Appointment of Professor Christine Allen as Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost, Strategic Initiatives (PDAD&C #100)

From: Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President & Provost
Vivek Goel, Vice-President, Research & Innovation
Date: June 28, 2019
Re: Appointment of Professor Christine Allen as Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost, Strategic Initiatives (PDAD&C #100)

We are pleased to announce that the Executive Committee of Governing Council has approved the appointment of Professor Christine Allen as Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost, Strategic Initiatives (AVPVP-SI) for a five-year term, from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2024.

This newly created role reports dually to the Vice-President & Provost and to the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, and will play an integral role in furthering the strategic goals and initiatives of the University. The new AVPVP-SI will work with other Vice-Presidential and Provostial portfolios to identify, assess, and support cross-divisional strategic initiatives involving research and other agencies and industry partners. Professor Allen will work with Deans and Chairs to provide seed funding and foster the growth of initiatives in emerging areas of focus for the University – such as Medicine by Design, the School of Cities, the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, and the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre. In her capacity as the new AVPVP-SI, Professor Allen will serve as the primary contact for cross-divisional initiatives and will help U of T set strategy and seize new opportunities.

Professor Christine Allen is currently the GlaxoSmithKline Chair in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. She has served in several senior academic leadership roles, including Associate Dean, Academic at the Faculty of Pharmacy from 2011 to 2012, Associate Dean, Graduate Education from 2013 to 2015, and most recently Interim Dean this past year. During her time as Interim Dean, Professor Allen demonstrated superb leadership qualities at the Faculty. She took on the role of Divisional Unconscious Bias Facilitator, launched a book club for women in STEM that is open to faculty, staff, and students, and initiated and completed a needs assessment and workplace review for the Faculty.

Professor Allen has a distinguished research and academic track-record, with a focus on the design of innovative materials and drug delivery technologies. She has over 130 peer-reviewed publications in her field, and is the co-founder and served as President of Nanovista Inc., a company focused on high-precision, image-guided cancer therapy. Professor Allen has also served as the Chief Scientific Officer at Avicanna Inc., a leading biopharmaceuticals company working with cannabinoids. Professor Allen’s achievements have earned her numerous awards and honours. She is a fellow of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences and will be inducted as a fellow of the Controlled Release Society and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences later this year. She is currently the Associate Editor of the Journal of Controlled Release, the President-Elect of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, and an appointed member of NSERC’s Governing Council and Executive Committee.

Professor Allen received her BSc from the University of Ottawa, and her PhD in Chemistry from McGill University. Prior to joining the University of Toronto, Professor Allen was the Assistant Director Materials Research at Celator Pharmaceuticals, a spin-off company from British Columbia’s Cancer Agency which was subsequently acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Professor Allen’s collaborative and innovative approach to research, her passion for academic excellence, and her experience with institutional and industry partnerships will be a great benefit to the University in this new role. Please join us in congratulating Professor Allen on this new appointment.