Ranked #1 in the competition, Dr. Roberta Woodgate has been awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Applied Chair in Reproductive, Child and Youth Health Services and Policy Research from 01/2013 to 01/2018 for her program of research entitled, A Child and Youth Centred Approach to Applied Health Services and Policy Research.  Dr. Woodgate has developed a strong foundation of research on children’s and youth’s perspectives and experiences of health and illness that has contributed to advancing the improvement of health service delivery for Canada’s children and youth. The main goal of Dr. Woodgate’s research program is to conduct applied child and youth health services and policy research that involves and is germane to health system managers, policy makers and healthcare providers as well as children and youth who are directly impacted by the research. Through her research, Dr. Woodgate strives to conduct relevant and high quality applied health services and policy research in the areas of child and youth health services. In achieving this goal, she focuses on three priority areas of study:

1. children and youth living with chronic physical and mental illness; 
2. children and youth living with disabilities and complex health needs; and 
3. promoting health and access to health care for children and youth.

Findings emerging from these three areas have significant potential to inform and improve existing health services and supports as well as inform the development of new services and policies that promote health equity and reduce disparities in children and youth living in Canada. Advancing knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) is the second important goal of Dr. Woodgate’s program of research, with research users integrated in all phases, ensuring that results are relevant to their needs and will be translated into policies, programs, and practice. Trainees play a key role in all her research projects and training of the future generation of applied health services researchers in child/youth health services and strengthening applied health sciences and nursing programs at the University of Manitoba (UofM) is the third important goal of my program.

In all her research, Dr. Woodgate strives to ensure that the voices of children and youth are accurately represented by adopting innovative research approaches including the use of photovoice and ecomaps. Dr. Woodgate has developed a therapeutic tools (EMÜD Universe) using a computer video game/virtual environment that may be used for children to assess and manage their feeling states. Overall, Dr. Woodgate’s research challenges existing notions of how children experience illness and health.