Dr. Heather Carnahan has been appointed the new dean of Memorial’s School of Human Kinetics and Recreation (HKR).

Dr. David Wardlaw, provost and vice-president (academic), believes that HKR is headed in a positive direction in terms of growth and research and notes that Dr. Carnahan’s highly relevant experience will have a great impact on the success of the school.

“I’m delighted to welcome Dr. Carnahan to the Memorial University community,” said Dr. Wardlaw. “She is a highly accomplished individual who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this important role. I would also like to thank Dr. MacKinnon for serving in the role of acting dean of HKR over the past 11 months. We very much appreciate his leadership and his dedicated service to the school in an important transitional year between permanent deans.”

Dr. Carnahan is a professor of occupational science and occupational therapy at the University of Toronto where she is a research scientist with the Women’s College Hospital Research Institute. She is currently the interim vice-president of education at Women’s College Hospital, director of the Centre for Ambulatory Care Education and holds the BMO Chair in Health Professions Education Research at the Wilson Centre.

Her previous positions include assistant professor and career scientist in physical therapy at Western University and professor with the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, where she attained the rank of full professor. While at Waterloo, Dr. Carnahan served as the associate chair of graduate studies for kinesiology.

In 2006 Dr. Carnahan joined the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto as full professor. During this time, she held numerous leadership positions at the university and its affiliated hospitals. She has also been acting director of the Wilson Centre at the University Health Network and graduate co-ordinator of the Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Carnahan has received many distinctive awards, including the Award of Distinguished Service from Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, where she also served as section editor, and a Young Scientist Award from the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning. In 2004 she had the honour of being named one of Maclean’s Magazine’s Most Popular Professors at the University of Waterloo. From 1992-97, Dr. Carnahan was consulting editor for the Journal of Motor Behavior and, more recently, associate editor of the International Journal of Learning.

Dr. Carnahan’s research history is extensive and varied. She has presented at hundreds of conferences nationally and internationally, and has published more than 100 papers related to her findings.

Dr. Carnahan holds a bachelor of physical education from McMaster University and a PhD in kinesiology from the University of Waterloo. Her PhD was followed by an NSERC post-doctoral fellowship in psychology at Western University.

The recommendations of the search committee were accepted by Dr. Gary Kachanoski, president and vice-chancellor, and approved by the Board of Regents on May 27. Dr. Carnahan’s appointment is effective Sept. 1, 2013, for a five-year term.