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Recent News

Barb Riley named new Executive Director at Propel
On October 31, 2011, Susan Elliott, Dean, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and George Dixon, Vice-President of Research at the University of Waterloo, announced the appointment of Barb Riley as Propel’s new Executive Director.
Survey finds more young men using smokeless tobacco
The Youth Smoking Survey examined the use of smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco and snuff) by youth between 2004 and 2008. They found that in Canada, young men are the prime users of smokeless tobacco, with the highest use being in western provinces and the lowest in Quebec.

At the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, our vision is to prevent cancer and chronic disease by improving health at a population level.

We conduct impact-oriented research, evaluation, and knowledge exchange in the areas of tobacco control, youth health and quality of life for people affected by cancer.

Our approach is collaborative: we work with leaders in science, policy and practice, to jointly plan, conduct, and act on studies that lead to improvements in policies and programs and guide change. We are committed to moving evidence into action.

Propel is a partnership between the Canadian Cancer Society and the University of Waterloo.




Tobacco Control


Tobacco Control


Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death. In Canada alone, there are almost five million smokers. If they continue to smoke, between one-third and one-half of these smokers will die from their use of tobacco.


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Youth Health


Youth Health


Canada's youth are at risk of developing preventable chronic diseases due to tobacco use, unhealthy eating, and physical inactivity, and environments that support these unhealthy behaviours.



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Quality of Life


Quality of Life


An estimated 173,800 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year in Canadians. This number will increase because of aging and growth in the population (Canadian Cancer Statistics, 2010).


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