July 3, 2014 – William Robson, President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, announces the appointment of Canadian health care leader Richard Alvarez as a Senior Fellow.
“Dick Alvarez has great breadth of knowledge on Canada’s healthcare system – including insights on better harnessing information technology,” said Robson. “His experience and thought leadership will make valuable contributions to the Institute’s work on health care.”
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Health Infoway, Mr. Alvarez accelerated the development and adoption of electronic health records in Canada. He has worked closely with the federal, provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders, as well as internationally.
Mr. Alvarez earned the Institute of Corporate Directors certification at the Rotman School of Management. He was recognized as the 2007 National Builder Inductee to the Canadian Information Productivity Awards Hall of Fame for his promotion of innovative technology to improve health care delivery for Canadians.
Prior to his role at Infoway, Mr. Alvarez was president and chief executive officer and ex-officio board member of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
Mr. Alvarez is a past recipient of the Who’s Who in Healthcare Award, a Director of the Ontario Health Quality Council, and a member of the C.D. Howe Institute Health Policy Council. In 2014 he was presented with the Innovation Award for Healthcare Leadership by Canadian College of Health Leaders and also the Leadership in the Field of Health Informatics award by COACH.
The C.D. Howe Institute is an independent not-for-profit research institute whose mission is to raise living standards by fostering economically sound public policies. It is Canada’s trusted source of essential policy intelligence, distinguished by research that is nonpartisan, evidence-based and subject to definitive expert review. It is considered by many to be Canada’s most influential think tank.
For more information please contact: James Fleming, Editor and Vice President, Media, of the C.D. Howe Institute at 416-865-1904; email: jfleming@cdhowe.org.