Dean's Office Contacts

As a First Nations woman, my passion is being involved – supporting and advocating for all seeking and entering higher education.

My community is Snuneymuxw First Nation and I was appointed as the first full-time Elder-in-Residence at Vancouver Island University in 2012. The Elder-in-Residence position at VIU provides guidance and support to aboriginal and non- aboriginal students, as well as co-teaching, and sharing traditional knowledge and practices in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Human Services (HHS). I have worked in the Elder role with VIU for the past 8 years and have spent 17 years as an Elder’s Co-ordinator for my community. A key part of my role with HHS is to further strengthen ‘Indigenous Ways of Knowing’ into the regular curriculum.

Dr. Patrica O’Hagan is a social demographer who serves as Dean for Health Sciences and Human Services at Vancouver Island University. She has more than twenty years of experience working with communities and employers to develop innovative academic programs and finding solutions to meet the healthcare workforce in Canadian and International settings. Her focus is on the workforce and research address the complexities of the social determinants of health.

News Article, September 7, 2018
Message from the Dean

Suzanne joined the Faculty of Health Sciences and Human Services in the Spring of 2015 after relocating to Nanaimo from Vancouver. She brings with her over 15 years of experience working in a Post-Secondary environment in various roles including customer service, accounting services, financial reporting, and data management. As the Financial Assistant in the Dean’s office, much of her time is focused on budget preparation and review, forecasting, and variance reporting. She works closely with the Dean, Associate Dean, Program Chairs and support staff and is the primary support person in all financial functions within the Faculty.