Lori Hanson
J. W. George Ivany Internationalization Award - Fall 2007
Dr. Lori Hanson, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan, is a passionate advocate for global health and social justice. Dr. Hanson’s unique strengths and vision have lead to the creation of innovative international curriculum, new programs, improved policies, and increased networking both within and external to the College of Medicine. She is a dedicated mentor and a gifted teacher, but she is also a skilled leader, dedicated to improving the institutional environment and policies toward increased global awareness and social transformation. To that end she has chaired the College of Medicine’s Internationalization Advisory Committee for the past five years. Under her leadership the Internationalization committee developed global health education and research bursaries for students and seed grants for faculty. As well, together with students in Health Everywhere, they are currently offering the fifth annual Global Health Educational Series which provides a forum for both university and internationally recognized speakers to discuss issues on global health.
Dr. Hanson excels at fostering the development of personal and organizational networks and has done so skillfully with provincial and national organizations as well as U of S faculty. She spearheaded work to create an on-line database of College of Medicine faculty involved in international work, co-founded a campus-wide Global Health Research Interest Group, and created an internationalization list-serve, with over 130 campus-wide members sharing information on global health initiatives, conferences, events and news. At the national level, Dr. Hanson co-chairs the Capacity Building Task Group of the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research where she organizes and leads global health research seminars, events and institutes in Canada and abroad. She is also a member of AFMC Global Health Education Group which is working to create core competencies in global health for medical students.
Dr. Hanson’s passion for fostering global citizenship is reflected in her innovative teaching style. Informed by a long history of participatory educational practice, her classes actively involve students in the work of community-based organizations and invite students to explore links among the health issues of marginalized peoples globally and locally. She has developed new curriculum in global health including an interdisciplinary study abroad class in Nicaragua and orientation modules for study abroad opportunities.
Dr. Hanson’s work is grounded in two decades of work for community-based organizations, NGOs and governmental agencies both locally and internationally. She has worked in over a dozen countries of the Global South, including Nicaragua where she lived for 6 years prior to joining the U of S. Her work involved establishing programs and projects in primary health care and health promotion involving hundreds of community health promoters and traditional midwives as well as carrying out community-based research projects. She currently continues to volunteer with women’s organizations in both Canada and Nicaragua.
Dr. Hanson’s contributions go well beyond the normal expectations of a Canadian academic.
