The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences is proud to celebrate Dr. Elizabeth Nethery, who has been awarded a 2026 Health System Impact Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)—making her the first postdoctoral fellow from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC to receive this significant award. This highly competitive and innovative fellowship recognizes Dr. Nethery as an emerging leader poised to strengthen Canada's health systems through real-world, impact-focused research. Her selection represents a historic milestone for the Faculty and underscores our commitment to research excellence that drives meaningful change in health systems across the country.
Through her fellowship, she will be embedded at the BC Ministry of Health and working with Dr. Laura Schummers at UBC's Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation. As a perinatal and reproductive epidemiologist, she brings a unique perspective shaped by her broad interest in how research evidence translates into clinical practice and ultimately improves health outcomes. Notably, Dr. Schummers herself was a fellow in this program with the BC Ministry of Health during her postdoctoral fellowship (2020–2022), creating a meaningful continuity of mentorship and expertise within the Health System Impact Fellowship program.
Dr. Nethery will investigate an important question: "Free Birth Control in BC: Who Is Still Being Left Behind?" While universal coverage does not guarantee equitable access, Dr. Nethery's embedded research applies population-level data and policy evaluation methods to understand how health policies shape access to care. She will evaluate British Columbia's free contraception policy to identify who benefits and where inequities remain, generating evidence to guide more equitable reproductive health policies that improve access for all.
Dr. Nethery joins a cohort of 42 new fellows selected in 2026, including 24 postdoctoral researchers and 18 PhD trainees. The Health System Impact Fellowship program has grown to include 370 fellows across 31 universities, partnering with 166 health system organizations nationwide. Fellows tackle pressing challenges in areas such as primary care, mental health, digital health, and health workforce transformation.
The fellowship is supported by the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health (CIHR-IGH).
More information
CIHR Health System Impact Fellows Advance Evidence-Informed Health System Improvements Across Canada — Official press release
Dr. Elizabeth Nethery's Fellowship Profile — CIHR fellowship details