Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellowship

Eligibility

Fellows elected to the Academy will be health and biomedical science leaders who have achieved national and international peer recognition for their contributions to the health sciences (awards, invited lectures, invited reviews and editorials) and who have demonstrated potential and commitment to work with the Academy to advance it’s mission.

The academy recognizes distinguished candidates who have achieved international recognition and sustained excellence within the many fields of health sciences accomplished to date. 

Candidates will have demonstrated: 

• leadership and potential for civic contribution and engagement (evidenced by elected or appointed roles and offices in their own institution and in regional, national and international organizations); 
• creativity and productivity (exceptional scholarship, publications, innovative technologies, patents, and other non-traditional measurements of success and accomplishment); 
• distinctive competencies (the Academy recognizes people with diverse backgrounds, expertise and experiences that will contribute to the body of expertise of the CAHS); 
• demonstrated commitment to the advancement of health sciences and public health outcomes (academic service and innovation at local, national and international levels, including teaching and public/community service); 
• and evidence of contributions to advance inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility in Canada.

Other eligibility criteria:

• Individuals working in government, NGO or private sectors are eligible if they have a stellar record of accomplishment in the public interest that attests to their ability to advance the mission and goals of CAHS. 
• At the time of election, Fellows working in a university will normally hold the rank of Full Professor and those working in other non-academic sectors will normally have senior positions. 
• All nominees must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents unless exceptional circumstances prompt the Board to rule otherwise. 

Summary

Download the 2025 Nomination Guidelines (Preparing a Fellowship Nomination) and Dossier here: https://cahs-acss.ca/nominations/ 

The objective of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) is to provide assessments of and advice on key issues relevant to the health of Canadians. The Academy recognizes the full breadth of health science including all of the medical and allied health sciences ranging from fundamental science to social science and population health. 

Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honours for members of the Canadian health sciences community. This honour embodies a covenant to serve the Academy and the future well-being of the health sciences irrespective of the Fellow’s specific discipline.

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee
The SUPPORT: Research Awards Committee is now available to review and provide feedback to strengthen nominations for major research prizes and awards and advise on the suitability of award nominations. SUPPORT will also review the CV of a potential candidate for Fellowship in the RSC and advise on their suitability for nomination at this time.

If you wish for the SUPPORT: Research Awards committee to review and provide feedback on a nomination package, please include the following materials:

1. 500 word summary and assessment of the nominee's accomplishments and contributions that justify election into the Academy (see Nomination Form 2025, page 6)
2. 500 word personal statement from the nominee (see Nomination Form 2025, page 8)
3. Candidate's CV

If additional components of the nomination package are available by the SUPPORT deadline, the committee would be pleased to review all available materials.

Submission process:

1. Faculty research office or Associate Dean (Research) must submit the request for review to researchawards@ucalgary.ca
2. Each submission must include a SUPPORT Review Form
3. Each Faculty must submit a short statement describing how equity, diversity and inclusion were considered in the Faculty’s internal selection processes. (One statement required per faculty)

SUPPORT Nomination Review Deadline: February 3, 2025
SUPPORT Candidate Review: anytime

Nomination
Read the nomination guide, Preparing a Fellowship Nomination – 2025

Three letters of nomination are required. CAHS will consider applications where none of the nominators are CAHS Fellows.

The primary nominator must provide a letter of nomination that introduces the nominee and co-nominators.

Two co-nominators, who would normally be an institutional leader from the nominee’s institution and a colleague from a different institution, national or international, will attest their support of the nomination.

Letters should:

• describe the nature and duration of the professional relationship(s) with the nominee and must address in specific paragraphs the first five (5) characteristics of recognition, leadership, creativity, distinct competencies, and commitment to advance the health sciences;
  • The primary nominator should describe how the nominee positively contributes to inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) through their teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles. 
  • Co-nominators also may address the above (IDEA) if they have knowledge of the nominee’s contributions. 
  • You may wish to review the following links, as a framework of how you might describe and value a nominee’s IDEA related activities and outcomes:
    • NSERC guide on integrating equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research
    • Research Excellence at CIHR
    • The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)
• be based on personal knowledge of the work of the nominee;
• expand on statements made in the CV, but not restate them as presented by the nominee.

NO MORE THAN THREE (3) LETTERS OF NOMINATION WILL BE ACCEPTED. Letters should not be more than 3 pages long.

Read the instructions for the nomination letters in the nomination form carefully.

Submission

The primary nominator is responsible to co-ordinate the nomination package. Electronic submissions only to Kayla Bimm at kbimm@cahs-acss.ca

Notification

Nominees are advised of outcomes in July but information is embargoed until Induction ceremony in September.

A large number of outstanding candidates are nominated each year. It is inevitable that some are not elected in the first year. Nominations are active for three years and updates to the original nomination package are accepted through this period. Annual solicitations for updated materials are made to the primary nominators.