An epidemiologist, Heather Munroe-Blum is one of Canada's most influential spokespersons for universities in matters of research strategy and policy. While vice-president of Research and International Relations at the University of Toronto, she significantly increased the resources and initiatives in support of research and higher education. Promoting the development of effective public science policy, she is the principal author of a highly regarded report on the role of university research. A former dean of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, she has also taught at McMaster and York universities and is currently vice-chancellor and principal of McGill University.