Dr. Kovacs Burns oversees interdisciplinary and interprofessional health research, education and practice. Her health and social programs, policy analysis and Knowledge Mobilization experiences relate with perspectives of decision makers and other knowledge users, while her interdisciplinary health research approaches and experiences, particularly with vulnerable populations, provides her with perspectives on their access to primary, acute and long-term care, service utilization and needs, as well as practice and policy impacts. Her past work experience with provincial government health and social services ministries and with community organizations provides her with a broad-based perspective on health and social issues. She is also actively involved with local, national and international health and patient organizations.

Health research is complex and challenging to do effectively, comprehensively and with rigour. It requires an interdisciplinary and cross-sector team approach, with adequate supports. Ideas were explored in the literature, through surveys and strategic planning exercises, resulting in the establishment of the Interdisciplinary Health Research Academy supported by the University of Alberta. To provide spaces, opportunities and resources for diverse stakeholders to connect and interact on common health research interests is what IHRA’s infrastructure does; to bridge different perspectives on health issues and have diverse research teams collaborate to investigate answers to those complex issues is what IHRA facilitates and supports.