Diane Finegood

SYSTEMS THINKING IN HEALTH

Diane's career journey began with degrees in engineering and physiology from the University of Michigan, Northwestern University and the University of Southern California. She came to Canada as a postdoctoral fellow studying the physiology of type 2 diabetes. She landed her first academic position at the University of Alberta, and after 10 long winters, she moved to Simon Fraser University.

Diane was privileged to be able to take detours from a traditional academic path to serve as inaugural Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (2000-2008) and President & CEO of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (2012-2016). She is currently serving as Executive Director of the Canadian Health Services and Policy Research Alliance (CHSPRA).

Diane became a part of the Centre for Dialogue in 2017 when she started teaching in the Semester in Dialogue. Her regular spring Semester in Wicked Problems brings a small cohort of students through an immersive experience of dialogue, building relationships and personal reflection. She also offers students new ways of thinking about the many wicked problems that keep us up at night.

When she is not teaching or supporting the evolution of CHSPRA, she can be found pursuing her passion for changing the paradigm under which we tackle complex problems. She also gives considerable time to many boards and committees where she can apply the knowledge gained during her career journey.