Annalijn I. Conklin

Dr. Annalijn I. Conklin is an Associate Professor (Tenure) at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is also a Scientist at the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes and an Investigator at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging. As a former CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow (2014) and Gates Cambridge Scholar (2011), Dr. Conklin leads the Social Epidemiology and Metabolic Outcomes Research (SEMOR) program focusing on healthy aging and reducing heart health inequities in Canadian women.

Her research program examines how social determinants like social ties and job loss impact cardiovascular risk factors differentially for women and men using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Her work has significant implications for addressing health inequities and promoting healthy aging through social determinants of health.

Dr. Conklin's research spans social epidemiology, metabolic outcomes, cardiovascular health, nutrition, and gender differences, with a growing focus on Indigenous health through her work with the Squamish Nation. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong emphasis on the relationship between social connections and cardiometabolic health outcomes across aging populations, with particular attention to gender differences.

• TOPS/New Investigator Award, Obesity Canada, 2023
• Scholar Award, Michael Smith Health Research BC, 2021–2026
• CIHR-INMD's Early Career Investigator Meeting Award, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2017
• Postdoctoral Fellowship award, Canadian Institute for Health Research, 2014–2017
• Gates Cambridge Scholarship, Gates Cambridge Trust, 2011–2014

Dr. Conklin has secured significant research funding including a $229,500 Canadian Institutes for Health Research Project Grant (2021-25) for her study on multiple social tie transitions and their impact on cardiometabolic risk factors in aging women and men (MORE), and a $59,300 CIHR Indigenous Gender and Wellness Development Grant (2020-23) for developing foraging walks with the Squamish Nation to promote Indigenous women's heart health. Her research has been featured in prominent media outlets including The New York Times, CTV News, and CBC Radio.