Appointment of Vinita Haroun as Director, Centre for Research & Innovation Support (CRIS) – Communications for Academic Administrators

From: Professor Vivek Goel, Vice-President, Research & Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives
Date: July 11, 2019
Re: Appointment of Vinita Haroun as Director, Centre for Research & Innovation Support (CRIS)

I am very pleased to inform you that our search for the inaugural director of our new Centre for Research & Innovation Support (CRIS) has culminated successfully in the appointment of Vinita Haroun, currently Director, Research and Knowledge Translation at the Ontario Long Term Care Association.

Vinita has over a decade of experience in research operations, stakeholder relations, and knowledge exchange and is passionate about building capacity for research and innovation overall. As Director, Research and Knowledge Translation for the Ontario Long Term Care Association, she was responsible for driving a culture of learning and innovation, supporting long-term care operators to provide safe, quality care and excellent quality of life for their residents. She launched This is Long Term Care, the largest research and innovation conference for long-term care leadership in Canada, leading the program committee, and elevating the reach of the conference to an international level through a partnership with the Global Ageing Network in 2019.

Prior to joining the Association, Vinita held positions at the University of Toronto and several affiliated academic institutions including Public Health Ontario, Women’s College Research Institute, and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. At Public Health Ontario, she was the inaugural Manager for Research and Ethics services, and played an integral role in establishing Public Health Ontario as a stand-alone research institute. Since 2015, Vinita has volunteered on the Board of Directors for Lupus Canada, Chairing the Research Committee.

Vinita obtained a Master’s of Science, Health Administration and Health Services Research with a specialization in Knowledge Translation from the University of Toronto and an Honours Bachelor of Science, Health Studies and Gerontology from the University of Waterloo.

The creation of this new role aligns with the launch of the Centre for Research & Innovation Support, a joint endeavour between VPRI, U of T Libraries and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. CRIS will serve as a visible hub and tri-campus connector where faculty can learn about, and easily access the many existing services, training, research tools and expertise offered across the university. CRIS is intended to increase the effectiveness and visibility of research and innovation supports by collaborating with central units and academic divisions to identify gaps and develop services and resources for emerging needs and to ensure programming is current, complementary and supportive and, to provide centralized access / training for research and innovation information and analytics tools. By creating a one-stop resource hub, including a website and physical location at the Gerstein Science Information Centre, CRIS will help support successful and competitive research that attracts funding and garners public recognition.

Vinita will start with CRIS on July 22^nd. While we work to renovate existing space in the Gerstein that will accommodate the Centre, interim space has been made available in Gerstein at B112B.

Please join me in congratulating Vinita on her appointment.