Global energy consumption is projected to increase substantially over the course of the next century, but for these energy needs to be met sustainably, we must now look to renewable energy sources. In particular, solar energy holds strong promise as a clean alternative to fossil fuels, provided that technology can be developed for its effective harvest. Present day usage of solar energy is exceedingly limited, largely owing to the high cost of the industry-standard silicon solar panels. In contrast, organic solar cells (OSC) based on conjugated polymers provide significant advantages over silicon-based solar photovoltaic devices for the generation of electricity, as they utilize instead abundant, lightweight and low-cost materials. In addition, the use of polymeric materials presents opportunities for industrial processing to produce large-area flexible electronic devices.
A continuing challenge in improving energy conversion efficiency of OSCs is the synthesis of materials capable of effectively absorbing the full range of visible light produced by the sun. Thus, the focus of my research is the development of new polymers based on phosphorus containing building-blocks, as these have shown promise for straightforward modification to generate materials with a diverse range of light-harvesting properties.
Robin Walker
Medical & Health Sciences
Many chronic conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure, can be effectively managed in the community (primary care) with appropriate medical screening, monitoring and follow-up. These chronic conditions are also referred to as ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs). In its national report, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) (1) has focused on seven ACSCs: angina, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, epilepsy, heart failure/pulmonary edema, and hypertension.
Since their inception in 1993, ACSCs have provided the basis for measuring adequacy of primary health care performance in many regions and countries. Hospital administrative data is the only available resource to calculate ACSC rates. Hospitalization rates for ACSC have been suggested as a proxy for the presence or absence of appropriate primary and preventive care; more physician visits within a community should result in fewer ACSC hospitalizations. However, the validity of hospital admission as an indicator of access or quality of ambulatory care depends on the extent that admission is truly avoidable.
At a time when health care leaders are driven to reduce waste and inefficiency, eliminating unnecessary hospital admissions has been identified as a desirable and achievable goal by both practitioners and policymak¬ers in Canada. While hospitalizations for ACSCs are not always preventable, it is important to determine the proportion of admissions which are. Thus, the purpose of my research is to develop methods to identify and quantify the proportion of hospital admission that are truly avoidable for ACSCs. Avoidable hospitalizations may signal an opportunity to improve the planning or delivery of primary health care services to better meet the needs of the population. Thus it is essential that health care planners are provided valid information so they can explore the reasons for suboptimal performance and develop interventions appropriately.
