Speech pathologist and change-maker Tammy Hopper serves as dean of UVic’s new Faculty of Health
This May, Tammy Hopper joins the University of Victoria as the inaugural dean of the Faculty of Health—UVic’s first new faculty in 30 years. Hopper joins UVic from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, where she has served as dean since 2021.
Over her more than 20 years at U of A, Hopper served as a professor, scholar, and mentor to a significant number of graduate students. During her tenure, she also served as Vice Provost, Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) for four years.
A longstanding advocate for equity-focused initiatives and Indigenous engagement, Hopper was drawn to UVic’s commitment to equity, Indigenization and decolonization.
Change-maker
Hopper is a change-maker. In her time as a dean at U of A, she participated in the Black Academic Excellence Cohort Hire Initiative, expanded program enrolment to rural Alberta students, and developed a Memorandum of Relational Understanding with Treaty 8 First Nations in Alberta.
In June last year, Hopper’s faculty implemented a new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Teaching & Learning Impact Framework to provide a common language and understanding of what EDI impact means in teaching and learning.
“When we create a diverse student cohort, ensure the sharing of Indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing, and foster inclusion and belonging, the learning context is enriched in ways that students take with them and ultimately infuse in their practice and future work environments,” Hopper says.
She says measuring impact of equity-focused initiatives is complex but necessary if institutions want to make lasting change in the lives of the people they serve.
“Impact is about that ‘So, what?’, the difference that we make for the people we serve. That’s what we’re after, for a positive influence in the health and wellbeing of our communities through the faculty’s work in teaching and learning, as well as research and service.”
Leadership, for Hopper, is a service role. She emphasizes that her successes at U of A came from the combined efforts of her leadership team, faculty members and staff.
Looking forward
The first group of students admitted into the health faculty starts in May. Like Hopper, many students are becoming acquainted with a new city, new institution and new people.
So, what’s next for UVic’s newest faculty? Hopper is careful about being too prescriptive when it comes to articulating a vision. Listening and collaborating with existing health schools and programs is at the top of her mind.
“I want to continue to build on the strengths that currently exist in academic programs and research,” she says.
Conversations are underway at UVic to develop new programs with an interdisciplinary focus as well as to expand enrollment in high-demand programs. And Hopper sees potential in creating a diverse range of options, such as micro-credentials and non-credit courses to offer more flexible options for learners at different points of their careers. She also sees opportunities for strategic investment to support research excellence, consistent with Aspiration 2030, UVic’s Research and Creative Works Strategy.
For now, she is excited to settle into her new surroundings and immerse herself in the beauty of the Island and lək̓ʷəŋən territory.
“I am honoured to be the new dean of the Faculty of Health and am looking forward to collaborating with students, faculty and staff across the university, as we embark on this next phase of the faculty’s development.”
Bringing health experts together
The Faculty of Health builds on UVic’s strengths over the past five decades in health and wellness programs, including nursing, health information science, social work, public health and social policy, clinical psychology, counselling psychology, exercise science and neuroscience.
With more than more than 200 faculty members working in health and wellness on campus, the Faculty of Health will help address health-care challenges locally and nationally by bringing together expertise across UVic—through expanded research, academic programs and new and broadened partnership opportunities.
