Program Overview

Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Program

The Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) program is designed for working healthcare professionals interested in improving the quality and safety of care across the healthcare system. The program prepares students with the theory, knowledge, and practical skills required to design, lead, and evaluate transformative quality improvement and patient safety initiatives at the micro, meso, and macro levels.

Program Overview

• The QIPS program provides students with a unique opportunity to apply their course-based learning in real-time as they develop and lead a comprehensive improvement project within and beyond their professional context.
• The program is intentionally designed to synchronize in-class learning and assignments, faculty, mentor, and peer-to-peer feedback with students' project progress.
• Students complete the program with an enhanced understanding and critical appreciation of how to successfully navigate the complexity and uncertainty of healthcare to make lasting improvements.

Program Highlights

• Become a Change Leader: Develop leadership and change theory skills to successfully lead improvement and enhance patient safety across the healthcare system.
• Create Lasting Connections: Become part of an extensive network of healthcare leaders and make lasting connections with faculty, peers, alumni, and the broader IHPME and DLSPH community.
• Work While Studying: Apply master's level learning while working without disrupting your career.

Career Opportunities

• The interdisciplinary and applied curriculum equips QIPS graduates to take on increasingly senior leadership, improvement, and patient safety roles within professional practice, academia, and the broader healthcare system.
• Graduates have found professional opportunities in diverse settings, including:
  • A wide variety of healthcare organizations, including community-based, primary, and acute care
  • Academia and research institutes
  • Government agencies
  • Global health agencies
• Graduates have roles, including:
  • Clinical directors of quality and safety, including by discipline and/or profession
  • Administrators, including managers, directors, and VPs of quality, safety, patient services
  • Faculty in improvement and patient safety programs across Canada, including developing new QIPS programs across the country

Program Structure

• The QIPS program is a Master of Science degree.
• The program has a specific application deadline: December 15, 2025.
• The program includes various courses and a comprehensive improvement project.
• The program provides students with the opportunity to develop leadership and change theory skills, create lasting connections, and work while studying.

Research Areas

• The QIPS program focuses on quality improvement and patient safety in healthcare.
• The program includes research areas, such as:
  • Quality improvement initiatives
  • Patient safety projects
  • Healthcare leadership and management
  • Healthcare policy and planning

Faculty and Staff

• The QIPS program has a team of experienced faculty and staff, including:
  • Program Director: Christine Shea
  • Graduate Administrator: Zoe Downie-Ross
  • Graduate Admissions: Christina Lopez
  • Graduate Assistant: Tianqi Liu
  • QIPS Program Assistant: Devrim Sen

Alumni Stories

• The QIPS program has a strong alumni network, with graduates sharing their experiences and successes.
• Alumni stories include:
  • Dr. Alan Gob discussing his experience in the QIPS program and how it prepared him for his current work.
  • Wendy Kingsburgh sharing how QIPS brings together learners from diverse professional backgrounds, creating an enriching learning environment.
  • William Silverstein, an emerging leader in improving the value of care in Canada's healthcare system, sharing his QIPS highlights.