Vision Statement

We contribute to our regional and global communities through high-quality teaching, research excellence, and clinical expertise in the health and behavioural sciences.

Mission Statement

The Faculty of Health and Behavioural Science supports, promotes, and encourages exceptional teaching, research, and service, in each of its disciplines.  We embrace evidence-based and interdisciplinary perspectives, and we strive to develop inter-professional collaborations and community engagement responsive to the needs of the communities we serve.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement of the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences 

The Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences (FHBS) recognizes its part in the broader University initiative to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion. This initiative was recently formalized in 2020 with the release of a report, “Accessing Excellence Together: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan” – a joint initiative by the Office of
the President and the Office of Human Rights and Equity. We recognize the importance of the vision to create and maintain a “university that is plural and diverse in its content, structures and people” and the mission to “institutionalize equitable and inclusive principles and practices.”

The FHBS has five units – Health Sciences, Kinesiology, Nursing, Psychology, and Social Work. Each of these units are uniquely positioned to help contribute to this mission and vision of the University. Together we work directly with important stakeholders, including faculty and staff, students, community partners, members of the
public and neighbouring areas where we work, and of course, other departments within Lakehead University that focus on EDI initiatives. We engage in research initiatives, teaching, and service inside and outside the University.

We intend to hold ourselves accountable to Lakehead University’s commitment as indicated in the “Action Plan” with the formation of the FHBS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. This Committee, which was founded in 2021, will oversee two initiatives to contribute to the University’s EDI Action Plan more specifically. These are:
(1) FHBS interprofessional collaboration and (2) the FHBS Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Academics Series. 

With these two initiatives we hope to achieve one key goal relevant to our work: to improve understanding of how EDI issues intersect with our professional activities inside and outside the University. Here we focus primarily on the content and process of research activities, our teaching mission which includes preparing graduates to be aware of EDI issues in their disciplines and practice, and service to the broader university and communities in which we work.  

In working toward our goal, we consider several first principles to ensure our efforts with respect to EDI are in good faith and lead to productive outcomes; these are:
 Collegiality and mutual respect.
 Scholarly rigour and inquiry.
 Mutual support of members of the FHBS to achieve EDI goals and accountability at the unit level.
 Data, evidence, and departmental research to effectively guide our EDI work and its impact.
 An understanding of the similarities and differences among units of the FHBS.
 Equipping both faculty and students with the knowledge to realize EDI.