Men's Health Research Program

What Men's Health Research Program does

The Men's Health Research Program (MHR) is an academic research unit housed within the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, founded in 2003 by Dr. John Oliffe, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Men's Health Promotion. The program conducts empirical gender analyses of men's health behaviours using masculinities theory and participatory action research (PAR) methods — most notably photovoice — to engage diverse groups of men (including Indigenous men, racialized men, 2SLGBTQ+ men, male veterans, incarcerated men, and older men) in shaping research questions and outcomes. Its portfolio spans mental health inequities, suicide prevention, intimate partner relationships, social connection, prostate cancer, end-of-life care (including MAiD), caregiving, and substance use, supported by over CAD 45 million in competitive grant funding and 452 peer-reviewed publications.

MHR disseminates its work through multiple branded outputs: the core research program, the In Good Company podcast and platform on men's social connections (funded by the New Frontiers in Research Fund), the Men Building Intimate Partner Relationships (MBIPR) international photovoice project spanning 15 countries, the 2025 Real Face of Men's Health Canadian Report co-authored with Movember, and virtual photo exhibitions with 700+ photographs. The program operates a community-led go-to-market model that relies on earned media (CBC, CTV, podcasts), academic conferences, social media, and direct engagement with healthcare providers and policymakers rather than commercial sales.

The program's revenue model is exclusively grant-based, drawing on competitive funding from SSHRC, CIHR, the New Frontiers in Research Fund, Movember, and the UBC School of Nursing's Lyle Creelman Endowment Fund. All outputs are provided free of charge, research participation is voluntary (with honorariums), and the program has no commercial pricing or revenue streams. Its core customers are grant funders, research participants, healthcare providers (its primary applied audience for gender-responsive interventions), government policymakers (catalyzed into Canada's first national boys' and men's health strategy in 2026), and academic collaborators across five countries and fourteen disciplines.

Name

Men's Health Research Program

Legal name

Men's Health Research Program at UBC

Website

https://menshealthresearch.ubc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Men's Health Research Program at UBC is an academic research unit founded in 2003 that uses participatory action research and photovoice methods to study men's health inequities and develop gender-responsive interventions for diverse male populations in Canada and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Men’s Health & Lifestyle Coaching (Non-Clinical) (HSADAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Male Reproductive & Sexual Medicine (Andrology) (HLAKAOAD), Sexual & Reproductive Health & Family Planning (SRH/FP) Programs (BPADAIAD)

Keywords

• Men's health research
• Participatory action research
• Photovoice methodology
• Gender-responsive interventions
• Mental health promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grant Funding: The program operates as an academic research unit at UBC funded by competitive research grants from agencies including SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), the New Frontiers in Research Fund, CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research), Movember, and the School of Nursing's Lyle Creelman Endowment Fund.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Men's Health Research Program is an academic research unit at the University of British Columbia that conducts empirical gender analyses of men's health behaviors using masculinities frameworks and participatory action research (PAR) methods, including photovoice. Its outputs include peer-reviewed journal articles, national policy reports, podcasts, virtual photo exhibitions, and educational resources that inform gender-responsive clinical practices and health policy in Canada and globally.

Product overview

The Men's Health Research Program at UBC is a single, unified academic research program focused on men's health promotion through empirical research and knowledge mobilization. The program operates through multiple branded outputs: the core research program led by Dr. John Oliffe; the In Good Company podcast and companion website for social connections; the Men Building Intimate Partner Relationships (MBIPR) online photo exhibition; The Real Face of Men's Health reports and advocacy materials; and educational resources for training, community engagement, and specific populations. These offerings work together to advance gender-responsive health interventions for diverse groups of men in Canada and globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• In Good Company Podcast: A podcast exploring the importance of social connections for men's health featuring expert interviews
• Men Building Intimate Partner Relationships
• Canadian-based Racialized GBTQ Men's Suicidality Project

Products and services

• Men's Health Research Program
• In Good Company Podcast and Companion Website
• Men Building Intimate Partner Relationships (MBIPR) Online Photo Exhibition

Quantifiable outcome

• Catalyzed Government of Canada's commitment to develop Canada's first national boys' and men's health strategy in 2026
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Movember / Movember Institute of Men's HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovember, the global leading men's health charity, partnered with the MHR program to co-author The Real Face of Men's Health: 2025 Canadian Report. Dr. John Oliffe co-authored the report with Niigaan Sinclair, advocating for a National Men's Health Strategy and catalyzing the Government of Canada's commitment to develop Canada's first boys' and men's health strategy in 2026.
• Reducing Male Suicide Research Excellence ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMHR program members including Calvin Fernandez are trainees with this SSHRC-funded research excellence cluster. The cluster co-presented the BC Provincial launch of The Real Face of Men's Health Report on July 22, 2025 with Movember.
• Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalvin Fernandez presented research on racialized GBTQ men's suicidality at the CBRC Summit 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, contributing to knowledge exchange in 2SLGBTQ+ health research.
• University of ManitobacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNiigaan Sinclair, Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba and Anishinaabe from Peguis First Nation, co-authored The Real Face of Men's Health: 2025 Canadian Report with Dr. John Oliffe.
• Carleton University — Health and Wellness Equity Research GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Francine Darroch, Associate Professor at Carleton University, leads the Health and Wellness Equity Research Group and collaborates with MHR on addressing men's mental health inequities, particularly for Indigenous fathers and fathers living in marginalizing conditions.
• University of Texas at Austin — Innovation in Global Mental Health (iGMH) LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Jennifer Mootz, licensed psychologist and Associate Professor at UT Austin, collaborates with MHR on engaging men in couple-based therapy to mitigate intimate partner violence and improve mental health conditions, applying community-based participatory research in low-resource settings.
• University of Otago — Department of Psychological MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Sarah McKenzie, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Otago, leads participatory arts-based research with MHR on men's experiences of mental distress and socio-structural inequities impacting men's mental health, including the photo exhibition Through the Eyes of Men.
• Université de Montréal — Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique (CRESP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Olivier Ferlatte, Associate Professor at Université de Montréal, collaborates on sexual and mental health of gay and bisexual men, directs Qollab, and leads the CIHR-funded Pride Talk project on online suicide prevention for sexual and gender minorities.
• University of Victoria — School of NursingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Ingrid Handlovsky, Assistant Professor at UVic's School of Nursing, collaborates on older gay men's health and well-being research, including a SSHRC Insight Development Grant on psychological well-being among older self-identifying gay men.
• Centre for Suicide Prevention (Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Division)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in the In Good Company podcast Episode 10, discussing the Buddy Up campaign — a men's suicide prevention campaign in Canada promoting authentic conversations among men and their buddies, raising awareness about mental health in workplaces.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Movember Foundation: The world's largest dedicated funder of men's health programs. While broader in scope than MHR, it is MHR's principal funder, evidence partner, and policy collaborator, and shapes the funding landscape in which MHR operates.

Direct peers

• Global Action on Men's Health: International advocacy organization pushing for national men's health policies across countries. Highly comparable given MHR's role catalyzing Canada's first national strategy and both organizations' policy-focused missions.
• Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC): Canadian non-profit conducting community-based research on 2SLGBTQ+ health and MHR research partner. Comparable in its use of participatory research methods with marginalized populations to inform public health practice.
• Canadian Men's Health Foundation: Canadian non-profit focused on translational men's health programs and behavioral change campaigns. Comparable as a Canada-based men's health organization that bridges research and public engagement.
• Centre for Suicide Prevention (CMHA Alberta): Canadian men's suicide prevention organization and MHR partner (Buddy Up campaign). Comparable in its targeted focus on male suicide prevention using evidence-based resources and community engagement.
• Movember Institute of Men's Health: Global men's health research and advocacy arm of the Movember Foundation and MHR's flagship co-author on The Real Face of Men's Health report. Operates with similar men's health evidence-building mission and overlapping funder relationships.

Regional players

• Healthy Male: Australian men's health organization (formerly Andrology Australia) funded by the Australian Department of Health. Operates a national men's health evidence and clinical guidance function analogous to MHR's research mandate.
• Men's Health Forum (UK): UK-based men's health NGO advocating for gender-sensitive health services and policy. Operates in a different geography but pursues a near-identical mandate of advancing men's health policy and evidence.
• European Men's Health Forum: European umbrella organization advocating for men's health policy across EU member states. Comparable in mission (men's health policy advocacy) and population health evidence-generation, with a regional rather than global focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MensHealthUBC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MensHealthResearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/MensHealthResearchUBC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/menshealthresearch
• Instagraminstagram.com/menshealthresearchubc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Men's Health Research Program