Governance

Ali Emadi

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Engineering

• emadi@mcmaster.ca

Award-winning auto expert and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Ali Emadi, is the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Hybrid Powertrain. Since joining McMaster in 2011, he’s developed one of North America’s best transportation electrification programs. He was also the Founder, Chairman, and President of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc. (HEVT). He advised the Formula Hybrid Teams at Illinois Tech and more recently at McMaster, with his teams winning the GM Best Engineered Hybrid System Award at the 2010, 2013, and 2015 competitions. He is the author/co-author of over 400 journal and conference papers as well as several books. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. Dr. Emadi received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University.

Michel Grignon

Professor, Economics

Faculty of Social Sciences

• grignon@mcmaster.ca
• LinkedIn

Michel Grignon is a Health Economist and Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Aging and Society. He looks to assess and improve Canada’s healthcare system with regard to Canada’s aging population, which increasingly relies on public services. Michel’s work intends to bridge the divide between efficiency and equity by allocating health resources more effectively. He has found that Canada’s healthcare is constructed to serve acute conditions. Older people, though, are more likely to have permanent chronic conditions. He believes that a healthcare system looks very different when a large percentage of the population it serves will never return to full health. Michel also serves as a public commentator on issues of aging and health equity, and is helping Canadian policymakers improve how they serve our aging population.

Milena Head

Professor, Information Systems

Business

• headm@mcmaster.ca
• LinkedIn

Milena Head is a professor of information systems at the DeGroote School of Business, the Wayne C. Fox Chair in Business Innovation and Director of the McMaster Digital Transformation Research Centre (MDTRC). Her research focuses on human-computer interaction and understanding how we use and misuse technology. In particular, she explores individual differences (such as age, gender and culture) in technology use through multiple methodological lenses. Milena’s research provides practical guidelines that developers can utilize to design interfaces that better allow older adults to leverage the benefits of technology while mitigating their potential negative impacts. She is frequently called upon by the media and community groups to speak about her research and she has been the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards.

Jennifer Heisz

Associate Professor, Kinesiology

Science

• heiszjj@mcmaster.ca
• LinkedIn

Jennifer Heisz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology. Her research examines the interplay between brain and body fitness in the promotion of health. Jennifer directs the NeuroFit lab within McMaster’s Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE), which studies the long-term effects of regular physical exercise on cognitive health. This research will help to determine the optimal dose and type of exercise that mitigates cognitive decline in healthy older adults and individuals with mild cognitive impairment. The ultimate goal of her research program is to understand how lifestyle choices such as exercise can be used for disease prevention. Jennifer’s research interests include health psychology and neuroscience.

Bonny Ibhawoh

Vice-Provost, International Affairs

Department/Faculty

• info@website.com
• LinkedIn

Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh is the Vice-Provost (International Affairs) of McMaster University. He is Professor and the Senator William McMaster Chair in Global Human Rights at McMaster University. He currently serves as the Chair of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development in the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva. He is the founding Director of the McMaster Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice. With over 30 years of experience as a human rights educator, policymaker, and practitioner, he has taught in Universities in Africa, Europe, the United States and Canada. He coordinates the Confronting Atrocity Project, a transnational study of post-conflict truth and reconciliation processes. He is also the Project Director of Participedia, a global research network on public participation and democratic innovations. Dr. Ibhawoh serves on the Board of several International human rights and development organizations. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Alfonso Iorio

Professor and Chair, Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact

Health Sciences

• iorioa@mcmaster.ca

Carmela Laganse

Associate Professor, School of the Arts

Humanities

• laganse@mcmaster.ca
• LinkedIn

Carmela Laganse received an MFA from Ohio University and a BFA from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. She has exhibited nationally and internationally since 2005. She is an Associate Professor and teaches in the School of the Arts, Humanities at McMaster University.

Laganse’s practice is engaged with the intersections of embodied experience and perception, exploring the agency and ideologies embedded in objects. Her work explores the impact of colonialism and examines how it contributes to material culture as well as identity.

Mina Mawani

Executive Director, Dixon Hall

• LinkedIn

Mina Mawani has more than 15 years of leadership experience in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Currently, Mina is the CEO of Dixon Hall, a multi-service agency that serves more than 10,000 people annually, impacting the lives of the most vulnerable and at-risk members of the community.

With a strong background in governance, stakeholder relations and fundraising, Mina has served as the President and CEO of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, The Canadian Women’s Foundation and as CEO of the Aga Khan Council for Canada. She has also served as adjunct Faculty at the Schulich School of Business. Previously, she held key roles at the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mina has served on several non-profit boards, including Women’s College Hospital, Seneca College and Pine River Institute. She is currently a member of the ICD GTA Chapter Executive. In recognition of her remarkable achievements, Mina was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019 by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN). She also received the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award and the ICCC Humanitarian of the Year Award. Mina was also selected as a Diversity 50 Member in 2018 by the Canadian Board Diversity Council.

Mina holds a Master’s in Health Science/Health Administration from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Commerce from York University, a diploma in Nuclear Medicine Technology from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Mina was appointed to the LCBO Board in January 2023 for a three-year term.

Michael Surette

Professor, Medicine

Health Sciences

• isurette@mcmaster.ca
• LinkedIn

Michael Surette is a professor of medicine and Canada Research Chair in interdisciplinary microbiome research. He leads the laboratory for microbiome and polymicrobial research at McMaster University. Michael’s research investigates the role of normal flora-pathogen interactions in health and disease in the area of respiratory infections with a focus in cystic fibrosis. A polymicrobial perspective on these infections has led to identification of overlooked pathogens in airway disease as well as synergistic interactions between avirulent organisms and pathogens. This is a fundamentally different view of airway infections and has led to direct benefits to patients through altered treatment strategies. Michael’s latest academic article focuses on age-related systemic inflammation and macrophage dysfunction.

Ada Tang

Associate Professor, Rehabilitation Science

Health Sciences

• atang@mcmaster.ca
• LinkedIn

Ada Tang is a physical therapist, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean (Rehabilitation Science) in the School of Rehabilitation Science.

Dr Tang and the MacStroke Canada research team are focused on the impact of exercise on cardiovascular health, fitness, and function in people living with stroke and other conditions. Limited mobility following stroke can contribute to physical inactivity and sedentary behaviours, leading to higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Exercise and physical activity can help improve many cardiovascular risk factors and may be an effective strategy for primary and secondary prevention.