As one of the original researchers who joined Advancing Health in 1998, Dr. Anita Palepu has embodied the goal of improving health outcomes for all. Dr. Palepu is a Professor and Eric W. Hamber Chair within the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Based out of St. Paul’s Hospital, her research focuses on urban health, with a special interest in persons who use drugs and those who experience unstable housing. Her contributions on the utilization of health services and the health status of vulnerable populations have been shown to improve the health outcomes of marginalized patients living in urban settings.
Additionally, in response to the pandemic, Dr. Palepu is leading the B.C. arm of a Canada-wide research project on long-COVID as part Canadian COVID-19 Prospective Cohort Study (CANCOV) which will pool data from over 2000 participants with sites across six provinces.
Dr. Palepu’s outstanding work was recognized by her peers who nominated her to be a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. This organization aims to provide assessments and advice on key issues relevant to Canadians by supporting actionable solutions to improve their health. Part of their mandate is to recognize Fellows who have demonstrated leadership, creativity, distinctive competencies & background, and a commitment to advance academic health science.
On November 24, Dr. Anita Palepu was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, which is one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community.
