Dr. Delia Gavrus, photo supplied
The University of Winnipeg is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Delia Gavrus (assistant professor, history) as the 2017 Chancellor’s Research Chair. Gavrus is a vibrant and expressive researcher who will be working on a biography of Dr. Wilder Penfield, a renowned Canadian neurosurgeon and Renaissance man, during her three-year term as Chair.
Gavrus’ areas of research include the history of science, medicine, technology, as well as American and Canadian cultural and social history. Her work explores the ways in which theories about the human brain and mind have been fashioned in conjunction with the various scientific, clinical, social, and cultural realities of the 19th and 20th centuries.
“I ask questions about the relationship between scientific knowledge and professional identity, the epistemic basis of medicine, the social sources of expert authority, the interaction between medicine and the law, and the representation of medicine and science in popular culture,” said Garvus. “This biography is a continuation of this work that will allow me to use a new lens to focus my questions about the evolution of our understanding of the brain by looking at the rich life of Dr. Penfield, who had a profound impact on that knowledge.”
Penfield was a pioneering neurosurgeon who was driven to unlock the mysteries of the human brain. He revolutionized the techniques of brain surgery and made major discoveries about human cognition, memory and sensation. As Gavrus suggests, “He also was a philosopher of mind who brought his knowledge, surgical experience, and literary erudition to perhaps the most difficult question — that of human consciousness.”
“Dr. Gavrus’s proposal — to write a biography of Dr. Wilder Penfield, a project for which she is excellently qualified — is an exciting example of the kinds of cross-disciplinary research initiatives that many of our colleagues are working on at UWinnipeg,” said Dr. Neil Besner, Provost and Vice-President, Academic.
The former Chancellor’s Research Chairs include: Dr. Craig Willis, biology; Dr. Angela Failler, women’s and gender studies; Dr. Melanie Martin, physics; Dr. Bruno Silvestre, business and economics; Dr. Kevin Walby, criminal justice; and Dr. Renée Douville, biology.
MEDIA CONTACT
Naniece Ibrahim, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7130, E: n.ibrahim@uwinnipeg.ca
