We are pleased to announce that Dr. Angela Towle has been reappointed as the Academic Director of the UBC Learning Exchange.
Since 2013, Dr. Towle has ensured the UBC Learning Exchange effectively links with UBC's academic mission. The unit annually engages more than 1,200 students and 55 faculty members from a wide range of disciplines including business, education, library and information studies, medicine, pharmacy, public health and sociology.
There have been a number of highlights under Angela’s tenure, including:
- The Making Research Accessible initiative, a multifaceted approach to knowledge exchange developed in collaboration with the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC Library, UBC iSchool, SFU Library, Vancouver Public Library, researchers, and Downtown Eastside organizations;
- Support for UBC researchers for community-based research and knowledge exchange events;
- Development of two new positions: Student Learning Coordinator and Community-based Research Coordinator;
- Supervision of graduate student projects at the UBC Learning Exchange, in partnership with community organizations;
- Evaluation of the UBC Learning Exchange’s programming and publication of a paper on novel theatre-based approaches to evaluation;
- Partnerships with UBC faculty on the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund grants;
- Development of a student orientation video series, Shifting the Story, as part of suite of orientation materials that are widely used across the Vancouver campus and in local communities.
Dr. Towle brings more than 30 years' experience in curriculum and faculty development, medical education scholarship, and community engagement to the role. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, a Senior Scholar in the Centre for Health Education Scholarship within the Faculty of Medicine, as well as the Co-Director of Patient and Community Partnership for Education in the Office of UBC Health. Between 2002 and 2010 she held the position of Associate Dean, MD Undergraduate Education, Curriculum & Vancouver Fraser Medical Program in the Faculty of Medicine, and was also part of the leadership team that implemented the expansion and distribution of the medical school.
We are confident that under Dr. Towle’s leadership, the UBC Learning Exchange will continue building on its strengths and meeting the needs of its diverse audience. We look forward to working with her in her third term.