First Master's Student of Applied Health Services Research to Graduate from UPEI

The University of Prince Edward Island's first ARTC student, Beverly Gerg, successfully defended her Master's thesis recently. In May, Gerg will be UPEI's first graduating student in the Master of Applied Health Services Research (MAHSR) program, offered through the Atlantic Regional Training Centre (ARTC).

Gerg's thesis focused on teenagers with diagnosed intellectual disabilities. Her research concluded that families were the primary advocates and social groups for the children in this study. Gerg found that generally, parents believed their children were well included during the elementary school years. However, as their children transitioned from elementary to junior and senior high schools, parents felt that their children became distanced from their social groups due to segregation and a decrease of similar interests between their child and their peers.

Gerg is delighted to have defended her thesis and is proud to have been a part of the ARTC program."I am very excited to be the first MAHSR student to graduate from UPEI. It was a diverse and challenging endeavour, and I am proud to have had the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful program."

The ARTC is a partnership of the four Atlantic provinces and their four major universities: the University of Prince Edward Island, Dalhousie University, the University of New Brunswick, and Memorial University of Newfoundland. The Centre aims to develop a critical mass of health services researchers who will conduct applied health services research throughout Atlantic Canada.

The ARTC is funded by The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, and a recent review of the program has resulted in renewed funding for the remaining six years of the program (until 2011). The reviewers were impressed with the structure and organization of the ARTC and its accomplishments: "The ARTC can serve as a model of interprovincial collaboration not only in higher education, but in other fields as well. . . .The Centre possessed an all-too-rare upbeat and constructive tone making interactions with it a very positive experience."

Dr. Vianne Timmons, Vice-President Academic Development at UPEI, and one of the Principal Investigators of the ARTC is Gerg's supervisor. Timmons is thrilled to celebrate Gerg's completion of the program: "The ARTC is an innovative venture, being a partnership of four universities, and UPEI is delighted to recognize Beverly Gerg's accomplishment in such a highly regarded program."

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