Professor Josephine Etowa receives the King Charles III Coronation Medal
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Dr. Etowa’s research program is rooted in many years of clinical practice and community development, with a strong focus on addressing inequities in health and healthcare, particularly within African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities. Through the CO-CREATH lab, Dr. Etowa brings together diverse stakeholders—including community members, healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers—to tackle systemic health inequities. Dr. Etowa’s work is driven by authentic community engagement, ensuring that the voices of marginalized groups are central in shaping solutions.
With over 300 scholarly publications and more than $50 million in research funding, her academic contributions have had a significant impact. She is dedicated to ensuring that her research leads to tangible, sustainable solutions for Black communities, and her work continues to inspire meaningful change in healthcare and health policy. Ultimately, her work is about more than research—it’s about creating lasting cultural, social, and policy changes that improve health outcomes for Black women and marginalized populations. She is committed to mentoring the next generation of scholars and community leaders, ensuring that her work not only advances academic knowledge but also translates into real-world solutions for the communities that need
A major part of Dr. Etowa’s advocacy is focused on advancing Black women’s health and wellbeing. Among Dr. Etowa’s many innovative initiatives is the Critical Health and Racial Literacy (CHRL) program, which she developed for service providers and PENs. These programs engage and empower ACB communities, helping them to overcome healthcare disparities by building knowledge and trust between marginalized populations and healthcare systems. The Peer Equity Navigators (PENs) program, which Dr. Etowa has led and seen grow, is particularly impactful. Known as ‘Dr. Etowa’s foot soldiers,’ PENs empower hard-to-reach ACB communities to navigate healthcare systems and overcome health disparities. As the program expands across Ontario, Dr. Etowa continues to innovate and scale up initiatives that amplify the voices of those often unheard and directly address these challenges.
Dr. Etowa’s leadership in health equity research, particularly for ACB populations, positions her as a key figure in advancing this work. She specializes in community-based participatory research (CBPR), capacity building, and health and social policy development. Dr. Etowa’s work directly addresses structural barriers such as racism, with a focus on improving health outcomes for marginalized populations, especially Black women. She approaches her research with an intersectional lens, ensuring that both systemic issues and the social determinants of health are tackled in tandem.
As the Canada Research Chair Tier 1 in Advancing Black Women’s Health in Canada, as well as through your previous research chairs in Black Women’s HIV Prevention and Care, and public health, she has established herself as a leader in this field. Her proven ability to build successful partnerships with academic institutions, community organizations, public health agencies, and policymakers is central to her approach, ensuring that structural inequities are addressed collaboratively and effectively.