CJF Announces 2026 Indigenous Health Journalism Fellow
TORONTO, May 15, 2026 /CNW/ - The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is proud to announce that Karyn Pugliese is the recipient of this year's CJF Indigenous Health Journalism Fellowship in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association (CMA).
The fellowship is aimed at fostering expert reporting on critical health issues affecting Indigenous communities in Canada. Open to Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) journalists working with a publishing partner to support editorial, production and multimedia capacity, this prestigious fellowship provides a $100,000, one-year research stipend for an Indigenous journalist with at least five years' experience and $50,000 publishing partner support. Fellows and their media partners will collaborate to produce impactful stories in one or more of the following media: broadcast documentary series, podcast or series of published articles by the end of 2027.
For the fellowship, Pugliese will collaborate with national Indigenous media organization APTN to investigate the opioid crisis impact on Indigenous communities across Canada. "We are honoured to name Karyn this year's CJF Indigenous Health Journalism Fellow," says CJF president and executive director Natalie Turvey. "The opioid crisis has had a devastating impact on Indigenous communities across Canada, and the story demands a journalist of Karyn's calibre and credibility.
"Her storytelling is powerful, her ties to the community are deep and her dedication to journalism that creates real change is clear in everything she does."
Pugliese will examine what communities say is working, where harm is being reduced and where people are staying alive. She is to profile at least three First Nation communities: one looking for access to Western-style healing, one looking at traditional programs, particularly land-based programs, and another looking at involuntary programs.
"The CJF Indigenous Health Journalism Fellowship represents an unprecedented opportunity to have significant impact on Indigenous people, Canadian policy and the public in general," notes selection committee chair Connie Walker, a Pulitzer- and Peabody Award-winning journalist. "Karyn's extremely well-crafted application reflected her vast experience in journalism and hooked us in with a personal, urgent and compelling issue, focusing not only on her community but on the broader impact."
The CJF, in partnership with the CMA, acknowledges that Ottawa, where Pugliese lives and works, is s located on the never surrendered homeland of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation, a land of spirit and purity, of healing plants and sacred waters, provided to the People by Creator since time immemorial.
An award-winning journalist, writer, public speaker and educator, Pugliese is a trusted voice with more than 20 years of varied journalistic experience. An Algonquin reporter (Pikawakanagan First Nation) who regularly delivers news that matters to First Nations communities through APTN, Pugliese has held senior editorial and management roles at APTN, CBC and Canada's National Observer.
"This Fellowship reflects our commitment to reconciliation and to advancing health equity for Indigenous Peoples, and we are honoured to support Karyn's work," says CMA President Dr. Margot Burnell. "Indigenous-led journalism helps surface truths that too often go unheard and creates space for solutions that are informed by community knowledge and experience."
Pugliese will be honoured at the CJF Awards ceremony on June 10 at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto. For tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities, see contact information below or visit the CJF Awards page.
CJF Indigenous Health Journalism Fellowship selection committee members are:
- Chair – Connie Walker, Pulitzer- and Peabody Award-winning journalist;
- Nelson Bird, Lecturer, Indigenous Journalism & Communication Arts, First Nations University;
- Cheryl McKenzie, Executive Director, News and Current Affairs, APTN;
- Lauren Pelley, Senior Health & Medical Reporter, CBC News; and
- André Picard, Health Reporter and columnist, The Globe and Mail.
The CJF is grateful for the partnership of the Canadian Medical Association.
CIBC is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 CJF Awards.
The 2026 CJF Awards are supported by Google News Initiative, Rogers, Aritzia, BMO Financial Group, Canada Life, Sobeys, TD Bank Group, Intact, CBC/Radio-Canada, Canadian Medical Association, McCain Foods, RBC, Scotiabank, FGS Longview, KPMG, WSP, Canadian Bankers Association, Aga Khan Development Network, AI Safety Foundation, Barry and Laurie Green, CIGI, Canada's National Observer, CPPIB, Definity Insurance, Fidelity Investments, The Globe and Mail, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Maple Leaf Foods, McDonald's Canada, The New York Times, OLG, OMERS, Ontario Securities Commission, Real Content Networks, Rishi Nolan Strategies, TD Securities, Uber, Village Media, Weber Shandwick and Zai Mamdani/Mamdani Family Foundation.
Cision is the exclusive distribution partner of the CJF.
About the Canadian Journalism Foundation
Established in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a prestigious annual awards and fellowship program featuring an industry gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism. Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers' series, the CJF facilitates dialogue among journalists, businesspeople, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research.
About the Canadian Medical Association
The Canadian Medical Association leads a national movement with physicians who believe in a better future of health. Its ambition is a sustainable, accessible health system where patients are partners, a culture of medicine that elevates equity, diversity and well-being, and supportive communities where everyone has the chance to be healthy. It drives change through advocacy, giving and knowledge sharing – guided by values of collaboration and inclusion.
SOURCE The Canadian Journalism Foundation
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