Media releases

• Brock names new Associate Vice-President, Academic and Dean of Social Sciences

  Thursday, May 03, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 2 May 2018 – R00093

  Brock University Interim Provost Tom Dunk announced the appointments of two senior administrators Wednesday, May 2.

  Dunk announced that Brian E. Power will become the University’s new Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Academic while Ingrid Makus will become the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Both will begin five-year terms on July 1.

  Power has been Associate Dean of the Faculty of Humanities for the past six years and is also former chair of the Department of Music, part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. A scholar in early music, Power is an accomplished choral and solo tenor as well as a violinist.

  He will succeed Greg Finn, who has held the senior academic administrative position for the past 11 years. Finn will be staying on for six months as a special advisor to the Provost, before taking an administrative leave.

  “Brian knows the Brock community and culture, and he also has considerable administrative experience to complement his scholarly achievements,” said Dunk. “We are pleased to have someone with these qualifications take on this important position for the University.”

  Power said he welcomes the opportunity to play a new role in helping take the University into a future of new potential.

  “Academic quality assurance is essential to our mission at Brock,” he said. “As I join the Office of the Provost, I am both honoured and excited to be taking on this key responsibility.”

  Dunk also announced Wednesday that Makus will become Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences after serving as Interim Dean for the past 17 months.

  “Ingrid has done a great job over the past year and a half in the role on an interim basis, and I’m confident her innovative approach to leadership will help the Faculty thrive in these complex times,” Dunk said. “It’s a combination of her experience as a department chair, associate dean and interim dean, and her demonstrated commitment to lead in a collaborative and transparent manner.”

  Makus served as chair in the Department of Political Science and has been part of many University committees. She held the role of Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research for FOSS, and was Interim Dean in the Faculty in 2013-14, before taking on that role again starting in November 2016. Makus’ academic expertise is in political theory, the politics of gender and reproduction, and diversity issues.

  “I’m excited and thrilled to be selected as the next Dean of Social Sciences,” she said. “It’s diverse in the structure and makeup of programs, as well as the types of students.

  “This is an incredibly vibrant and dynamic group of researchers, scholars, staff and advisors,” she said. “This is a Faculty that is moving forward in directions that align perfectly with the strategic mandate of the University and the informal things we’re emphasizing like experiential learning and community engagement.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Policy brief from Brock NCO and Niagara Region calls for novel approaches to improve health and prevent illness

  Wednesday, May 02, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 2 May 2018 – R00092

  A shared responsibility across different health, social, government, economic and education sectors is a key element to improving health outcomes, recommends a new Brock University — Niagara Region Public Health policy brief.

  Each stage of life from infancy to old age has characteristic health challenges such as illnesses, accidents, and mental health issues says “The Future of Niagara’s Health: Using a Life-Course Approach to Improve Well-Being.”

  But often these challenges are viewed — and treated — in isolation as they occur. The life-course approach focuses our attention on understanding the biggest health issues across the lifespan and considers how to reposition programs, policies and services to address these issues in order to have the largest impact on health and well-being, says the brief, produced by Brock’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) and release in a webinar Wednesday, May 2 hosted by Niagara Connects.

  “The life-course perspective offers a new way of looking at health, not as disconnected stages unrelated to each other, but as an integrated continuum,” says co-author Sinéad McElhone, Manager of Surveillance and Evaluation, Niagara Region Public Health and adjunct faculty at Brock University.

  For example, currently two-thirds of 45- to 64-year-olds in Niagara are overweight or obese.

  As this condition is known to be associated with a multitude of chronic conditions such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and asthma, as well as knee replacements, the life-course perspective identifies times at which targeted interventions may be especially effective.

  This would help reduce the burden on hospitals and clinics in the future, the brief outlines.

  Drawing upon data from a wide variety of sources, the brief provides a detailed snapshot of the region’s overall health challenges as well as those in 11 age groups from birth to those 75 and older.

  The Top 10 reasons why Niagara residents seek health services are cancer, diabetes, digestive system diseases and infections, circulatory system diseases, injuries, maternal/reproductive issues, mental health, poisonings, respiratory infections and diseases, and sexually transmitted infections.

  Health challenges in the various age categories include:

  • Congenital abnormalities (birth defects) were the main cause of death in babies in their first year.
  • Sexually transmitted infections (STI) were most frequently reported for those aged 20 to 24 (especially females); this group had the highest number of STI cases in comparison to any other age group.
  • Most EMS transports for those aged 25 to 44 years were in relation to musculoskeletal and soft tissue pain and gastro-intestinal problems.
  • Hepatitis C was prevalent across many age groups (especially in males) and is the most common reportable infectious disease in Niagara residents aged 45 to 64.
  • Enterics (campylobacteriosis, C. difficile, salmonellosis) are within the Top 5 most frequently reported infectious diseases for those aged 65 to 74.
  • The main reasons for mortality in those aged 75 or older were heart and cerebrovascular diseases, dementia, falls and respiratory infections.
  • Overweight and obesity were the most prevalent self-reported conditions across all age groups, with anxiety and mood disorders being more prevalent in younger age groups.

  “This policy brief is an attempt to advance new ways of understanding and approaching the design and implementation of public health policy in Niagara,” says NCO Director Charles Conteh.

  “The discussion embraces a holistic life-course perspective and explores how health-related policies, programs and services in Niagara can give greater consideration to the social, economic and environmental dimensions of individual and community health and well-being.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases