Aleck Ostry MA, MSc, PhD

Position
Canada Research Chair, in the Social Determinants of Community Health and Associate Professor
Department of Geography, University of Victoria.

Aleck Ostry has training in history, health services planning and epidemiology. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography in the Faculty of Human Social Sciences at the University of Victoria. He received a Canadian Institutes for Health Research new investigator scholar award in 2000 and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research scholar award in 2002. In 2007 he was awarded a Canada Research Chair in the Social Determinants of Community Health. He conducts a research program based broadly on the social determinants of health and teaches courses on this topic.

Research Focus

• Dr. Ostry specializes in population health and the social determinants of health. He runs a program of research on: 1) the social determinants of rural and northern health, 2) workplace social determinants and health - including the impact of technological change, stress, and unemployment - on health and, 3) food security and nutrition policy in Canada.
• He is also interested in the history of public health and medicine.

• Director of a five-year CIHR New Emerging Team investigation on the Social Dimensions of Rural and Northern Health in British Columbia.
• Investigating the effects of labour market change and stress in a cohort of sawmill workers and a cohort of their children.
• Developing and comparing methods for measuring stress at work.
• Investigating the relationship between organizational characteristics of workplaces and workers' health in service and manufacturing sectors in Canada, Australia, and Scandinavia.
• Investigating quality of health information available on the web.
• Food security in British Columbia. Food security and nutrition policy in BC regional health authorities and schools.
• Nutrition policy in Canada.

Courier Address:
Dr. Aleck Ostry
Canada Research Chair
Department of Geography
Social Sciences & Math Bldg. Rm B203
3800 Finnerty Road (Ring Road)
University of Victoria
Victoria, BC V8P 5C2