Our story begins with an idea, as all research does, and that idea was to create a place dedicated to moving knowledge forward, advancing what we know and what we strive to know. Briefly called The Health Research Centre, the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, or CHÉOS, opened its doors in 1998 in response to a growing interest in having a hub for clinical and health services research at Providence Health Care.
When our doors first opened, we existed to support clinicians who did not have the expertise or capacity to conduct their own research. This involved the development of a synergistic relationship between the federally funded CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) and researchers such as Drs. Peter Dodek, Anita Palepu, and Adeera Levin, who were focused on non-HIV research, mostly at the provincial level. This allowed the researchers to share resources, space, and expertise.
The rationale behind CHÉOS from the first Outcomes newsletter, Summer 1998
Dr. Aslam Anis, Spring 2001
This centralization and sharing of knowledge and expertise allowed the organization to flourish. More researchers and clinicians were encouraged to join CHÉOS and benefit from this collaborative environment, and the organization quickly grew, both in size and scope. After serving as the team lead for health economics at CHÉOS since its inception, Dr. Aslam Anis accepted the role of centre director in 2006, cementing CHÉOS as a leader in health economics, systems, and outcomes research. Two decades later, we have expanded from a small research support organization of less than 20 people to 12 research programs, 82 Scientists, 140+ staff, and 400+ publications per year.
Advancing Health for All
As we have steadily increased our new scientists and staff over the years, we have incorporated new areas of expertise and expanded capacity to focus on additional priorities, and support external researchers in more aspects of research and evaluation.
The success and accelerated expansion of the Centre has meant that we have outgrown our original identity. The “chaos” in the health system once referenced as inspiration for our name has given way to a better understanding of what it means to be healthy, and to new questions about preventing and treating disease. It is now time to rebrand with an identity that speaks to our purpose and direction in a clear way.
L–R: Travis Hee Wai, Wei Zhang, Daphne Guh, Muyi Iyamu, Jenyo Banjo, Amy Salmon
“We aimed to find a name and look that match our aspirational vision of transforming the health system and improving health outcomes for all,” said Dr. Anis. “We see the Centre as a place where collaboration lives, and where researchers and staff are supported as they change the world.”
As of August 10th, 2023, CHÉOS will become the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, or “Advancing Health” for short. As Advancing Health, we will continue to lead and support innovative research projects, advance the application of new findings to make real, positive impacts on people and populations, and foster new ways of delivering care.
“We are entering an exciting new era for the Centre, and one that brings many opportunities for us to showcase the impact our work continues to have across B.C., Canada, and the world,” added Dr. Anis.
What’s next?
“It’s not as simple as changing our name and logo; we have an exciting vision for the future of Advancing Health,” said Dr. Anis.
With all this change, what stays the same is our commitment to bridging evidence and care while answering today’s most pressing health questions.
We are excited to re-introduce ourselves to our community, and those who may not know us yet. As we continue to expand the Centre with both new personnel and novel ways of understanding and improving the world around us, there are endless opportunities for new collaborations and projects.
We are a multidisciplinary team with a unique history of changing the face of care with an ultimate goal of improving outcomes for everyone. Now it’s time to share our story in a new way. We look forward to Advancing Health for all.
