Cecilia Benoit

I am a cisgender woman of Qalipu Mi’kmaw First Nation and European ancestry, a scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, professor emerita of sociology at the University of Victoria, fellow of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Royal Society of Canada and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Person’s Case. In 2020, I was awarded the Killam Prize for the Social Sciences and in 2022, I was awarded the Molson Prize for the Social Sciences and Humanities, the two most distinguished research prizes in Canada. My research aims to increase equity in health, health care and social inclusion for those who are disadvantaged and treated unfairly in Canadian society. These include Indigenous and non-Indigenous midwives; birthing women desiring a healthy experience of pregnancy and childbirth including those dealing with complexity in their lives; street-involved youth; and adults who sell sexual services. My research programs centre on uncovering inequities embedded in laws, policies, and programs and searching for evidence-based solutions grounded in the experiences of marginalized populations.

Recent publications.