New director will 'drive forward' research centre

Wayne Warry has been appointed as the director of the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research (CRaNHR).

CRaNHR is an academic and applied research centre with sites at Laurentian University in Sudbury and at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.

Its mandate is to conduct interdisciplinary research on rural health with the goal of improving health services, access to health care, particularly in rural and northern communities, and enhancing our understanding of the health care system.

“Dr. Warry is a welcomed addition to our academic community and will certainly help drive forward the goals outlined in the strategic research plan in the area of health and wellness,” said Patrice Sawyer, vice-president, francophone afffairs, research and graduate studies, at Laurentian.

“He impressed the committee with his vision for the CRaNHR. Dr. Warry has several current projects involving research with Aboriginal communities and understands the need for significant community engagement and the importance to commit to participatory research.”

Warry previously served as a professor and the chair of McMaster University's department of anthropology.

His career at McMaster has spanned over 20 years. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from The Australian National University (ANU), a Masters in anthropology from McMaster University and an Honours B.A. in Anthropology, Summa Cum Laude also from McMaster University.

"I am excited by the opportunity to help build and expand on CRaNHR’s already established reputation in applied health research and to develop, in collaboration with the researchers affiliated with the centre, new programs of research that will enhance the delivery of health services to rural and remote populations and help to improve the health of northern Ontarians,” Warry said.