Kate Tairyan

Senior Lecturer

Biography: 

Dr. Tairyan obtained her medical degree in preventive medicine from the State Medical University in Armenia and a diploma in health management from Armenia’s National Institute of Health. She received the Ed Muskie graduate fellowship award to obtain a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration on global health leadership from Emory University. Her public health expertise and work experience includes several positions at the Ministry of Health of Armenia and collaborations with international experts on health policy development and poverty reduction issues at national and local levels. In 2006, Dr. Tairyan joined Health Sciences Online (www.HSO.info) as content director and moved to the University of British Columbia to work as a postdoctoral fellow. During her postdoctoral studies at UBC, Kate also worked at the National Core for Neuroethics and spearheaded a project to evaluate investigator needs for integrating ethics into neuroscience using neuroimaging as the model.

 Kate is also the Director of Public Health for Next Generation University (www.NextGenU.org), the world’s first free university. She received one of the 19 Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health Awards to lead the first free online public health program in the world.

 Dr. Tairyan has taught in FHS undergraduate and graduate programs since 2008.

Research Interests: 

Dr. Tairyan’s research interests are focused on online distribution of health sciences information and education for health professionals around the world; global dissemination of high quality public health education using computer-assisted technologies and local mentorship; and knowledge translation. She has also worked on research projects focusing on ethics issues and neuroscience/neuroethics.

Teaching Interests: 

Dr. Tairyan’s teaching interests in public health and preventive medicine are broad: global health and health determinants; global health challenges and opportunities; health workforce development and online learning; public health program design, implementation, management and evaluation; health policy and health care systems; social marketing; and behaviour change.

Publications and Activities