Julia Smith

Dr. Julia Smith is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University and leads the Health and Social Inequities Theme within the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society. An interdisciplinary social scientist, Julia’s research interested converge around public health policy, feminist analysis, and global health governance. From 2020 on, she co-led the Gender and COVID-19 Project, researching the gendered effects of the pandemic response across 12 countries, including in Canada. Her book, Conscripted to Care: Women on the Frontlines of the COVID Response, was published by McGill Queens University Press in 2023.
Julia has over 20 years’ experience working with health and development programs in Canada, Europe and Africa, and frequently works in consultation with government and civil society at both the local and global level. She is a Faculty Member at the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity and alumni of the Rotary Peace Fellowship. In 2022, she received a Health Research BC Michael Smith Scholar Award.