Dr. Lesley Brown (Kinesiology and Physical Education) is the University's new associate vice-president, research, a role she assumed officially on May 1 after having served in the role of assistant vice-president, research since January 2010.
An accomplished researcher, she joined the U of L in 1997 following her post-doctoral studies at the University of Oregon, and focuses her research on the aging process, balance, falling, fear of falling and Parkinson's Disease.
Most recently, she and her team have been studying the effect of music on walking abilities in patients with Parkinson's Disease, and exploring fear of falling as a risk factor for falls in the elderly. She continues to supervise masters and doctoral candidates.
"I am very pleased that Dr. Brown has accepted this position," says
Dr. Dan Weeks, the U of L's vice-president, research. "Her experience with provincial and federal funding will be a key asset to the U of L. The extent of accountability and compliance required by governments and funders has increased significantly and Dr. Brown will lead the internal responses to these challenges."
Weeks says that Brown's familiarity with the campus community, and with cross-departmental collaborations, will be of significant value to the U of L as the institution moves forward. "Many funding opportunities involve working on projects that might bring very different research disciplines together," says Weeks. "Lesley has a great ability to connect with people and help move ideas forward."
Brown says that her main priorities are to finalize the Strategic Research Plan, in addition to being a point of contact for faculty members.
"I am very pleased to have been selected for this position, and I am looking forward to continuing planning and implementing the new research initiatives that I have been working on. I will also be looking forward to sharing our Strategic Research Plan with faculty in the near future."
This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.