George Kephart

Dr. George Kephart is a Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine. His research focuses on health policy evaluation, chronic disease surveillance, and equitable access to healthcare services. He has pioneered patient-reported self-management tools and small-area health data analysis methods, contributing to evidence-based healthcare planning in Nova Scotia and beyond.

Education:

• PhD in Sociology (Demography) - University of Wisconsin-Madison (1990)
• MS in Sociology (Demography) - University of Wisconsin-Madison (1985)
• BS in Sociology (High Honors) - University of California-Riverside (1982)

Research Interests: Chronic disease management, healthcare equity, population health data systems, and self-management support strategies for patients with chronic conditions. Current projects include development of the PRISM-CC measurement tool and analysis of geographic healthcare disparities.

Key Contributions:

• Co-founder of Health Data Nova Scotia's health data warehouse
• Developed innovative methods for small-area chronic disease prevention targeting
• Validated patient activation measures across international populations

Awards:

• 2011 Certificate of Merit for Medical Education
• 1997-2002 Clinical Research Scholar

Grants & Service: Served on multiple Canadian Institutes of Health Research review committees (2007-2020). Active in policy analysis for health human resources planning and rural healthcare equity.

Lab Affiliations: International Chronic and Complex Conditions Research Group (IC3RG) and Building Research for Integrated Primary Healthcare in Nova Scotia (BRIC-NS).