Alayne Adams, PhD, Associate Professor and Global Health Director at the Department of Family Medicine, has received the 2025 Social Prescribing Research Award by the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing (CISP). This national recognition highlights her leadership in advancing the field of social prescribing through The Social Prescription Collaborative, a research initiative jointly led by 9I制作厂免费 and Universit茅 Laval that is generating new knowledge, tools and approaches to strengthen the implementation of social prescription (SP) in Quebec and beyond.
Founded in 2021, the Social Prescription Collaborative is co-led by Catherine Paquet, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing at Universit茅 Laval鈥檚 Faculty of Business Administration with the support of a key community partner, The Eva Marsden Centre for Social Justice and Aging. Since its inception, the Social Prescription Collaborative has enabled research opportunities for over 20 global health and policy scholars from the diverse fields of geography, computer science, nursing, medicine, public health and political science.
The initiative also engages a broad network of faculty members such as Irene Sarasua, RN, Assistant Professor at 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 Ingram School of Nursing, who is integrating social prescribing practices into nurse practitioner-led clinics in Montreal. United by a shared commitment to equity, innovation, and community partnership, this dynamic research community is producing evidence-based tools that advance SP advocacy and implementation across community and primary care settings throughout Quebec.
What Is Social Prescribing?
Social prescribing is an innovative approach to healthcare that extends beyond traditional medical treatments. It enables healthcare providers to connect patients with non-clinical support such as community programs, social activities, or peer support groups that help address social determinants of health, including isolation, housing, and food insecurity. By linking individuals with resources that enhance well-being, social prescribing promotes holistic care and strengthens connections between health systems and the communities they serve.
Innovative Research and Impact
Since its inception, the Collaborative has conducted more than 25 outreach sessions with community and primary care organizations, as well as numerous deliberative dialogues and interviews with nurse practitioners, social workers, physicians, community partners, and patient partners. These efforts have deepened understanding of context-specific needs and barriers across Quebec, laying the groundwork for co-design principles and participatory methods essential to building sustainable, community-anchored SP pathways.
Supported by grants from SSHRC, CIHR, and the Trottier Foundation, the team鈥檚 work has been widely disseminated through advocacy briefs, peer-reviewed publications, and presentations at both local and international conferences. Notable outputs include:
- the development of ontologies to support matching of social needs with available services;
- quality improvement studies on social assessment in primary care;
- a scoping review on barriers to community service use among older adults;
- and the creation of inclusive co-design processes for SP implementation.
In 2024, the team presented their work at the Canada Social Prescribing Conference and led an interactive workshop showcasing participatory co-design methods. This session, attended by nearly 70 researchers and practitioners, was designed and facilitated by emerging scholars and recent 9I制作厂免费 Graduates, Madison Leggatt, Nicole George, and Syrine Gamra (McMaster University), whose leadership reflects the Collaborative鈥檚 commitment to mentoring the next generation of SP researchers.
Congratulations to Professor Adams and the entire Social Prescription Collaborative for this remarkable achievement. Their dedication continues to drive innovation, advance equity and enhance the well-being of communities across Quebec and Canada.
Read more about Professor Alayne Adams:
