York University to host CIHR’s Institute of Population and Public Health

word collage for connection grant story
word collage for connection grant story

York University will serve as the new host for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR’s) Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH). The move comes with newly-appointed York University professor, Steven Hoffman, who has been serving as IPPH’s Scientific Director since August 1, 2016.

Steven Hoffman
Steven Hoffman

Hoffman has been appointed as a full professor with the School of Health Policy & Management and Osgoode Hall Law School. Hoffman will be nominated for a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Global Governance & Social Innovation.

CIHR’s IPPH provides leadership and support to advance population and public health research in Canada and around the world. This is the first time that York is hosting a CIHR Institute.

“York University is delighted to be the new host for the Institute of Population and Public Health. With this move, we will have the opportunity to make an important contribution to supporting health research and CIHR,” said Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché. “This aligns with our growing profile as research leaders in health equity, the social determinants of health, and the health and wellness of communities.”

“This is exciting for York University because it represents a really important contribution to health research across Canada,” said Hoffman. “The CIHR Institutes are responsible for coming up with new funding opportunities, knowledge translation activities, and networking events that bring researchers in Canada together. By hosting CIHR’s Institute of Population and Public Health, York University is contributing to the agency’s national mission and overall goal of having a global impact.”

Hoffman is also part of York’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research which reflects the multi-disciplinary nature of global health with involvement from faculties across the University, initially focused within the Faculty of Health.

“Thanks to Professor Hoffman’s leadership and expertise, York will benefit from enhanced global and public health research capacity,” said York Faculty of Health Dean Paul McDonald. “Hosting the Institute of Population and Public Health is affirmation that York is an emerging and innovative leader in these interdisciplinary fields and is consistent with our long standing focus on equity and social justice.”

“The ethos of interdisciplinarity at Canada’s progressive university will hopefully elevate the kind of work we can do at the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health as we serve our national mission of promoting excellent health research across the country,” added Hoffman.

IPPH plays a dual role in the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). It works externally with public health and population health researchers and partners and internally to enable CIHR portfolios and Institutes to support research focused on the health of populations, societal and cultural dimensions of health and environmental influences on health.