FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Halifax, NS – Mount Saint Vincent University (the Mount) has recently appointed Dr. Jamie Metsala as the first Gail and Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Learning Disabilities. This endowed Chair is the first of its kind in Canada, and will provide Mount graduates with enhanced knowledge and skills to identify and teach children with learning disabilities in a classroom setting.
“The appointment of Dr. Metsala as the Chair in Learning Disabilities is an important part of the Mount’s commitment to research and education,” says Dr. Ramona Lumpkin, University President and Vice-Chancellor. “With the generous contributions of our supporters, the Mount is positioned to play a lead role in developing new understandings and responses to learning disabilities.”
The Chair in Learning Disabilities will be involved with teaching, research and course development in the Mount’s Faculty of Education at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Metsala’s research and programming initiatives will have a positive and lasting impact on public education practices and on the children and families who struggle with learning disabilities.
Dr. Metsala comes to the Mount from the University of Western Ontario where she was an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education. Prior to that, she taught at the Mount for four years in the Faculty of Education’s Graduate School Psychology Program, she served as Director of Research and Psychology at Integra Children’s Mental Health Centre in Toronto and she was Associate Professor at University of Maryland. Dr. Metsala received a PhD in Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education).
“I’m pleased to be returning to the Mount and taking on this new position. It is very exciting for me to be able to work in an area that I am so passionate about, and to be in a position to work directly with educators to make a difference for children and their families,” says Dr. Metsala.
Dr. Metsala’s current research focuses on cognitive and linguistic processes related to learning disabilities. Throughout her career, she has applied her knowledge and expertise in cognitive science to help children with learning disabilities.
Dr. Metsala will be at the Mount from May 12-13, 2011, to participate in the Atlantic Conference on Learning Disabilities. The conference will also be attended by actor and leading social activist Danny Glover, actor Felix Justice and author Sheree Fitch.
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For more information contact:
Akiko Lovett
Public Affairs
441-0505