Catherine Carstairs

Board Member

Award-Winning Historian, University of Guelph

Dr. Catherine Carstairs is an award-winning historian at the University of Guelph, specializing in the impact of racism, colonialism, gender inequity, ageism, and class on historical and contemporary health inequalities. Her latest book, The Smile Gap: Oral Health and Social Inequality (McGill-Queen’s, 2022), continues her exploration of these themes.

Dr. Carstairs has also authored Be Wise! Be Healthy!” Morality and Citizenship in Canadian Public Health Campaigns (2018) with Bethany Philpott and Sara Wilmshurst, and Jailed for Possession: Illegal Drug Use, Regulation, and Power in Canada, 1920-1961 (2006). She has served as President of the Canadian Society for the History of Medicine (2019–2021) and Chair of the Canadian Committee on Women’s and Gender History (2011–2012). A Fulbright Scholar at UC Davis in 2011, she has received numerous grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Associated Medical Services.

Dr. Carstairs’ deep understanding of the social determinants of health and historical health inequalities will support AMS Healthcare’s efforts to foster a healthcare system that is both compassionate and inclusive, addressing the root causes of health disparities.