Valorie Crooks

Valorie Crooks is a Simon Fraser University geography professor and Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Health Service Geographies.

Since 2006, she has been a faculty member in SFU’s Department of Geography. She previously held a Scholar Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (2012-20) and in 2021-2022 was Fraser Health Authority’s inaugural Faculty Fellow. Crooks has been a proud supporter of knowledge mobilization at SFU and was featured in the Knowledge Mobilizers stories series—run by SFU’s Knowledge Mobilization Hub. Her term as SFU’s Associate Vice-President, Research is effective July 1, 2024.

Crooks is a health geographer by training. Her research interests are in the spatial and place-based dimensions of health and health care. She is a health services researcher with ongoing interest in understanding lived experiences of accessing needed/wanted health and social care services.

The AVPR is a full-time leadership role that supports the priorities and objectives of the VPRI Office. A key objective of the role is supporting the implementation of SFU’s Strategic Research Plan that defines priority areas of research strength and focus for 2023-2028. Her work will support specific actions to enhance the impact of the university in its key research priority areas. As AVPR, she will manage key institutional opportunities, such as institutional level funding proposals and strategic partnerships. The AVPR also plays a significant role in ensuring SFU’s infrastructure and research operations continue to meet the needs of its faculty members.

Crooks is well-positioned in this role to ensure the SFU research community receives the support and services needed to develop and deliver research programs with meaningful impact across the communities served.