Prince George, B.C. – A University of Northern British Columbia researcher has been  awarded a prestigious national fellowship.

Dr. Alison Gerlach received a 2016-17 Banting Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research which is worth $70 thousand a year for  up to two years of research.

Dr. Gerlach’s research  is focusing on how  early therapy services such as  children’s occupational therapy,  speech-language  pathology and physiotherapy   can be delivered  in culturally safe, responsive and  effective ways to  Indigenous communities and families in Northern B.C.

UNBC President Dr. Daniel Weeks  says this research  is “another example of UNBC research creating local solutions with national and global impact.”

Dr. Gerlach is the second UNBC researcher to receive a Banting Fellowship. Dr. Maya Gislason was the first, receiving a fellowship in 2013 to work with Health Sciences Associate Professor Dr. Margot Parkes.