Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Population and Public Health

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Population and Public Health
Name	Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Population and Public Health
Formation	2000
Type	Research Institute
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario
Parent organization	Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Contents

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Population and Public Health The Institute of Population and Public Health is one of the thematic institutes within Canadian Institutes of Health Research, established to support research on health determinants, population health, and public health systems. It engages with a range of partners including Health Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, provincial ministries such as Ontario Ministry of Health and British Columbia Ministry of Health, and academic institutions like the University of Toronto and McGill University to inform policy and practice. The institute's work connects to national initiatives and programs involving organizations such as the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Governing Council, and international bodies including the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization.

History and Mandate

The institute originated after reforms linked to the creation of Canadian Institutes of Health Research under the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Act and early 2000s federal health science policy debates involving figures like Allan Rock and institutions such as the Canadian Medical Association. Its mandate reflects priorities articulated by reports and commissions including the Romanow Commission and consultations with agencies such as the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The institute has operational links with provincial agencies including the Alberta Health Services and Québec Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, and has adapted strategies aligned with frameworks from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and international agreements like the International Health Regulations (2005). Over time the institute has responded to public health crises involving organizations such as Public Health England and events like the 2009 flu pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic while coordinating scholarly networks that include Canadian Population Health Initiative researchers and collaborations with the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

Governance structures involve advisory boards and peer review panels drawing members from universities such as University of British Columbia, McMaster University, University of Alberta, and Université de Montréal, and health agencies like Statistics Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Leadership has included scientific directors and institute chairs engaged with associations such as the Canadian Public Health Association and funding councils like the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Executive oversight interacts with federal actors including the Minister of Health (Canada) and committees of Parliament such as the Standing Committee on Health. Strategic guidance has been informed by scholars affiliated with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and collaborating centers like the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Programmatic priorities encompass population health surveillance and evidence synthesis involving organizations like Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System, Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System, and the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Themes include health inequities explored in partnership with groups such as the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, the Indigenous Services Canada, and the Assembly of First Nations, as well as work on social determinants engaging researchers from York University and Queen’s University. Other priorities include maternal and child health linked to the Canadian Paediatric Society, infectious disease control in concert with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and health systems research undertaken with the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health and the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement.

The institute administers peer-reviewed funding competitions and strategic grants alongside programs such as the CIHR Foundation Grant and the CIHR Project Grant, collaborating with partners like the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Signature Initiatives and co-funders including the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, and provincial agencies like Saskatchewan Health Authority. Funding mechanisms have supported networks and training programs associated with organizations such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Training Grant recipients, the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, and fellowships coordinated with the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies.

Partnerships span federal departments including Employment and Social Development Canada, international entities such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, nongovernmental organizations like Doctors Without Borders, and Indigenous organizations such as the Métis National Council. Academic collaborations include consortia with Dalhousie University, Université Laval, Simon Fraser University, and research institutes such as the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. The institute engages with philanthropic partners like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and multilateral initiatives including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Key initiatives have included investments in population health data infrastructure such as linkages with Canadian Institute for Health Information databases, projects addressing mental health alongside the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and initiatives targeting aging populations in partnership with the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging and the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Influence on policy has occurred through collaborations informing frameworks used by Provincial Health Quality Councils, emergency preparedness efforts with Public Safety Canada, and knowledge translation partnerships exemplified by work with the Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century. The institute's research outputs have been cited in reports from the Royal Society of Canada, guideline documents by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, and synthesized in systematic reviews conducted by groups like the Cochrane Collaboration, contributing to practice change in jurisdictions such as Manitoba Health and Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Category:Health research in Canada