茄子直播

Barbara Fallon appointed 茄子直播鈥檚 associate vice-president, research

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(Photo courtesy of Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work)

Barbara Fallon, a professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and an expert in child welfare policies and practice, has been appointed the University of Toronto鈥檚 associate vice-president, research.

The role will see Fallon tasked with boosting the quality, impact and resourcing of research across 茄子直播鈥檚 three campuses. She will begin the position on May 1, 2022, for a five-year term.

Fallon, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare and received 茄子直播鈥檚 President鈥檚 Impact Award in 2020, says she鈥檚 excited for the opportunity and 鈥渉umbled to work with the executive leadership team鈥 at the university.

鈥淚 always think of research, service and teaching as a three-legged stool and how those components work together at the university fascinates me,鈥 said Fallon. 鈥淩esearch must be informed by both service and community impact and teaching.

鈥淗elping to support vast and varied programs of research across 茄子直播 is something that I鈥檓 really excited about.鈥 

Fallon says she鈥檚 been an 鈥渋ncredible beneficiary鈥 of mentorship and support throughout her career and is looking forward to building resources and support for others in her new role. That includes: further developing 茄子直播鈥檚 culture of inclusive excellence in research; supporting and advocating for major awards and grants; and developing and resourcing 茄子直播鈥檚 research infrastructure.

Fallon calls herself a 鈥渓ongstanding 茄子直播 community member,鈥 having taken on various teaching, research and administrative roles since 1995. At the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, she was the associate dean of research from 2015 to 2019 and the PhD director from 2013 to 2015.

鈥淟et me be the first to congratulate Professor Barbara Fallon on this new appointment,鈥 said Leah Cowen, 茄子直播鈥檚 vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. 鈥淪he has a true passion for enabling research excellence, nurturing collaborative communities, fostering research impact, building partnerships and facilitating communities of practice.

鈥淧rofessor Fallon also brings complementary expertise to the leadership in our office, which will be instrumental in supporting the breadth of research excellence across our tri-campus university.鈥濃

Fallon鈥檚 research focuses on families and children who are involved in the child welfare system. Her work, which has informed child welfare policy and practice, has received more than $20 million in funding and been published in more than 200鈥痯eer-reviewed publications. She has collected national and provincial data on children and families in the child welfare system to build an evidence-based understanding of the trajectories they face.

As she has advanced in her career, Fallon says she has become an advocate for a transdisciplinary approach to research.

鈥淚 like working with people who are trained differently than I have been and finding synergies in our questions,鈥 she said. 鈥淯nderstanding research from different disciplines and how it can inform my own program of research has always been important to me.鈥

For more than 20 years, Fallon has also worked closely with First Nations communities. She recently co-authored a paper on the potential short- and long-term solutions to the health and socio-economic inequities that the pandemic exacerbated in First Nations communities across the country.

She is currently the scientific director of the First Nations/Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (FN/CIS) and鈥痺as the principal investigator of鈥痶he Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS).

Fallon says she is looking forward to the opportunity to 鈥渢hink creatively about research infrastructure and how it can facilitate diverse programs of research.鈥

She hopes to continue teaching when she鈥檚 settled into the new role.

鈥淚t鈥檚 that three-legged stool approach,鈥 she said. 鈥淭o be a good researcher, you have to be a good teacher and you have to work with community. I am hoping to continue to teach and learn from students and certainly remain connected to community.鈥

 

 

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