Kevin Chan

Chan calls Toronto home. At HSPH, he is researching the little-known "informal" health sector in rural China, comprised of voluntary health workers, pharmacists, and families, and its economic contribution to the health system. He will travel to nine rural provinces to gather household and community health data.

Deeply involved in international pediatric health issues, Chan began more than a decade ago with malnutrition work in Malawi that inspired a career-long effort to bring medical aid and a better quality of life to those stricken by poverty, especially children. He recalls an eight-year-old girl in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, asking him why more could not be done to help them. Chan has sought to tackle that question ever since.

"My life has been committed to helping the less fortunate, from the poorest reaches of sub-Saharan Africa to our own inner cities," said Chan. "And more than ever, I remain committed to global health and the right of every child to have the basic necessities to lead a full and productive life. My charge is simple: over ten million children will die this year from preventable causes. That is ten million children too many."

Among his appointments, Chan has served as president, International Child Health Section, Canadian Paediatric Society and co-chair of the Canadian Society for International Health. He has previously received a number of awards including the Young Researcher Award at the 23rd annual International Congress of Paediatrics, International Paediatric Association.

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, named for the late Canadian prime minister, aims to establish a dialogue between scholars in the social sciences and humanities, and creative individuals with an interest in issues of public policy in government, the professions, business, the arts, and the volunteer sector.