(TORONTO,Canada– Dec. 7, 2011) – Dr. Anthony (Tony) Easty, Baxter Chair in Health Technology at University Health Network (UHN), has joined the Techna Faculty. Dr. Easty, a Professional Engineer and a Certified Clinical Engineer, holds the position of Senior Scientist and leads the Health Technology Safety Research Team at UHN’s Centre for Global eHealth Innovation. He is also an Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, Chair of the Canadian Board of Examiners for Clinical Engineering Certification and Past-Chair of the International Committee of theAmericanCollegeof Clinical Engineering.
Techna Institute is a new institute of the University Health Network, in collaboration with theUniversityofToronto, focused on the accelerated development and exploitation of technology for improved health. Dr. Easty is joining the Design and Engineering for Health core at Techna, led by Dr. Joe Cafazzo, Senior Director of Medical Engineering and Healthcare Human Factors at UHN and a member of the Faculty of Medicine at theUniversityofToronto. The UHN Human Factors group is the largest group of its kind internationally. It is devoted to the application of human factors engineering to solve problems of healthcare delivery and patient safety.
Techna will greatly benefit form from Dr. Easty’s expertise as a global leader in Health Technology Safety Research. Dr. Easty and his team conduct safety-based research investigations on a range of topics in a broad spectrum of health care environments. These include acute hospital-based care, cancer care, and home-based care, using tools such as ethnographic research, systematic analysis, technical analysis, and simulation studies. His current research interests include investigating the risks associated with multiple intravenous drug infusions, improving the safety of intravenous chemotherapy, and improving the safety of home-based care.
“We are delighted that Dr. Easty is joining Techna. His leadership in health technology safety design is an exceptionally attractive asset for the Techna Network.” says Techna Director David Jaffray, UHN Head of Radiation Physics and a Senior Scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute. Dr. Jaffray is also a Professor of Radiation Oncology and Medical Biophysics at U of T and holds the Orey and Mary Fidani Family Chair in Radiation Physics atPrincessMargaretHospital. “At Techna we greatly value Human Factors and Safety Engineering. It is a crucial stage in the process of effective technology translation. Dr. Easty’s expertise will further strengthen it.