NSAC Economics Professor Appointed to National Expert Panel on Health

NSAC Economics Professor Dr. Stephen Clark has been appointed to a national expert panel on health by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. In June 2008 Dr. Clark attended a workshop on Economic Policy, Obesity and Health in Ottawa. “The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada sponsored the event”, said Dr. Clark. “They are very interested in sponsoring enlightened economic policies regarding health and obesity in Canada and wanted to consult with experts across North America on the issue. I hope my colleagues and I helped them in this regard.”

As a result of his trip to the workshop, Dr. Clark will sit on an expert panel to advise a study by the Chalmers Research Group that will undertake a meta-analysis on the impact of economic incentives and disincentives on obesity and health. “Meta-analysis is an excellent way to summarize the findings of the scientific community on a particular topic but will require experts to evaluate the quality of the information contained in the studies,” explained Dr. Clark. “That will be the job of the panel.”

Dr. Clark has been an active researcher on the topic of fat taxes, having presented research in the area to learned societies, universities and research institutes in North America, Europe and Australia. Dr. Clark has also presented his research findings to the Parliamentary Committee on Childhood Obesity in Ottawa, October 2006.