Canadian Rural Health Research Society

Building connections in rural and remote health research across Canada

The Canadian Rural Health Research Society (CRHRS) grew from national efforts to connect rural and remote health researchers across Canada. With its head office located at the Canadian Centre for Rural and Agricultural Health, CRHRS brought together researchers from multiple disciplines and regions to strengthen rural health research through collaboration, capacity building, knowledge exchange and scientific meetings.

Our history
Building a national rural health research network

Beginning in the late 1990s, researchers, organizations and communities from across Canada began working together to strengthen rural and remote health research. These connections led to the Canadian Rural Health Research Consortium and, ultimately, the Canadian Rural Health Research Society.

1998

Rural health research meetings at the University of Lethbridge and the University of Saskatchewan provided opportunities for researchers from across disciplines and regions to connect.

1999

A meeting hosted at the University of Saskatchewan brought together 129 researchers from across Canada and contributed to the development of the Canadian Rural Health Research Consortium.

2000

The Consortium established its mission and goals and held its first national scientific conference, with 75 abstracts and presentations.

2001–03

The Consortium evolved into the Canadian Rural Health Research Society, a national incorporated not-for-profit society.

2000-2015
A national meeting place for rural health research

CRHRS conferences brought together researchers, practitioners, students and partners from across Canada to share knowledge, develop research connections and explore emerging issues in rural and remote health.

CRHRS conference in Ottawa, Ontario, 2000
Ottawa, ON · 2000
CRHRS conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 2001
Saskatoon, SK · 2001
CRHRS conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2002
Halifax, NS · 2002
CRHRS conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 2003
Saskatoon, SK · 2003
CRHRS conference in Sudbury, Ontario, 2004
Sudbury, ON · 2004
CRHRS conference in Quebec, 2005
Québec, QC · 2005
CRHRS conference in Prince George, British Columbia, 2006
Prince George, BC · 2006
CRHRS conference in Vermilion, Alberta, 2007
Vermilion, AB · 2007
CRHRS conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 2008
Saskatoon, SK · 2008
CRHRS conference in Kingston, Ontario, 2009
Kingston, ON · 2009
CRHRS conference in Fredericton, New Brunswick, 2010
Fredericton, NB · 2010
CRHRS conference in Richmond and Vancouver, British Columbia, 2011
Richmond & Vancouver, BC · 2011
CRHRS conference in Levis, Quebec, 2012
Lévis, QC · 2012
CRHRS conference in Prince George, British Columbia, 2013
Prince George, BC · 2013
CRHRS conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 2014
Saskatoon, SK · 2014
CRHRS conference in Edmonton, Alberta, 2015
Edmonton, AB · 2015

Fifteen years of national connections. From Ottawa to Saskatoon, Halifax, Québec, Prince George, Fredericton and Edmonton, CRHRS meetings created opportunities for Canada's rural health research community to connect, collaborate and exchange knowledge.

2007

The Development of the Canadian Rural Health Research Society: Creating Capacity Through Connection

M.L.P. MacLeod, J.A. Dosman, J.C. Kulig & J.M. Medves

Published in Rural and Remote Health, this paper documents the development of CRHRS and examines the challenges, lessons and opportunities involved in building rural health research capacity through a national network.

Read the paper

Preserving the history of rural health research in Canada

These materials are maintained by the Canadian Centre for Rural and Agricultural Health as part of the historical record of rural and remote health research, collaboration and capacity building in Canada.