Alberta Real-World Evidence (RWE) Consortium

The Alberta Real World Evidence Consortium

Evidence that captures the observed impact of a process or technology on health outcomes and resource utilization outside of controlled clinical trials (real world evidence or RWE) is highly valuable to technology developers, manufacturers, regulators, payers, clinicians, and patients. It can be used to capture outcomes achieved and/or return on investment following the introduction of a technology, for monitoring effectiveness and safety, as well as tracking technology uptake and implementation. It has potential to drive evidence-based clinical and policy decision-making, to improve the efficiency of Alberta’s healthcare system and the return on the Province’s investment in healthcare dollars, and to improve health and economic outcomes.

Alberta has one of the largest, most mature, detailed, and comprehensive health system data depositories in Canada. As such, Alberta is poised to become a global leader in RWE generation. To realize this potential, the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, along with the Institute of Health Economics, have led the formation of the Alberta RWE Consortium. Consortium membership also includes Alberta Innovates, Alberta Health, Alberta Economic Development and Trade, and Alberta Health Services.

The Alberta Real World Evidence (RWE) Consortium engages key provincial stakeholders involved in Real World Evidence generation and utilization in order to advance provincial capabilities, ensure high quality projects managed to timelines and budget, and (where capacity is limited) help focus projects and provincial resources on joint priorities between sponsors and the province.

Alberta RWE UCalgary co-chair:

The Alberta Real World Evidence Consortium was formed and is co-chaired by the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta and the Institute of Health Economics. Representing the University of Calgary, Dr. Fiona Clement served as co-chair of the consortium since its inauguration in June 2018.  Extensively trained in Health Services Research, Health Economics and Health Policy, Dr. Clement led the Consortium work at the UCalgary and provided invaluable guidance to the Consortium direction. Having continued her leadership through the early months of her well-deserved sabbatical, Dr. Clement stepped down from the co-chair role at the end of November 2019.

Going forward, Dr. Hude Quan will assume the AB Real World Evidence Consortium co-chair role. As a leader in big data analytics and health services research methodology, Dr. Quan is well positioned to guide real world evidence research in Alberta through the Consortium.

Consortium co-chairs

Consortium co-chairs: Institute of Health Economics, University of Alberta, University of Calgary

UCalgary Lead: Dr. Hude Quan

Professor, Community Health Sciences
ASTRA Zeneca Chiu Family Chair
hquan@ucalgary.ca

For more information about the Alberta RWE Consortium, please visit www.AlbertaRWE.ca or email innovation@ihe.ca.

The mandate of the Consortium is to:

  • Support the establishment of Alberta’s position as a global leader in RWE generation and make Alberta the preferred jurisdiction of RWE investment and partnership for life science organizations;
  • Facilitate a provincial approach to RWE service delivery that optimizes Alberta assets and competencies to produce the highest quality RWE products; and
  • Ensure the alignment of RWE activities with provincial priorities.

Key functions of the Consortium include:

  1. Optimization of Alberta’s RWE studies
  2. Strengthening the Alberta RWE ecosystem
  3. Providing world class project support services, including study design, execution, and knowledge sharing
  4. Identifying and supporting projects that align with provincial health and policy priorities, ensuring relevance to decision-makers in Alberta
  5. Convening the best pan-provincial teams for commissioned, large-scale projects that may also have implementation components

Consortium Membership:

The Consortium is co-chaired by the Associate Vice President, Research of the University of Calgary, the Associate Dean, Clinical & Translational Research of the University of Alberta,, and the Executive Director and CEO of the Institute of Health Economics.  Additional organizations that are members of the Consortium include the Government of Alberta (the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade), Alberta Health Services, and Alberta Innovates.

The Institute of Health Economics is the Secretariat for the Consortium, and first point of contact for industry and other sponsors interested in discussing a potential RWE project in the province. For more information about the Alberta RWE Consortium please email us at innovation@ihe.ca.