Dr. Brenda Brouwer Appointed as Senior Advisor, Academic Innovation

News & Announcements | 11 Apr 2022

Queen’s Health Sciences is pleased to announce that on the recommendation of Dean Jane Philpott, Dr. Brenda Brouwer has been appointed as Senior Advisor, Academic Innovation as of February 1, 2022.

In this role, Dr. Brouwer will contribute to academic innovation that includes creating integrated learning spaces to facilitate interdisciplinary and interprofessional education, research and collaboration amongst each of the schools and programs in Queen’s Health Sciences. Her efforts will culminate in the development and implementation of a plan for a new building for Queen’s Health Sciences.

Dr. Brouwer joined Queen’s after completing a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto. She holds a B.Sc. in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo and an MSc in Biomechanics from McGill University. She is a professor in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy with cross appointments to the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies and the Centre for Neuroscience Studies. Dr. Brouwer’s research focuses on quantifying the biomechanical, neuromuscular and metabolic demands of mobility in healthy aging and stroke.

Dr. Brouwer has served on numerous Senate committees, Council of Ontario Universities’ committees and working groups including the Council on Quality Assurance and the Highly Skilled Workforce Steering Committee. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences and is a member of the Fields Strategy Committee.

In 2019, Dr. Brouwer was appointed Interim Dean, Smith School of Business. She focused on executing Smith’s strategy of offering innovative, relevant programs, launching new degree, certificate and micro-credential programs, supporting high quality research, and advancing initiatives in equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenization (EDII). She formed the Smith EDII Task Force, with a mandate to develop an EDII Strategy and Action Plan informed by experience and data, which was released in March 2021.

Prior to her interim Dean role, Dr. Brouwer completed a secondment with the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI) as Head, Academic Partnerships. In this role she developed and led the talent development initiative cultivating relationships between the academy and industry to support a talent pipeline of master’s graduates with the skills, competencies and knowledge that organizations at the forefront of AI in Canada seek. Building networks between academies and organizations was important to the mobilization of knowledge and talent.

Dr. Brouwer was the Vice-Provost and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Queen’s for eight years, preceded by five years as the Associate Dean. She provided academic and administrative leadership which saw the expansion and development of graduate credentials including professional and applied advanced degrees, the development of resources in support of academic excellence, professional development and student well-being. As president of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies from 2015-2017, Dr. Brouwer played a key role in providing national leadership in graduate education.

Please join the Dean in congratulating Dr. Brouwer on her appointment as Senior Advisor, Academic Innovation.

Dr. Brenda Brouwer Appointed as Senior Advisor, Academic Innovation

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