As part of the 37th annual UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research health policy conference, Dr Monica Aggarwal delivered the third annual Anne Crichton Lecture on March 3, 2025. Watch the lecture here.
Building High-Performing Primary Care Systems: After a Decade of Policy Change, is Canada “Walking the Talk?”
Speaker: Monica Aggarwal, Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr Aggarwal identified the aims, principles, and attributes of a high-performing primary care system, examined the state of primary care reform in Canada, and outlined both short- and long-term strategies to transform the nation’s primary care landscape.
Dr Aggarwal reminded us that the work we do is “not academic or political but deeply personal” as it directly impacts the lives of Canadians. Quoting Winston Churchill, she urges us “not let this crisis go to waste”. She calls on us to “Walk the Talk” and build the foundation of primary care so that “no person or family falls through the cracks.”
The Anne Crichton Lecture is supported by the Crichton Health Systems and Policy Learning Fund. This fund was created in honour of Dr Crichton and her immense contributions to the wellbeing of Canadians. The fund honours Dr Crichton’s commitment to improving BC and Canada’s health care systems by funding an annual prize and lecture by an outstanding scholar, on the health system and policy challenges that remain key to health promotion and the prevention of illness. Learn more about Anne Crichton and give to the fund.
Dr Monica Aggarwal is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. As a health policy and services researcher, she is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost experts on primary care systems across Canada. Her work is dedicated to generating evidence that drives policy change—leading to better outcomes for patients, communities, healthcare professionals, and the system as a whole.
Past Lectures
Dr Fiona Clement delivered the inaugural Anne Crichton Lecture on March 10, 2023. Watch her lecture here.
Dr Katherine Boothe delivered the second annual Anne Crichton Lecture on March 5, 2024. Watch her lecture here.