iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Indian American professor Dr. Vikas Mehrotra has been appointed as Dean of the Alberta School of Business. Mehrotra will take over from April 11, 2023.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Christine Hughes as Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, effective July 1, 2023, and Dr. Vikas Mehrotra as Dean of the Alberta School of Business, effective April 11, 2023,” said Verna Yiu, Interim Provost and Vice-president (Academic).
“Dr. Mehrotra’s leadership priorities include participatory decision-making, with an emphasis on equity, diversity and inclusion, Indigenization, and active listening. His vision for the Alberta School of Business keeps in mind the challenges and opportunities faced by the larger society we live in. He sees positioning the Alberta School of Business to train generations of leaders working with the global economy, addressing these opportunities, and tackling these challenges as the school’s ultimate goal and mission—a mission the school pursues in close partnership with the business community,” Yiu said in a statement she issued about the appointments.
Dr. Vikas Mehrotra is a professor of finance at the Alberta School of Business and a longtime member of the University of Alberta community. Since joining the University of Alberta in 1992 he has served in a number of leadership roles, including associate dean of MBA programs (2002-2005) where he stewarded the launch of the Masters in Financial Management in Shenzhen, China, as well as degree offerings in Fort McMurray. He also served as a chair of the Department of Finance from 2007-2017, during which time he helped found the Alberta Finance Institute with the goal to foster financial education and research that contributes to the economic development of the province.
Mehrotra’s research focuses on climate risk, family business, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, international financial markets, and environmental, social, and governance analysis. His research in climate risk information disclosure seeks to understand the incentives firms face in voluntarily disclosing climate risk information to their investors and identify the source of gains from reductions in their carbon emissions.
Dr. Christine Hughes is a professor of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences. She has served the faculty as Interim Dean since 2021 and has held numerous other leadership roles in the faculty including the vice dean, assistant dean of PharmD curriculum development, associate dean of undergraduate programs, and chair of the pharmacy practice division.
As a researcher, Hughes focuses on the treatment and prevention of HIV and other sexually-transmitted and blood-borne infections, as well as the role of community pharmacists in sexual health, including screening, treatment, and the administration of vaccines. Her clinical expertise and leadership were recognized with the MJ Huston Pharmacist of Distinction and the Canadian Pharmacists Association Patient Care Achievement in Specialty Practice. She is the recipient of multiple teaching awards, including the University of Alberta’s Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the Bristol Myers Squibb, Excellence in Teaching Award, and the faculty’s Teaching Excellence Award.
