The Conference for Undergraduate Health Research (CUHR) 2025

Canada’s first Health-Focused undergraduate research conference.

UHRE is proud to present that the 2025 CUHR conference will be taking place on…

May 9, 2025

Special Note: Due to an unexpected pipe leak at the conference venue, which has caused severe damage to several seminar halls, the conference has been relocated to a different building. However, this has resulted in a change of the conference date from May 8 to May 9, 2025. We would like to sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

The conference theme for CUHR 2025 is…

From Discovery to Delivery: Transforming Ideas into Impact

Application Link and Abstract Submission Guidelines

To apply to UHRE’s fourth annual CUHR, please click the button below or follow this link to apply: tinyurl.com/CUHR-2025

To refer to the Abstract Submission Guidelines, please click the button below

Key Dates

Conference Awards

CUHR has exciting news in store for our presenters! To support our theme of “From Discovery to Delivery: Transforming Ideas into Impact”, we have created a series of awards for those who can demonstrate best how their work has an impact on the future of health.

We want students to tackle the questions of tomorrow by thinking about the wider implications of their work, and how health research can be a vessel for positive change to those around us. With this in mind, we would like to present the following awards…

  • Valued at $500, and will be awarded to a CUHR presenter whose research and presentation are exceptional and address issues/topics related to health equity.

  • Valued at $500, and will be awarded to a CUHR presenter whose research and presentation are exceptional and involve collaborations between at least 2 different researchers and/or institutions/organizations from different disciplines.

  • Valued at $350, and supported by the founding dean of the Faculty of Health at York University, Dr. Harvey Skinner, the Harvey Skinner Research Impact Award is awarded to the student whose work best exemplifies the theme “Agents of Change”. Students who have used their research as an inspiration to create initiatives or contribute to their community are best eligible for this award. This award is open to all students, and we give presenters the opportunity to share how their work has had a positive impact!

  • Valued at $200, the award will be presented to a CUHR presenter who demonstrates research excellence in the field of hematologic disorders or issues/topics related to blood.

  • Valued at $100, and will be awarded to a CUHR presenter whose research heavily emphasized and demonstrated translating basic science knowledge into practical applications.

  • Valued at $100, this award is presented to a CUHR presenter whose research demonstrates exceptional impact in enhancing the wellbeing and resilience of children, youth, emerging adults, and their families.

  • Valued at $100 and presented to a CUHR participant who exemplifies exceptional scientific communication. The recipient must be currently enrolled in a degree program within the Faculty of Science.

Eligibility & Presenter Details

CUHR is a conference with broad eligibility criteria. Our conference is centred on human health, and as such, we accept research on any topic that can be demonstrated to have a clear link to health. For full application criteria, please view the “Download Submission Guidelines” Document.

 

  • We accept the following non-exhaustive types of projects: summer research, volunteer research, independent study, honours thesis, and internship projects. Awards and recognition will be given to the top performing presenters, and participants will have their submitted abstracts published on the UHRE website.

    Research work must be associated with an accredited institution (ex:University, Hospital, Research Centre), and completed with a supervisor.

  • Accepted abstracts should be prepared to make a 10-minute presentation (maximum time limit) accompanied by slide show, with an additional 4 minutes for a question and answer period. Presentations are to be made individually (i.e. one [1] primary presenter per presentation).

    Additionally, presenters can choose to make a poster presentation rather than an oral presentation, in the application link. However, please note that poster presentation spots will be limited and presenters should be prepared to make an oral presentation if they do not receive a spot for a poster presentation.

  • Abstract submissions must be accompanied by a brief statement less than 100 words by the primary presenter describing how the work attempts to make a unique contribution to its field of inquiry OR how you will be an Agent of Change in your field.

    The supplemental statement serves as an opportunity for reflection by the prospective presenters, as well as help support in part the candidates eligibility for the awards.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

Submission to CUHR will be anonymized and reviewed by a panel of experts in the field within which the research work pursues. Submissions will be screened using a specific set of grading criteria. To maximize your eligibility for the conference, please consult the brief overview of our selection criteria, below.

Alignment with Theme - CUHR views researchers as vessels for change in the way we care for and address human health. This criteria is primarily evaluated using the supplemental statement that is submitted in the application.

Quality & Credibility of Content - Successful applicants’ work demonstrates critical thinking and establishes connection between concepts and the research being done. The research method will also be evaluated for its appropriateness in addressing the presented research question. For an example of a high quality abstract that meets and exceeds this criteria, please view the Sample Abstract on page. 5 in the Submission Guidelines document, linked above.

Organization & Quality of Writing - Our reviewers will also consider the organization and writing of the submitted abstract. Please ensure that your abstract has all the required components (e.x. Purpose, Design/Methods, Results etc.). Writing must be clear, organized, and absent of spelling and grammatical errors.

Significance of the Study - Is the research significant, in that it serves to address a meaningful gap in our understanding within the field which the study is inquires?

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Questions?

Contact us at uhreyorku@gmail.com or through the Contact page on our website for any questions about CUHR, or the Undergraduate Health Research Exploration program.