U of A global health researcher inducted into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

Since its creation in 2005, CAHS has become one of Canada's top honours for health sciences researchers. There are now more than 700 honoured members who serve the academy, several of them from the University of Alberta.

Sharma's fellowship comes as a result of her global research work with multi-ethnic populations in 20 countries, and nearly three decades looking for avenues to improve nutrition and access to care, and reduce risk factors for chronic disease in the populations. Her work has shed light into the assessment of diet and diet-disease associations for some of these populations for the first time. Her induction positions her as an expert voice that will be providing unbiased opinion to the Government of Canada on the most pressing health topics.

"It is such an incredible honour to receive this award for the work my team and I have undertaken," said Sharma, who is also a member of the U of A's Women and Children's Health Research Institute. "I am especially pleased that the Academy has recognized the importance of improving health with Indigenous peoples, who may have limited access to health care in some communities."

Working together to improve quality of life and access to care

'Gita' Sharma' approach to research has impacted many communities in Canada and the world since she obtained her PhD at the University of Manchester Medical School in 1996. She is especially passionate about the links between nutrition, ethnicity and health. Her main focus lies in reducing risk factors for chronic diseases and barriers to accessing health-care services, particularly for Indigenous communities and newcomers to Canada.

Upon her arrival to the U of A in 2010, Sharma established, and has been leading, theIndigenous & Global Health Research Group (IGHRG), conducting community health research with Indigenous communities. The main objective of the IGHRG programs is to listen to community priorities through meaningful engagement, build community research capacity and provide training.

One of the team's most successful projects, Cancer ACCESS, was a collaborative project that gathered knowledge regarding cancer and cancer screening in remote Arctic communities to identify barriers and opportunities for increasing utilization of cancer screening services. This research has helped inform policy and practice on the topic. In addition, her team is also working to improve maternal, child and seniors' health in the Canadian Arctic. Another successful project, WHY ACT NOW? aimed to improve health and wellness for Indigenous youth, by Indigenous youth.