Professor Karen Dodd has been appointed as PVC (Associate) and Dean of the College of Health and Biomedicine. Professor Dodd brings to the role over ten years of university leadership experience and a record of developing major university partnerships with communities for research networks and innovative education pathways; partners and projects include Northern Health, Bendigo, Austin Health, Alfred, Royal Melbourne, and the La Trobe Rural Health School in Bendigo. Professor Dodd was most recently Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor-Academic Partnerships at the College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University and prior to that Executive Dean, and previously Associate Dean Research, both at the Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University. In addition to her academic standing and PhD, Professor Dodd completed an MBA and has a clinical background; she is a currently registered physiotherapist.
It is an exciting time at Victoria University. Its Strategic Plan 2016-2020 sets out a transformational agenda to position the university as both an outstanding and an open university to all students, whatever their educational, cultural or socio-economic background. Further, the University commits firmly to its region, and to engage with industry and the community to make an impact both locally and globally through outstanding applied and translational research. The University aims to be known as a champion of its heartland and transforming communities. Victoria University is proud to be ranked in the top 2% of the World’s Universities (Times Higher Education 2016-2017)
This important new appointment will lead the College of Health and Biomedicine as College Dean. The appointee will also be the Pro Vice Chancellor (Associate) taking university-wide leadership of the University’s health agenda including its aim to become a health promoting university.
The College is a leader in interprofessional health education for its region. College performance in the 2015 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment was impressive, with research in nursing achieving a ranking of well above world-standard.
The Pro Vice Chancellor (Associate) will be critical to developing cross-institutional applied and translational research and industry and community engagement that has measurable impact, especially in sport, health and active living.
Melbourne is Australia’s sporting and cultural capital, and has been rated the world’s most liveable city by The Economist five years in a row.
