Dr. Carolyn Emery named new scientific director for UCalgary's Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship

Dr. Carolyn Emery, PhD, has been named new scientific director of the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship (ITS), effective July 1, 2025. 

Emery, professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, is a physiotherapist and epidemiologist, and joined the University of Calgary is 2004. She is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Concussion and holds joint appointments in Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, and is a member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, McCaig Institute of Bone and Joint Health and the O’Brien Institute for Public Health. 

“I am thrilled to welcome Carolyn to this role,” says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). “Her outstanding experience and service record will be valuable assets in her leadership of ITS.”

Emery is chair of the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre (one of 11 International Olympic Committee Research Centres in Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport) and co-leads the Integrated Concussion Research Program at the University of Calgary. She leads SHRed Injuries: Preventing Injuries and their Consequences in Youth Sport and Recreation (CIHR) and SHRed Concussions and their Consequences (NFL Play Smart Play Safe Scientific Advisory Board and World Rugby). Dr. Emery was inducted as a Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellow and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Emery has led a transdisciplinary research program focused on the prevention of sport-related injuries and concussion broadly in children and adolescents at the University of Calgary for over 20 years. 

“I have had the privilege of working with a growing team of colleagues, postdoctoral scholars, students, and community partners across multiple disciplines and perspectives,” she explains. “Youth, coaches, clinicians, and community leaders have been central to the impact of evidence-informed injury prevention and concussion solutions in the community.” 

Reflecting on the opportunities that lie ahead in her new role as scientific director of the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship, Emery is “excited to work alongside the outstanding ITS academic leads and team to support further growth for transdisciplinary scholarship across campus, in the community, and internationally. 

"There is no better place than the University of Calgary to build on existing strengths and create new opportunities for transdisciplinary scholarship that will have societal impact.”

Steven Bryant’s term as inaugural academic lead concludes

Emery will take over from Dr. Steven Bryant, PhD, the inaugural academic lead for ITS. During his tenure, Bryant oversaw collaboration and innovation activities to advance transdisciplinary research and scholarship at UCalgary, including the Connector Grants program, engaging 16 academic co-leads to lead the five areas of focus, and hosting numerous transdisciplinary events across campus and in the community.

“On behalf of the University of Calgary, I would like to thank Steven for his service leading the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship,” says Ghali. “We are grateful for his contributions to the research community and to his dedication to transdisciplinary research at UCalgary.”