In 1999-2000, the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF)in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), created Chairs in Applied Health Services and Nursing Research. The overall goal is to develop long-term Canadian capacity for applied health services and nursing research through a particular focus on education and mentoring. These Chairs emphasize applied research and links with decision makers in the health system. Because the goal is long-term, the funding is projected to cover 10 years of applications.
Pat Armstrong holds one of these 11 Chairs. The main purpose of her Chair is to ensure that gender analysis is integral to health services and policy research and thus integral to the work of enhancing skills and knowledge in these fields. This Chair seeks to support students and junior faculty working on a wide range of issues. Students are connected through the Chair to a variety of projects or supported in their own research interests that fall outside those in which the Chair is directly involved.