TORONTO, July 17, 2017 –York University is pleased to serve as the new host for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR’s) Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH). The move comes with newly-appointed York University professor, Steven Hoffman, who has been serving as IPPH’s Scientific Director since August 1, 2016.

Hoffman has been appointed as a full Professor with the School of Health Policy & Management and Osgoode Hall Law School. Hoffman will be nominated for a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Global Governance & Social Innovation.

CIHR’s IPPH provides leadership and support to advance population and public health research in Canada and around the world. This is the first time that York is hosting a CIHR Institute.

“York University is delighted to be the new host for the Institute of Population and Public Health. With this move, we will have the opportunity to make an important contribution to supporting health research and CIHR,” said Vice-President Research & Innovation, Dr. Robert Haché. “This aligns with our growing profile as research leaders in health equity, the social determinants of health, and the health and wellness of communities.”

“This is exciting for York University because it represents a really important contribution to health research across Canada,” said Hoffman. “The CIHR Institutes are responsible for coming up with new funding opportunities, knowledge translation activities, and networking events that bring researchers in Canada together. By hosting CIHR’s Institute of Population and Public Health, York University is contributing to the agency’s national mission and overall goal of having a global impact.”

Hoffman is also part of York’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research which reflects the multi-disciplinary nature of global health with involvement from faculties across the University, initially focused within the Faculty of Health.

“Thanks to Professor Hoffman’s leadership and expertise, York will benefit from enhanced global and public health research capacity.” said York Faculty of Health Dean Paul McDonald. "Hosting the Institute of Population and Public Health is affirmation that York is an emerging and innovative leader in these interdisciplinary fields and is consistent with our long standing focus on equity and social justice.”

“The ethos of interdisciplinarity at Canada’s progressive university will hopefully elevate the kind of work we can do at the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health as we serve our national mission of promoting excellent health research across the country,” added Hoffman.

IPPH plays a dual role in the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). It works externally with public health and population health researchers and partners and internally to enable CIHR portfolios and Institutes to support research focused on the health of populations, societal and cultural dimensions of health and environmental influences on health.

York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university –our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. York U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

For more information: Anjum Nayyar, York U Media Relations, anayyar@yorku.ca, 416-736-2100 ext. 44543