Jeff Reading is Professor in the Faculty of Human and Social Development at the University of Victoria and a faculty associate with the Indigenous Governance Program. He is the inaugural Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health (CIHR-IAPH). Previously, he held the first endowed research chair at the department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto, the Trans-Canada Pipelines Chair in Aboriginal Health and Well-being. Understanding and improving the state of health of aboriginal people in Canada is a lifelong pursuit. As an epidemiologist, his research has brought attention to such critical issues as disease prevention, smoking, healthy living, accessibility to health care and diabetes among aboriginal people in Canada. Distinguished as a leading national and international expert in indigenous health research, his dedication to the pursuit of excellence in research is broadly recognized in academic and government circles. In 2002, Dr. Reading delivered the prestigious annual Amyot lecture at Health Canada, designed to foster innovation and debate on leading health policy issues.