OTTAWA, June 22, 2022 – Research Canada is pleased to announce the 2022 Leadership in Advocacy Awardee: Dr. Pat Armstrong, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus at York University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

The Research Canada Leadership in Advocacy Award recognizes outstanding champions of health research and health innovation. Recognition of Canadian health research—the kind that attracts the necessary public and political support—often comes from the dedicated and tireless efforts of health research advocates who educate policymakers, the media and the public about the social and economic benefits of health research and its promise of future cures and, importantly, a better quality of life for all Canadians. This year’s winner exemplifies this.

“Our sector is fortunate to have many highly-skilled and dedicated individuals and organizations working tirelessly to ensure that health research and innovation are supported by Canadians and their leaders,” said Dr. Rose Goldstein, Chair of Research Canada and Professor of Medicine at McGill University. “It is the life-changing nature of our work that makes this activity so special, and our champions so cherished.”

“This year’s Awardee has gone above and beyond what is expected of health research advocates,” added Ms. Deborah Gordon-El-Bihbety, President and CEO of Research Canada. “Dr. Armstrong is an exceptional leader whose advocacy has engaged decision makers and stakeholders at all levels to contribute to a more equitable and just healthcare system in Canada. Notably, this past year she amplified the voice of long-term care facility workers, caregivers and patients while studying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on these facilities.”

Research Canada will continue to recognize the achievements of our best and brightest advocates in the coming years with this annual award. We wish to thank those who submitted nominations, all of which were outstanding, for the 2022 Leadership in Advocacy Award.

 About the Winner

Pat Armstrong, PhD
Dr. Pat Armstrong is a Distinguished Research Professor in Sociology at York University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Focusing on women, work and the health and social services, she has published such books on health care as The Privatization of Care: The Case of Nursing Homes; Wash, Wear and Care: Clothes and Laundry in Long-term Care; Critical to Care: The Invisible Women in Health Services; Wasting Away: The Undermining of Canadian Health Care; and The Double Ghetto: Canadian Women and Their Segregated Work; as well as many book chapters, journal articles and reports intended for public audiences. Much of this work makes the relationship between women’s paid and unpaid work central to the analysis and is carried out in partnership with unions and community organizations. She has also served as an expert witness in more than a dozen cases before Tribunals and Commissions and led multiple team research projects, including the 10-year interdisciplinary “Re-imagining Long-Term Residential Care: An International Study of Promising Practices” project.