For Dr. Kamila Premji (Montfort Research Institute, Bruyère Health Research Institute, and uOttawa), the gap between what patients need and the care they receive isn't abstract. As a practicing comprehensive family physician, it’s an inequity she observes regularly in her clinical work.

Bridging gaps in care

Her research turns those front-line observations into evidence on health equity, access to care, and health system integration. Caring for patients has shown her, firsthand, how timely and coordinated care changes outcomes — and how the absence of it falls hardest on people already facing barriers and hardship. That observation is the throughline of her research program. 

Inspired by a community of mentors 

Throughout her career, Dr. Premji has been fortunate to learn from an exceptional community of mentors from the University of Ottawa and across Canada, including Drs. Bridget Ryan, Judith Belle Brown, Moira Stewart, Tom Freeman, William Hogg, Doug Archibald, Claire Kendall, Clare Liddy, Simone Dahrouge, Michael Green, Rick Glazier, Ross Upshur, and Kevin Pottie, among many others. Their mentorship has shaped her research approach and reinforced the importance of collaboration.

Advice for future researchers

Dr. Premji's advice to aspiring clinician-researchers is practical: follow your curiosity and passion and seek out mentors who will challenge you as much as support you. She encourages long-term collaborations across disciplines and prioritizing knowledge mobilization — "Research has its greatest impact when it is accessible to the public and reaches the people who can use it to inform practice and policy," she says.

Appreciating time outdoors and great food

Outside of work, Dr. Premji enjoys hiking and exploring new culinary experiences. A self-described terrible cook, she much prefers enjoying a great meal than preparing it herself !