence and health policy: intersections between the past and the future. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2013 Aug;9(1):8-11.
Zelmer J. The rewards of volunteering. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2013 May;8(4):8-9.
Zelmer J. Learning from rural health innovation. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2013 Feb;8(3):8-9.
Zelmer J. An ounce of prevention. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2012 Nov;8(2):8-10.
Zelmer J. Breaking news in health policy and the power of social media. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2012 Aug;8(1):8-12.
Zelmer J. Another milestone. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2012 May;7(4):8-9.
Zelmer J. Health information solutions for consumers: research and plans. Healthc Manage Forum. 2011 Autumn;24(3):144-6; discussion 147-8.
Wen E, Sandoval C, Zelmer J, Webster G. Understanding and using the hospital standardized mortality ratio in Canada: challenges and opportunities. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2008;8(4):26-36; discussion 69-75.
Zelmer JL. The economic burden of end-stage renal disease in Canada. Kidney Int. 2007 Nov;72(9):1122-9. Epub 2007 Aug 15.
Johnson T, Morris K, Zelmer J. Priority areas for wait time reduction: what we know and what we don't know. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2007;10(3):26-8.
Zelmer J, Pulcins I, Tracey J. Health Care in Canada 2007. (Translated as Les soins de santé au Canada 2006). Ottawa: CIHI.
Tracey J, Zelmer J, Merid M, Boruvka A. Variation in heart attack mortality in Canada. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2006;9(4):23-5.
Morris K, Zelmer J, Johnson T. Wait times: a snapshot of what we know. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2006;9(3):28-9.
Zelmer J, Bingham J, Tracey J, Finlay P. (Eds.) (2006). Health Care in Canada 006. (Translated as Les soins de santé au Canada 2006). Ottawa: CIHI.
Leeb K, Zelmer J, Webster G, Pulcins I. Safer care--measuring to manage and improve. Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante 2005;8 Spec No:86-9.
Gyorfi-Dyke E, Zelmer J. (Eds.) (2005). Improving the Health of Young Canadians. (Translated as Améliorer la santé des jeunes Canadiens). Ottawa: CIHI.
Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2005). Canada’s Health Care Providers: 2005 Chartbook. (Translated as Les dispensateurs de soins au Canada : Graphiques 2005.) Ottawa: CIHI.
Zelmer J, Bingham J, Tracey J, Gula C, Finlay P. (Eds.) (2005). Health Care in Canada 2005. (Translated as Les soins de santé au Canada 2005). Ottawa: CIHI.
Zelmer J, Leeb K, Gula C, Finlay P, Bingham J. (Eds.) (2004). Health Care in Canada 2004 (Translated as Les soins de santé au Canada 2004). Ottawa: CIHI.
Zelmer J, Virani S, Alvarez R, and Walker J. “Recent Developments in Health Information: An International Perspective,” in Hunter E., Parrish R.G., and Friedman D., eds. Health Statistics in the 21st Century: Implications for Health Policy and Practice, Oxford University Press, 2005.
Lewis S, Zelmer J, and Leeb K, eds. Health Care in Canada 2003, Ottawa: Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2003.