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Nearly four decades ago, around Manulife’s 100th anniversary, we made a $500,000 contribution to a new population health research initiative by CIFAR (the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research) – and a partnership began that would endure through decades, with Manulife contributing nearly $3 million in that time.
CIFAR, is a unique organization that was formed in 1982 to facilitate studies bridging disciplines including the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, it was one of the few groups globally prioritizing interdisciplinary studies across borders.
The research initiative that kicked off the relationship “changed the traditional concept of public health to look beyond disease to the social determinants of health,” said Eugene Wen, Manulife’s Vice President of Group Advanced Analytics. “Social development programs now are all rooted in that theory. And it started with CIFAR research with Manulife’s funding support.”
Dr. Wen, a former physician and epidemiologist, has been instrumental in driving the relationship between Manulife and CIFAR since 2016. When an opportunity arose early in the pandemic to support CIFAR’s work related to Canada’s pandemic control and recovery, he was quick to champion it, leading to the creation of the Manulife-CIFAR Population Health and Well-being Grant program, which funded six research projects.
“COVID was the perfect example of why interdisciplinary, global research matters, because no one country could solve this on their own, and no one discipline,” said Leslie McCarley, Vice President for Advancement at CIFAR.
In 2021, Manulife expanded its relationship with CIFAR through the creation of a grant program with a broader focus on population health. Through this, Manulife is now funding seven research projects, prioritizing those that align with our Impact Agenda and our ongoing commitment to sustained health and well-being. These are:
Through Manulife’s involvement with CIFAR, as results of this research become available, we can use them to make business decisions, share them with others, and follow up with the researchers if needed.
But “we don’t intervene or influence the integrity of any of the research,” Dr. Wen said.