Dr. Smita Pakhale
Physician and Scientist, The Bridge Engagement Centre. | @The Bridge Engagement Centre
2021 Women of Inspiration™ Difference Maker Award
Dr. Pakhale is an outstanding clinician-scientist and a passionate advocate for health equity. Her altruistic contributions to research and extraordinary dedication to the medical care of Canadians, especially those in vulnerable situations, are inspiring. A respirologist by training, she founded and leads The Bridge Engagement Center (The Bridge), a community-based research centre working in partnership with vulnerable populations: individuals who self-identify as homeless or precariously housed, Indigenous and low-income racialized. Dedicated to co-creating innovative evidence-based sustainable solutions addressing the root causes of poor health through a humanitarian and compassionate approach, she is raising awareness of health disparities and supporting disadvantaged communities, leaving no one behind. She holds a Chair in Equity & Patient Engagement in Vulnerable Populations and developed a graduate course on health inequities. The Bridge models, co-created for, by and with the most vulnerable populations to improve their Quality of Life, are acclaimed globally.
