UVic receives $1.1 million to build equitable health systems
June 10, 2026
The University of Victoria (UVic) has been awarded $1.1 million to support research aimed at strengthening equitable and resilient public health systems.
Two UVic-affiliated projects centre on Indigenous knowledge and address systemic inequities in public health.
Lisa Bourque Bearskin, associate professor in UVic’s School of Nursing, is leading Shared Pathways to a Healthier Tomorrow: Strengthening Public Health Systems with Indigenous Knowledges.
This Indigenous-led, community-driven approach strengthens public health systems by examining four key building blocks: governance, workforce, service delivery and data practices. In partnership with three Indigenous health organizations—Tsawout First Nation Community Health Centre, Rainbow Medicine Society and Shakes the Dust Hope Consulting—Bourque Bearskin will generate practical, system-level solutions for embedding Indigenous knowledge systems and jurisdiction within public health structures.
Kate Jongbloed, adjunct professor at UVic and senior scientist and epidemiologist with the BC Centre for Disease Control, is co-Principal Investigator of the Unlearning & Undoing White Supremacy and Indigenous Specific Racism Lab (U&U Lab) for population and public health. The U&U Lab has been awarded a CIHR STEPS team grant entitled 'Fixing Ourselves': Evidence-informed Eradication of Indigenous-specific Racism to Advance True Reconciliation in Settler Population and Public Health System. This project responds to the ongoing challenge of Indigenous-specific racism in public health systems nearly a decade after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. Guided by the “True Reconciliation” framework, the U&U Lab will focus on how public health systems can take action for meaningful change.
Building stronger, equitable health systems
Together, these projects will contribute to public health systems that are more equitable, accountable and grounded in Indigenous knowledge and leadership. The research will inform policy and practice in British Columbia and beyond, supporting reconciliation and improved health outcomes for Indigenous people and communities across Canada and around the world
Both projects are being funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Michael Smith Health Research BC as part of the Strengthening Resilient and Equitable Public Health Systems (STEPS) research initiative. By supporting interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral research, STEPS brings together researchers, decision-makers, practitioners and community partners to address real-world public health challenges such as the opioid overdose crisis, climate-related events, infectious disease outbreaks, and persistent social and economic health inequities.