QEII Foundation announces first-of-its kind Health Equity Fund projects to receive grant funding

HALIFAX, NS, Oct. 22, 2025 /CNW/ - Funding to evaluate key components of care for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, along with examining access to kidney transplantation for rural patients, are two projects that recently received funding through the QEII Foundation's Health Equity Fund.

This fund -- a Canadian first to activate intentional solutions to deliver more equitable health care -- is made possible by a $1-million donation from Emera to the QEII Foundation, first announced in January 2025.

Project submissions were reviewed by a Community Advisory Board made up of individuals representing equity-deserving communities and those with demonstrated key expertise. Projects were reviewed under two award categories: the research stream to advance knowledge and understanding, and the innovative stream for creative, practical solutions.

Dr. Phil Tibbo, Paul Janssen Chair in Psychotic Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie, QEII Health Sciences Centre, is leading the innovative schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders project. With approximately 29,000 Nova Scotians impacted by these disorders, there is a critical need to examine if the early psychosis intervention services are being sensitive to rural living and delivered in a culturally appropriate way for new Canadians, African Nova Scotians, black youth, and young adults.

Dr. Amanda Vinson, transplant nephrologist at the QEII, is researching if those living in rural locations are less likely to get a kidney transplant than people living in urban areas, and if so, where the disparity occurs -- during referral, work-up, or the transplant itself. Her study will be a Canadian first to examine whether a rural disadvantage exists for kidney transplant patients in a Canadian population -- in particular, in Nova Scotia -- around timely access and how well someone does after receiving a new kidney.  

The QEII Foundation's new Health Equity Fund is providing grants to healthcare leaders and researchers whose work is advancing health equity for populations across Nova Scotia. Administered through the team at Research, Innovation, and Discovery at Nova Scotia Health, Emera's gift will guarantee funding at $200,000 annually for the next five years.

This $1-million project is part of the QEII Foundation's $100-million We Are campaign to transform health care at and through the QEII Health Sciences Centre.

Quotes

"The QEII Foundation's Health Equity Fund is a meaningful step in improving access to care for all Nova Scotians and Emera is proud to support this important effort. We're encouraged by the progress in seeing these initial projects receive funding -- led by Dr. Tibbo and Dr. Vinson -- and we look forward to the impact their research will have in helping shape a more equitable health system."

-          Karen Hutt, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Emera Inc.

"We are delighted to congratulate Dr. Tibbo and Dr. Vinson, the first two grant recipients of our Health Equity Fund. With a critical health equity lens, both projects show great potential in identifying and closing gaps in healthcare delivery and ensuring patients are receiving the best care. We are committed to transcending barriers and funding solutions and approaches that ensure all Nova Scotians receive equal care. The QEII Foundation's Health Equity Fund, funded by Emera's generous $1-million donation, is one big step in that direction."      

-          Susan Mullin, President and CEO, QEII Foundation

"On behalf of the research team, I am extremely pleased to be awarded this QEII Foundation Health Equity Fund grant. This grant will allow us to further research into the care of youth and young adults who have recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. This innovative project, in partnership with young adults with lived experience with psychosis and their families, aims to evaluate current delivery of programming in a manner that is sensitive to factors that may exist in rural regions of Nova Scotia. In addition, this adapted tool will be developed to ensure it is also inclusive of other diversity factors, such as the needs of newcomers and our African Nova Scotian/Black youth and young adults and their families."

-          Dr. Phil Tibbo, Paul Janssen Chair in Psychotic Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie, QEII Health Sciences Centre

"With more than 40 per cent of Nova Scotians living in rural areas, it is critical to understand whether geographic barriers impact a patient's ability to access kidney transplantation or influence a patient's outcomes after transplant. Understanding potential geography-related differences in care is the first step towards fixing them, reducing the burden of chronic illness for Nova Scotia patients with advanced kidney disease and for the health system."

-          Dr. Amanda Vinson, Transplant Nephrologist, Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, QEII Health Sciences Centre; Associate Professor of Medicine, Dalhousie University   

" Drs. Amanda Vinson and Phil Tibbo show that health equity isn't just about positively impacting and transforming individual lives and communities – health equity also transforms health care and the complex systems that support it. Their innovative ideas to promote health and reduce disparities in equity-deserving communities provide Nova Scotia Health a roadmap for a more responsive, robust, and resilient healthcare ecosystem for all Nova Scotians."

-          Joshua Edward, Director of Research Development, Research, Innovation & Discovery, Nova Scotia Health

SOURCE QEII Foundation

Media Inquiries: Tanya MacLean, VP, Communications and Marketing, QEII Foundation, 902 489 5664 | [email protected]