Louise Potvin

Louise Potvin is a Full Professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the School of Public Health of the University of Montreal. She has held this position since 1988 and leads the Canada Research Chair in Community Approaches and Health Inequalities. Her work focuses on reducing health disparities through community-based programs targeting social determinants of health.

Key roles include Director of the CReSP (Centre de recherche en santé publique) since 2019, former Director of the Léa-Roback Research Network on Social Inequalities in Health (2004–2016), and Editor of the Canadian Journal of Public Health (2013–2023). She has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and supervised nearly 50 PhD and Master’s students.

Research Interests: Intersectoral action for health equity, food security interventions, evaluation of community programs, and social determinants of health. Her work emphasizes participatory research and policy translation to address systemic inequalities.

Grants & Projects: Leads major initiatives such as the One Urban Health Canada Excellence Research Chair (2023–2031), focusing on urban health equity. She has secured over CAD 15 million in funding for projects like Pathways Study (tracking food-aid users) and Reducing Health Inequalities Through Public Health Interventions.

Awards: 2021 Pioneer Researcher Award (CIHR), 2017 Pierre-Dansereau Prize, and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2008).

Labs/Teams: Founder of the CReSP, member of the Quebec Population Health Research Network (RRSPQ), and leader of the Canada Research Chair in Community Approaches lab.