The UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences is proud to celebrate Dr. Laura Schummers—assistant professor with the Faculty’s Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE)—as the recipient of the 2025 Early in Career Award from the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA BC). This distinguished honour recognizes Dr. Schummers' outstanding contributions to research that extends beyond academia and benefits public health policy.
Dr. Schummers is the only faculty member from the University of British Columbia to receive an award in this CUFA BC awards cycle, underscoring the significance of her work in reproductive population health. Her research focuses on health policy and outcomes, with a particular emphasis on improving access to contraception and understanding its impact on reproductive health. She leads a four-year, nationally funded study by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) assessing the effects of British Columbia’s groundbreaking policy that provides free prescription contraception—the first of its kind in Canada. This research has the potential to shape pharmacare and reproductive health policies nationwide.
Beyond her research, Dr. Schummers is deeply committed to mentoring emerging scholars and policy leaders, ensuring that the next generation of researchers continues to drive meaningful advancements in health policy.
CUFA BC’s Distinguished Academics Awards, established in 1995, celebrate research excellence across British Columbia’s universities, recognizing the crucial role faculty members play in fostering intellectual, social and economic innovation.
The awards will be formally presented at a gala reception on April 24 at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC, where esteemed guests from government, academia and the broader community will gather to honour this year’s recipients.
For more details on Dr. Schummers' award and the full list of CUFA BC award recipients, read the official press release here.