One of the world’s leading health economists, who has
profoundly influenced health policy in Canada, has been given
one of the University of British Columbia’s most prestigious
honours.
Robert G. Evans, a professor of economics, has been named
a University Killam Professor. The designation recognizes
faculty members who have distinguished themselves in research
and teaching and received the highest acclaim by the academic
community and general public.
Evans, who joined the university in 1969, is also a faculty
member at the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research
at UBC, and a fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada and
the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR).
An expert in health-care system analysis and reform, Evans
has been a valuable source of advice to federal and provincial
governments in Canada. He was a member of the British Columbia
Royal Commission on Health Care and Costs in 1990-91, and
of the National Forum on Health, chaired by the prime minister
of Canada, from 1994 to 1997.
He is known for his groundbreaking comparative studies of
health- care systems and funding strategies, and for his 1984
book, Strained Mercy: The Economics of Canadian Health Care.
He is the founding director of the Program in Population Health
at the CIAR, and lead editor of the 1994 book, Why Are Some
People Healthy and Others Not?
Among his many honours, Evans was the first recipient of
the British Columbia Health Association’s Legacy Award,
and the first Canadian to be awarded the Baxter International
Foundation Prize for Health Services Research. He was awarded
the 2002 Health Services Research Advancement Award from the
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, and UBC’s
premier research prize, the Professor Jacob Biely Faculty
Research Prize in 2003. Most recently, Evans was appointed
an Officer of the Order of Canada.
He received his undergraduate degree in political economy
from the University of Toronto and a PhD in economics from
Harvard University.
The distinction is awarded irregularly. Geneticist Dr. Patricia
Baird, who led the Royal Commission on Reproductive Technology,
and the late Michael Smith, Nobel Laureate, have also held
the honour.
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