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Professor Steve Thomas

Edward Kennedy Professor of Health Polic (Public Health & Primary Care)

 Steve.Thomas@tcd.ie

 

Director Centre for Health Policy & Mgmt (School Office - Medicine)

 (3531896) 3880


Biography

Steve is the Edward Kennedy Chair of Health Policy and Management in the Centre for Health Policy and Management in the School of Medicine. He is also a Health Research Board Research Leader with his RESTORE programme, focussed on heath system resilience and reform. He has a wealth of international experience in policy oriented research and post-graduate teaching and education in government and academia over the last 28 years. His research interests include health systems evaluation, health financing, health economics and health policy analysis, and workforce planning and motivation. His track record in policy influence is outstanding. He led the Trinity team in support of the Oireachtas Committee for the Future of Healthcare and its production of Slaintecare. He delivers Health Economics, Health Policy and Health Systems teaching on various post-graduate programmes. He served for ten years as a co-Director of the national SPHERE PhD programme which has successfully trained over 65 PhD candidates. He collaborates widely with national and international stakeholders in research, policy and education.

Research Tags

  Economics of health service provision   Government Studies   Health Care Economics   Health management   Health status and inequalities   Health Systems Integration   Identification and quantification of health care needs   Political Economics/Economy   Primary care   Public Planning/Policy   Public, private mix network

Research Projects

 Towards Dynamic Resilience in Health System Performance and Reform (RESTORE)
 Progressing Sláintecare delivery from proposal to implementation: Insights from palliative care in Ireland
 Health system foundations for effective Regional Integrated Care Organisations (RICOs) - co-producing evidence to inform the design of regional organisations to support integrated care in Ireland
 Out-of-hours provision of generalist and specialist palliative care services: An evidence review
 Identifying Best Practices in Waiting Time and Waiting List Reporting

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Representations

Details Date
Editorial Board Member, Health Policy May
I am an advisor to the Department of Health on its International Advisory Board of the Performance Accountability for the Irish Health System project 2020
I provided technical support to the European Commission Health Systems Performance Assessment Working Group in its understanding, documentation and evaluation of health system resilience across the EU 2018-2020
Regular reviewer for Health Policy and Planning
Editorial Board Member: BIOMED Central - Globalisation and Health Oct 06 - Dec 08
Reviewer for BIOMED Central - Health Services Research
Reviewer for Social Science and Medicine
Honorary Editorial Board Member for Applied Health Economics and Health Policy 2004-2007

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details Date From Date To
Member of the International Health Economics Association 1998
Kathleen Harkin, Jan Sorensen, Steve Thomas., Lifecycle evaluation of medical devices: supporting or jeopardizing patient outcomes? A comparative analysis of evaluation models, International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 40, (1), 2024, pe2, 1-12 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
Witter S, Thomas S, Topp SM, Barasa E, Chopra M, Cobos D, Blanchet K, Teddy G, Atun R, Ager A., Health system resilience: a critical review and reconceptualisation., The Lancet. Global health, 11, (9), 2023, pe1454-e1458 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Sagan A, Thomas S, Webb E, McKee M., Assessing resilience of a health system is difficult but necessary to prepare for the next crisis., BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 382, 2023, pe073721 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Siersbaek Rikke, Ford John, Ní­ Cheallaigh Cliona, Thomas Steve, Burke Sara, How do health system factors (funding and performance) impact on access to healthcare for populations experiencing homelessness: a realist evaluation, International Journal for Equity in Health, 22, (1), 2023, p218-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
Thomas, S, O'Donoghue, C, McCarthy, N, Almirall-Sanchez, A, Burke, S, Keegan, C, Dempsey, G, Barry, S, Fleming, P, The PRESTO report. Sustainability and Resilience in the Irish Health System, Trinity College Dublin/London School of Economics/Partnership for Health System Sustainability & re, March 2023, 2023, Report, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  URL
Unruh, L.; Allin, S.; Marchildon, G.; Burke, S.; Barry, S.; Siersbaek, R.; Thomas, S.; Rajan, S.; Koval, A.; Alexander, M. et al., A comparison of 2020 health policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, Health Policy, 126, (5), 2022, p427 - 437, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Fleming Padraic, Thomas Steve, Williams Des, Kennedy Jack, Burke Sara, Implications for health system reform, workforce recovery and rebuilding in the context of the Great Recession and COVID-19: a case study of workforce trends in Ireland 2008â€"2021, Human Resources for Health, 20, (1), 2022, p48-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
Padraic Fleming, Louise Caffrey, Sara Van Belle, Sarah Barry, Sara Burke, Jacki Conway, Rikke Siersbaek, David Mockler, Stephen Thomas, How International Health System Austerity Responses to the 2008 Financial Crisis Impacted Health System and Workforce Resilience " A Realist Review, International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 12, 2022, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
David Mockler, Padraic Fleming, Catherine O'Donoghue, Arianna Almirall-Sanchez, David Mockler, Conor Keegan, Jon Cylus, Anna Sagan, Steve Thomas, Metrics and indicators used to assess health system resilience in response to shocks to health systems in high income countries"A systematic review, Health Policy, 2022, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Siersbaek, R; Ford, J; Ní Cheallaigh, C;Burke, S;Thomas, S., Making healthcare accessible for single adults with complex needs experiencing long-term homelessness: A realist evaluation protocol [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]., HRB Open Research , 2021, p1-17 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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Kathleen Harkin, Jan Sorensen, Steve Thomas, OP37 Lifecycle Evaluation Models And Frameworks Used To Assess Medical Devices: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis, International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care (IJTAHC), HTAi 2022 Utrecht, Beatrix Theatre, Utrecht, Netherlands, 25-29 June 2022, 38, (S1), Cambridge University Press, 2022, ppS15 - S15, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
Kathleen Harkin, Thomas Steve, Sorensen Jan., Who Regulates Medical Devices? A Regulatory Review, 6th Annual SPHeRE Network Conference 2020, Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI), 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland, 25 February, 2020, Poster, PUBLISHED
Mandy Lee, Margaret Martin-Carroll, Wendy Von Mollendorff, Steve Thomas, Review of International Best Practices of Waiting List and Waiting Time Reporting Models for Elective Treatments in Acute Care , Ireland, National Treatment Purchase Fund, April, 2019, Report, PUBLISHED
Prof.. Richard Layte, Prof. Miriam Wiley, Dr Jacqueline O'Reilly, Dr Aoife Brick Dr Kathleen Bennett, Ms Maev-Ann Wren, Dr Steve Thomas , Projecting the Impact of Demographic Change on the Demand for and Delivery of Health Care in Ireland, Dublin, ESRI, 2008, Book, PUBLISHED
Stephen Thomas, Charles Normand, Samantha Smith, Tom O'Dowd, A new deal for primary care for the Irish people, Health Manager, (August/September), 2008, p17 - 18, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Stephen Thomas, Charles Normand, Samantha Smith, Social Health Insurance: Further Options for Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, Adelaide Hospital Society, 2008, Report, PUBLISHED
Irish Independent , (2006), Journal, PUBLISHED
Steve Thomas, International collaboration to stop pandemics, Irish Medical Times, 23, (44), 2006, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Stephen Thomas, Social Health Insurance Scoping Study: An Interim Report, Trinity College Dublin, May, 2006, Report, PUBLISHED
Stephen Thomas, Charles Normand and Samantha Smith, Social Health Insurance: Options for Ireland, Dublin, The Adelaide Hospital Society, November 23rd, 2006, Report, PUBLISHED

  

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Awards and Honours

Award Date
Fellowship of Trinity College Dublin May 2021
Economics Scholarship, St Peter's College, Oxford October 1987
Fellowship, Institute for International Integration Studies June-July 2004

Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

Health Financing and Universal Health Care; Health Policy Analysis; Human Resource Motivation and Workforce Planning Health System Resilience, Performance and Evaluation