2019 winners of the Distinguished Academics Awards

Dr. Lachowsky is Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy in the Faculty of Human Social Development at the University of Victoria. He is also a Research Director at the Community-Based Research Centre for Gay Men’s Health, a Collaborating Scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, and an Affiliate Researcher at the BC Centre for Excellent in HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Lachowsky’s research examines HIV and sexually transmitted infection incidence rates and prevention strategies among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. He conducts interdisciplinary research within a social justice framework in order to achieve health equity for marginalized communities. His research into the connections between sexual health, mental health, and substance use are deepening the understanding of the complexity of preventing sexually transmitted infections among marginalized populations. Dr. Lachowsky has received over $24 million to support his research and research with collaborators. He has published 67 peer reviewed articles and delivered close to 200 scholarly presentations.

Dr. Brian Menounos is Professor in the Department of Geography and holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Glacier Change at the University of Northern British Columbia.

Dr. Menounos was nominated for his research in building connections between historical climatology and ongoing work on climate forecasting and the significant consequences for public policy planning. His research to date provides a detailed picture of the current health of glaciers and ice in western North America outside of Alaska.

Another important outcome of his research has been the influence on organizations like the Engineers and Geoscientists of BC who, as a direct result of Dr. Menounos’s advocacy, formally accepted global climate change as a result of human activities and passed a motion of expectation that its membership “consider the impact of their work on climate.” This position represents a philosophical and practical shift in approach from previous beliefs about extreme climate related events. Furthermore, it will encourage the development of different measures and approaches toward better preparing for extreme climate related events through the work of engineers and geoscientists.

Dr. Balka is Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. She is recognized for her devotion to helping people better use technology to affect positive change in many domains, such as the health industry and the advancement of women in technology. Her research focuses on the design, implementation, and use of health information technologies, health indicators and their use in health decision-making, and technology and public policy.

Dr. Balka has helped women’s organizations and non-profits across Canada harness the power of technology to advance equity, diversity, and social change. By attending to the often hidden social dimensions of technology, her work has resulted in the development of new processes and innovative methods, which have saved money, improved technology design, and given voice to under-represented groups.

Dr. Balka uses a multidisciplinary lens to reveal the role that technology plays in constructing real-world outcomes relating to sex, gender, work, and health. Her scholarly and methodological contributions extend across the areas of participatory design, social informatics, technology studies, systems design, and health policy. She has obtained more than $7 million in research funding as principal investigator. She has edited three books, two monographs, and more than 50 refereed journal articles and 20 book chapters.