Media releases

• Brock grad returning from Australia to become new Dean of Graduate Studies

  Monday, April 25, 2016 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: R00091, 25 April 2016

  A Brock alumnus is coming a long way home to become the University’s new Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

  Jens Coorssen will leave his position as Chair of Molecular Physiology in the School of Medicine at Australia’s Western Sydney University, and return to his native Niagara to take up the Brock position. The five-year term begins on July 1.

  Coorssen succeeds Michael Plyley, who will step down when his five-year term expires on June 30. Plyley came to Brock in 2001 from the University of Toronto. He has been Dean of Graduate Studies since 2011, and has spent most of his time at Brock helping to expand graduate activity at the University.

  Coorssen is an internationally known scientist whose career led to appointments in Germany, the U.S. and across Canada before he joined Western Sydney University in 2008. His research has spanned disciplines including cell physiology, electrophysiology, proteomics and lipidomics. The work has an impact in a wide range of health concerns, including injuries to the spinal cord and central nervous system, seizure disorders, memory/cognitive deficiencies and pre-term labour.

  No stranger to Brock, Coorssen earned his undergraduate (Honours BSc, ’86) and Master’s (MSc, ’88) here before earning his PhD at McMaster University in 1993. In 2012, he received a Brock University Distinguished Alumni Award.

  Coorssen said he and his family are “thrilled to be coming home.”

  “In particular, I am eager to return ‘home’ to Brock, my alma mater, that gave me a solid career grounding,” he said. “I bring my extensive international experience to the important role of further building and developing Graduate Studies in collaboration with staff and students across Faculties and disciplines.

  “Brock is a model university for the 21st century and I am devoted to working with everyone to make that more clearly recognized, internationally.”

  The appointment was announced Monday by Neil McCartney, Provost and Vice President Academic, who said it is critical for the Faculty of Graduate Studies to be guided by someone with world-class research credentials.

  “Mike Plyley did a tremendous job in raising Brock’s graduate studies profile in Canada,” said McCartney. “It was vital that the job be continued by a leading researcher knowledgeable about global trends and connections, and we are extremely pleased to have found that in Jens Coorssen.”

  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
   

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  Categories: Media releases

• Two new master’s programs launched in Brock’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

  Monday, April 25, 2016 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: R00089 – 21 April 2016
   

  A Master of Professional Kinesiology (MPK) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) are being added by Brock University’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences.

  The two new programs, aimed at meeting the requirements of today’s healthcare professionals, will launch this September.

  The full-time, one-year Master of Professional Kinesiology will train students to have an advanced understanding of the latest research to improve function, health and wellness in diverse populations.

  “Graduates of the MPK program will be prepared for an evidence-based, clinically oriented career in a variety of healthcare organizations, as well as positioned to take on leadership roles in the health sector,” says Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Nota Klentrou.

  The lab-based coursework and professional development courses will provide students with advanced knowledge of human movement and foster professionalism, communication and problem solving skills.

  The unique opportunity for internship placements with diverse populations across the lifespan is another distinguishing factor that will provide Brock MPK students with an understanding of the rehabilitation and management processes involved in working with a wide spectrum of target populations.

  Applications for the MPK program will be accepted until May 15.

  Also scheduled to launch in September is Brock’s first-ever exclusively online master’s program in Public Health.

  The MPH will be delivered to full-time students over 12 months and part time students over a maximum of four years. The program has been tailored to meet the needs of public health professionals, health practitioners and recent postgraduate students through online courses and a practicum.

  “Our goal is to enhance each student’s theoretical and applied knowledge in public health. Graduates of the MPH will be prepared to compete for positions in a variety of public health organizations,” says Klentrou.

  The curriculum has been built on the foundation of identifying the interdisciplinary elements required to design, implement and effectively manage public health systems.

  A unique aspect of the MPH program will be the emphasis on infectious disease and control with courses including Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Infection Control and Epidemiology. A Social Marketing and Health Communication course will facilitate graduates in navigating the complexities of public health administration in today’s technologically driven society. These courses will address the growing need to anticipate, manage and mitigate public health crises.

  Applications for the MPH program closed on April 15.
   

  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

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  Categories: Media releases