Applied Public Health Chair Program
Demographic shifts in the population, the growing burden of chronic diseases, widening health inequities within and between countries and the impacts of the built and natural environments are but a few of the complex challenges facing Canada and other countries. These global, economic, social and environmental challenges call for innovative population health solutions informed by the best available scientific knowledge and engagement with decision makers within and outside of the public health sector.
The Applied Public Health Chair (APHC) program is a long-standing joint initiative of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Population and Public Health (CIHR-IPPH) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Launched in 2006, the program was born out of the SARS outbreak in response to calls to revitalize Canada’s public health infrastructure and strengthen the interface between research, practice and policy. One of several components of the Public Health Scholarship and Capacity-Building Initiative, the program was designed to strengthen the skills and capacity of public health researchers. The program was updated in 2021 to be even more responsive and adaptive to emerging public health priorities and integrated with policy and decision-making processes to maximize impact.
The APHC program provides mid-career researchers with an opportunity to collaborate with decision makers to support evidence-informed decision-making that improves health and health equity and to play a critical role in training and mentoring the next generation of researchers.
Research investment: Four cohorts funded, amounting to 48 Chairs valued at $1.15M each for six years, for a total investment of $49.75M.
| Competition | Chair profiles |
|---|---|
| 2024 Applied Public Health Chairs | 12 Chairs |
| 2022 Applied Public Health Chairs | 7 Chairs |
| 2014 Applied Public Health Chairs | 14 Chairs |
| 2008 Applied Public Health Chairs | 15 Chairs |
Funding partners: CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), in partnership with CIHR Institutes and Initiatives (Institute of Aging, Institute of Gender and Health, Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, Healthy Cities Research Initiative, Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies, HIV/AIDS and the STBBI Research Initiative), Alberta Innovates, Centre de recherche en prévention de l'obésité, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, and the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation.
Impacts of the Applied Public Health Chair (APHC) Program
- Impact Summaries Booklet: Applied Public Health Chairs [ PDF (366 KB) - external link ] – Midterm Reporting Period (2022 Cohort)
- Why public health matters today and tomorrow: the role of applied public health research [ PDF (315 KB) - external link ] (McLaren, L. et al. 2019, Canadian Journal of Public Health)
- Developing a Program of Research for an Applied Public Health Chair in Public Health Education and Population Intervention Research (MacDonald, M.A., 2011, Canadian Journal of Nursing Research)
- Impact Case Studies (see Impact Case Studies of 2008 Chairs in PDF)
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