SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Vivian Ramsden (PhD) will be inducted today as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), one of the highest honours for a health scientist in Canada.
Ramsden, a professor in the Department of Academic Family Medicine in USask’s College of Medicine, is one of 71 individuals to be recognized by CAHS at a ceremony in Montreal for their substantial accomplishments and commitment to advancing academic health sciences.
Ramsden is a registered nurse, a facilitator of a partnership with a nursing college in Chennai, India; chair of the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s Section of Researchers, and the incoming president of the North American Primary Care Research Group.
“Vivian has demonstrated the kind of leadership and creativity that CAHS fellows are known for. Her distinctive expertise in engaging local and global communities as true partners in health research will serve the Academy well and inspire action when it comes to some of our country’s most complex health challenges,” said USask Vice-President Research Baljit Singh.
Widely recognized for her community-engaged work, Ramsden’s participatory health research in primary care is transforming health outcomes for inner-city communities in Saskatoon and Regina, several Indigenous communities in Northern Saskatchewan, several villages in South India, and individuals with incarceration experience. She is a passionate advocate for research that partners with individuals and communities to create solutions for issues that affect their health.
CAHS fellows are nominated and chosen by their peers. Ramsden’s induction follows a significant track record of recognition at the institutional, provincial, national and international levels. Highlights include her recent recognition as the 2021 recipient of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) President’s Award for developing a new subcommittee on patient and clinician engagement.
In 2020 she was honoured as Family Medicine Researcher of the Year by the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). In 2015, CFPC named Ramsden one of Top 20 Pioneers in Family Medicine Research in Canada, after recognizing her in 2012 as an Honorary Member—the college’s highest honour for a non-physician.
“Research is a team sport which engages individuals and communities in all aspects of the research process,” said Ramsden. “I am honoured and humbled to have been able to build sustainable relationships with individuals and communities. Although I am receiving this award, I raise this award to the communities that have made this work possible in Saskatchewan, Canada, the United States, and South India.”
USask has 24 health scientists previously elected as CAHS fellows.
— Submitted by USask media relations
