Research by, for and with the people

Being praised by community research partners as a “game changer” might be all the confirmation a researcher needs on whether her work is having a vital impact on the community.

But a national award from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) is pretty great affirmation too, as is the $100,000 research prize that Charlotte Loppie’s research partners—Indigenous women across Canada living with HIV/AIDS—are eager to help her spend.

Loppie, a professor in the University of Victoria’s School of Public Health and Social Policy and director of UVic’s Centre for Indigenous Research and Community-Led Engagement—is one of three Canadian researchers recently awarded a prestigious Gold Leaf Prize from CIHR.

The prize celebrates excellence in health research and its translation into benefits for Canadians. Loppie’s award is in the category of transformation and patient engagement.

Loppie works in areas such as Indigenous health inequities, Indigenous HIV/AIDS and the social determinants of Indigenous health. She’s dedicated much of her career to “patient-oriented research”—a way of thinking about and conducting research as something that’s done by, for and with the people with lived experience who are the focus of the research.

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