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Faculty Member

Erica Di Ruggiero BSc., MHSc., PhD, RD

Email Address(es)
e.diruggiero(at)utoronto.ca
Office Phone
416-978-6066
Office Address
Health Sciences Building 155 College Street, Room 408 Toronto, ON M5T 3M7
Division(s)/Institute(s)
Centre for Global Health
Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation
Social & Behavioural Health Sciences Division
Position
Associate Professor
SGS Status
Full Member
Appointment Status
Tenured
Admin Position
Director, Centre for Global Health
Admin Faculty Appointment
Social & Behavioural Health Science

Research Interests

  • Study of population health interventions (policies, programs), their health,  gender and health equity impacts:
    • Relationship between context and population health interventions
    • Social and economic policies influencing decent work at the global level
  • Global agenda setting in policy
  • Governance of public health systems
  • Population health intervention and implementation research/science
  • Qualitative research and mixed methods research; discourse analysis
  • Knowledge utilization and exchange strategies to influence public health decision-making at national and global levels

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

    • Lead Instructor, Collaborative Doctoral Specialization in Global Health Seminar, CHL5701
    • Lead Instructor, Population Health Intervention Research, CHL5132H
    • Instructor, Global Health Policy, CHL4004H

I am the Director of the Centre for Global Health and Director of the Collaborative Specialization in Global Health. I am an Associate Professor of Global Health in the Division of Social and Behavioural Health Sciences and hold non-budgetary cross-appointments as Associate Professor in the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, and the Department of Health & Society (UTSC). I am a Full Member of the School of Graduate Studies.

Select Honours & Awards

  • DLSPH Faculty Teaching Award for Excellence (open) (2021-2022)
  • Named one of Canada’s Women in Global Health by the Lancet and the Canadian Association for Global Health (bi-annual list in 2018 & 2020)
  • Commendation for Dr. Erica Di Ruggiero from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR’s) Science Council for “outstanding accomplishments, contributions and leadership throughout her 15 years with the CIHR and specifically its Institute of Population and Public Health” (2016)
  • Canadian Public Health Association, Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Contributions
  • CIHR-Institute of Population and Public Health Advisory Board Award for Excellence
  • CIHR President Award for Team Excellence and Professional Excellence
  • Canadian Cancer Society Award for Excellence in Medicine and Health
  • Society of Chemical Industry Merit Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, University of Toronto, Department of Nutritional Sciences
  • Daniel Wilson Scholarship in Science, University of Toronto, Department of Nutritional Sciences

Current Research Projects

My program of research examines the impacts of population health interventions (policies, programs) on global social, gender and health inequities, using novel conceptual, methodological and comparative approaches. I am interested in how different discourses shape global policy agendas related to employment, other determinants and health and gender equity in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and other policy agendas. My research also investigates the effectiveness of global and national governance mechanisms for equitable public health systems.

Representative Publications

  • Gautier, L., Di Ruggiero, E., Jackson, C., Bentayeb, N., Ouffouet Béssiranthy, N., Blain MJ., Chowdhury,F., Touba Mbacké Gueye, S., Haydary, M.;Mahmoudi, L., Maillet, L., Mondal, S., Pluye, P., Ziam, S., Touati N. (2023). Learning from intersectoral initiatives to respond to the needs of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants without status in the context of COVID-19 in Quebec and Ontario: A qualitative multiple case study protocol. Health Research Policy and Systems 21, 59.
  • Amri, M., Carducci, B., Plamondon, K.M., Mac-Seing, M., Shoveller, J., Di Ruggiero, E. (senior author) (2023). Exploring gender equality and equity in Canadian global health institutions. Book chapter in “Critical Perspectives in Public Health Feminisms; Editor: Renée Monchalin, Canadian Scholars.
  • Trowbridge, J., Tan, J., Hussain, S., Babiker Osman, A., Di Ruggiero, E. (senior author) (2022). Understanding Canada’s approach to intersectoral action in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Era; International Journal of Public Health; volume 67 (part of special issue on health in all SDGs)
  • Carducci, B. Keats, E., Amri, M., Plamondon, K., Shoveller, J., Ako, O., Osler, G., Henry, C., Pant Pai, N., Di Ruggiero, E (senior author) (2022). Prioritizing gender equity and intersectionality in Canadian global health institutions and partnerships. PLOS Global Health 2(10): e0001105.
  • Baoweid, A., Faghani-Hamadani, T., Sauer, S., Neufeld, N., Odhiambo, J., Volmink, J., Schumann, M. (senior co-author), Di Ruggiero, E. (senior co-author), Condo, J. (senior co-author) (2022). Gender equity in health research publishing in Africa. BMJ Global Health. 7: e008821
  • Bhatia, D., Mishra, S., Yanful, B., Kirubarajan, A, Allin, S. (co-senior author), Di Ruggiero, E (co-senior author). Financial Risk Protection under Universal Health Coverage (2022). BMJ Open. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/3/e052041.full
  • Lee, J., Di Ruggiero, E., (senior author). Informal work and health in the COVID-19 era: Emerging gaps in research from a scoping review and modified e-Delphi survey (2022). International J of Equity and Health. 21(87).
  • Di Ruggiero, E., Bhatia, D., Umar, I., Arpin, E., Champagne, C., Clavier, C., Denis, J-L., & Hunter, D. (2021). Governing for the public’s health: Governance options for a strengthened and renewed public health system in Canada. National Collaborating Centres for Public Health.https://nccph.ca/images/uploads/general/OCPHO-Report-Governance-2022-En.pdf (English) and https://nccph.ca/images/uploads/general/OCPHO-Rapport-Gouvernance-2022-Fr.pdf (French)
  • Di Ruggiero, E. Global Health Governance in the Sustainable Development Goal Era (2021). Chapter for inclusion in the 2nd edition of Global Health and Global Health Ethics. Co-Editors: Benatar S. & Brock, G., Cambridge University Press
  • Di Ruggiero, E. (2021). Global cooperation in public health needs to centre equity. Health Care Papers; 19(4).
  • Di Ruggiero, E., Edwards, N. (2018). The Interplay between Participatory Health Research and Implementation Research: Canadian Research Funding Perspectives. BioMed Research International. DOI: 10.1155/2018/151940
  • Craig, P, Di Ruggiero, E., Frohlich, K., Mykhalovskiy, E., & White, M. on behalf of the CIHR-NIHR context guidance authors group (2018): https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/downloads/FullReport-CIHR-NIHR-01.pdf
  • Di Ruggiero, E., Viehbeck, S., Mwatsama, M., Brown, A., Graff, H. Landon J.(2017). Public-Private Relationships and Governance in Public Health Research and Policy. Oxford Bibliographies in Public Health.
  • Di Ruggiero, E. Cohen, J. Cole, D. & Forman, L. (2015). Competing conceptualizations of decent work at the intersection of health, social and economic discourses. Social Science and Medicine. 133:120-127. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.03.026.
  • Di Ruggiero, E. Cohen, J. Cole, D. & Forman, L. (2015). Public health agenda setting in a global context: the case of the ILO Decent Work Agenda. American Journal of Public Health. April 2015, Vol. 105, No. 4, pp. e58-e61. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302455.
  • Di Ruggiero, E, Cohen, J, Cole, D. (2014). The politics of agenda setting at the global level: key informant interviews regarding the International Labour Organization Decent Work Agenda. Globalization and Health. 10:56; doi:10. 1186/1744-8603-10-56.
  • Boutilier, Z., Daibes, I., & Di Ruggiero, E. (Editors). (2011). Global health research case studies: lessons from partnerships addressing health inequities. BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 11(Suppl 2): S2.
  • Edwards, N., & Di Ruggiero, E. (2011). Exploring which context matters in the study of health inequities and their mitigation. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 39(SUPPL. 6), 43-49.
  • Di Ruggiero, E., Zarowsky, C., Frank, J., Mhatre, S., Aslanyan, G., Perry, A., et al. (2006). Coordinating Canada’s research response to global health challenges: The Global Health Research Initiative. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 97(1), 29-31.
  • Etches, V., Frank, J., Di Ruggiero, E., & Manuel, D. (2006). Measuring population health: A review of indicators. Annual Review of Public Health, 27, 29-55.
  • Frank, J., Di Ruggiero, E. D., McInnes, R. R., Kramer, M., & Gagnon, F. (2006). Large life-course cohorts for characterizing genetic and environmental contributions: The need for more thoughtful designs. Epidemiology, 17(6), 595-598.
  • Frank JW, Di Ruggiero E.  (2003) Public health in Canada: What are the real issues?  Canadian Journal of Public Health; 94(3):190-192.
  • Frank JW, Di Ruggiero E. (2003) Prevention: delivering the goods. (Invited article) in Longwoods Review; 2:2-8.