July 24, 2025
Waterloo researchers awarded more than $4.5 million
From advancing the government’s “tobacco endgame” to improving life experiences for older adults, Waterloo researchers are improving health futures
University of Waterloo researchers are at the forefront of tackling some of our nation’s most complex health challenges. Recently, two research projects were awarded more than $4.5 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to advance national research that will aid in shaping a healthier future for individuals and communities.
The CIHR is a federal funding agency comprised of 13 research institutes that support world-class research and innovations to improve human health and strengthen the health care system.
Learn more about the Waterloo researchers and their research projects:
Dr. Geoffrey Fong | Faculty of Arts and Dr. David Hammond | Faculty of Health
$3,656,700
Although smoking rates have decreased in Canada, 3.8 million people in this country still smoke commercial cigarettes. Smoking also remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, killing 48,000 Canadians each year.
Dr. Geoffrey Fong, professor in the Department of Psychology, Dr. David Hammond in the School of Public Health Sciences and the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation (ITC) Project team at Waterloo will conduct critical research to help advance the Canadian government’s ambitious “tobacco endgame” — to reduce tobacco use to less than five per cent of the population by 2035.
“A key challenge in achieving this objective is the rise of new nicotine product use,” says Fong, founder of the ITC Project. “Products such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches have complicated tobacco control efforts because of conflict between their potential harm for youth, due to their high addictiveness, versus potential benefit for adults who may use them to help them quit smoking commercial cigarettes.”
As the nicotine market rapidly evolves in Canada, there is an urgent need for measuring and understanding the use of all these products among both youth and adults.
The study is led by Fong and ITC colleagues Hammond and Dr. Mary Thompson, distinguished professor emerita in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences. The five-year project will extend Canadian national surveys of tobacco/nicotine use by youth and adults that the ITC Project has conducted since 2016.
For more than two decades, evidence from ITC surveys in 31 countries has been used to strengthen tobacco control efforts in Canada and globally. The ITC surveys will provide insight on trends in use of nicotine products and the impact of current and future policies on cigarettes, such as health warnings, taxation and flavour bans. The researchers will also assess how policies and products may impact individuals of key study groups that include low-income and racialized peoples.
The project grant of $3,656,700 is the third largest of the 421 projects funded by CIHR.
“We are grateful to CIHR for supporting our research on the number one preventable cause of death and disease in Canada and the world,” Fong says.
Dr. Heather Keller | Faculty of Health
$986,849
Dr. Heather Keller, professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences conducts research focused on improving the health and quality of life of older adults through food and nutrition. Previously conducted research found the mealtime experience of people living in long-term care (LTC) can be improved.
Her latest initiative, CHOICE+, is an eLearning program designed to empower LTC staff to create more enjoyable, resident-centered mealtimes. Grounded in relationship-centered care, CHOICE+ trains designated staff to lead improvements in their homes, supported by virtual training and mentorship. The designated staff will collaborate with residents, families and staff to implement changes such as reducing rushed meals to promote dignity and satisfaction.
The study will be implemented at 18 randomly selected LTC homes to evaluate the program’s impact on resident nutrition, satisfaction and staff well-being. By tracking outcomes like food intake, body weight and care satisfaction, the research aims to build sustainable improvements and scale CHOICE+ across the LTC sector.
These research projects are supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
