Meet the 7 DLSPH researchers named Fall 2025 Canada Research Chairs
December 9/2025
We are proud to share that DLSPH Profs Hailey Banack, Hilary Brown, Beverley Essue, Rayjean Hung, Laura Rosella, Rachel Savage and Lisa Strug received Fall 2025 Canada Research Chairs.
By Ishani Nath
Photo (from upper left to bottom right): Laura Rosella, Lisa Strug, Beverley Essue, Hailey Banack, Hilary Brown, Rayjean Hung and Rachel Savage
The Canada Research Chairs Program is awarded by the Government of Canada. This tri-agency initiative involves the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and invests an estimated $311 million per year to support leading research at Canadian postsecondary institutions. The most recent cycle of 2025 Canada Research Chair appointees include 41 faculty members from the University of Toronto — including seven faculty members from DLSPH — sharing an estimated $33.9 million in funding.
“The Canada Research Chair program identifies and supports Canada’s leading minds, so it is no surprise to see a growing number of CRC appointments here at DLSPH,” says Dean Adalsteinn Brown. “I sincerely congratulate the most recent CRC appointees and look forward to the difference they will make to public health and health systems.”
In this latest cycle, DLSPH Profs. Hailey Banack, Beverley Essue and Rachel Savage were named 2025 Canada Research Chairs. DLSPH Profs. Hilary Brown, Rayjean Hung, Lisa Strug and Laura Rosella had their Canada Research Chair positions renewed or advanced.
Laura Rosella — Tier 1 in Population Health Transformation and Analytics
For the past decade, Professor Laura Rosella has held the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Population Health Transformation and Analytics. This year, Rosella, who teaches in DLSPH’s Epidemiology Division, received an advancement to a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair.
“My Tier 2 Chair enabled me to build the Population Health Analytics Lab, the first of its kind in Canada and now home to an incredible group of students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff. It provided the foundation to pursue new, data-oriented approaches to prevention, health-system planning, and community wellbeing, and has had a lasting impact on the direction and reach of this research,” says Rosella.
With her renewed and elevated position, she plans to foster global partnerships and further develop new methods to support these areas of research. “Ultimately, I aim to generate research that helps design and implement real-world strategies that improve population health, reduce inequities, and support flourishing communities,” says Rosella.
Beverley Essue — Tier 2 in Economics for Global Health Systems Equity
Associate Professor Beverley Essue considers being named a Canada Research Chair in Economics for Global Health Systems Equity both an honour and a responsibility. “It affirms the value of advancing equity through rigorous health economics and health systems research and strengthens my capacity to do so from within IHPME and DLSPH’s vibrant academic community,” she says.
Essue’s research draws on many perspectives, such as from practitioners, those with lived experience, advocates and policy makers. With this Canada Research Chair appointment, she plans to continue this approach. “I will lead transdisciplinary research to generate meaningful, justice-driven evidence and practical tools that can be used to improve experiences and outcomes of those most often left behind in health and social systems, while also informing efforts to redress barriers that foster exclusion in these same systems.”
Hailey Banack — Tier 2 in Obesity and Aging Across Populations
Hailey Banack, Assistant Professor in DLSPH’s Epidemiology Division, focuses her research on obesity and aging, specifically for women and individuals from underrepresented groups. She was appointed a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Obesity and Aging Across Populations.
“The Canadian population is aging rapidly, and, at the same time, the prevalence of obesity in older adults has increased markedly,” says Banack. “As a DLSPH faculty member, and now CRC, I hope to conduct meaningful research that helps us better understand how aging and obesity intersect to shape health outcomes in older adults.”
She adds that with this appointment, she looks forward to creating training opportunities for students, fostering collaborations at U of T and beyond and contributing to a healthier future for older Canadians.
Hilary Brown — Tier 2 in Disability and Reproductive Health
Associate Professor Hilary Brown was first named a Canada Research Chair in 2019, a position she says elevated the visibility and impact of her research on disability and reproductive health.
“The reproductive health of people with disabilities, especially in relation to pregnancy outcomes and care, has historically been neglected in both healthcare policy and clinical practice. The CRC has provided the platform needed to draw attention to these gaps and to advocate for improved access to reproductive healthcare for people with disabilities,” says Brown. She adds that her recent reappointment will allow her to continue to offer research and training opportunities to DLSPH PhD and MPH students working in this area.
In this term, Brown plans to focus on underexamined aspects of reproductive healthcare for people with disabilities, such as supports for women with disabilities during menopause. “Building on my first term, which centered on pregnancy care for people with disabilities, my overarching goal is to strengthen healthcare provider readiness to deliver accessible, equitable, and inclusive reproductive healthcare across the life course”
Rayjean Hung — Tier 1 in Integrative Molecular Epidemiology
Professor Rayjean Hung says continuing to hold the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Integrative Molecular Epidemiology is an honour. “The CRC award provides invaluable support for pioneering research at the forefront of the field and enhances opportunities for global collaboration through the Canada Research Chair program,” she says.
Hung is a Professor in DLSPH’s Epidemiology Division and an expert in cancer epidemiology on an international scale. With the renewal of her Canada Research Chair appointment, she plans to continue improving population health in Canada and globally by enhancing our ability to understand and detect cancer.
“I look forward to advancing research excellence in Canada and providing mentorship to the next generation of scientists as a faculty of a DLSPH faculty member,” says Hung.
Rachel Savage — Tier 2 in Sex, Gender, and Loneliness in Aging
Assistant Professor Rachel Savage is deeply grateful to be named a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Sex, Gender and Loneliness in Aging. “It is especially meaningful to receive this as a DLSPH faculty member. DLSPH is where my path towards an independent research career began and I would not be here without the exceptional mentorship I received at DLSPH, and, later, at Women’s College Hospital,” she says.
Savage’s work looks to the future, aiming to reduce loneliness in older adults. Her goal is to ultimately generate evidence that helps older adults — especially older women — age with meaningful social connections and supportive environments. Being a Canada Research Chair brings Savage closer to that goal.
“Being named a CRC will be transformative for my research program,” says Savage. “It will allow me to attract top trainees, expand my team, and dedicate more resources to building research capacity and advancing innovative, high-impact work.”
Lisa Strug — Tier 1 in Genome Data Science
Lisa Strug, a Professor in DLSPH’s Biostatistics Division, uses new statistical methods to better understand genetic diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis and Epilepsy. Her Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Genome Data Science was recently renewed. “The renewed chair position helps me to interest the talented students at DLSPH to explore working in the field of genome data science and in my lab in particular,” she shares.
Her initial appointment helped Strug bring new attention to this field, attracting interested students as well as international research collaborators. With the renewed chair position, she is shifting her focus to translation. “The research program is in a strong position to be able to take our rich expertise in genomics and therapeutic targets and the data, compounds, tools and models that we have developed to translate our research discoveries to improved diagnostics and therapeutics in cystic fibrosis and for other complex genetic traits,” says Strug.