Zubin Austin is a professor and the Murray Koffler Research Chair at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto (U of T), and at the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at U of T’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. His research focuses on the professional and personal development of the health workforce, with a focus on the successful integration of internationally educated health professionals (especially pharmacists that have been internationally trained) into the Canadian workforce. He is also regularly commissioned by health professions’ regulatory bodies in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Australia to study competency-related issues.
Austin recently joined Ascend Radio host Paul Leavoy for a wide-ranging discussion on labor shortages, working conditions, and how regulators can better support workers in the health care field. More specifically, their conversation touches on topics including:
- Austin’s research into the use of AI in regulatory decision-making surrounding complaints in nursing and some potential benefits that AI could offer regulators in the future.
- What his study on understanding complaints made to regulators against paramedics and social workers in England revealed about the challenges health care workers face today.
- The tension between the regulatory and the political when it comes to licensing, and why he believes that one-size-fits-all approaches to dismantling licensing barriers can be a disservice to both internationally trained practitioners and the public.
- How kindness and civility can help regulators reduce risk and liability and improve operations.
- The benefits of employing peer-based models in continuous professional development programs, and more.
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