Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Alan Harrison is pleased to announce that William Pickett has been appointed as Head of the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Queen's University for an initial term from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2018.

Dr. Pickett completed his post-secondary education at three Ontario universities receiving a BSc in biology from the University of Guelph in 1984, an MSc in epidemiology from Queen’s in 1990, and a PhD in preventive medicine from the University of Toronto in 1995.  Following the receipt of his PhD, he joined the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Queen’s, with a special joint appointment with the Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington Health. In 1999, Dr. Pickett joined Queen’s full-time, being promoted to to Associate Professor in 2000 and to Professor in 2008. he also holds a cross‐appointment in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Queen’s and an adjunct appointment in the Department of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

Maintaining an active program of research in the areas of child health, injury control science, and applied emergency medicine research, Dr. Pickett has undertaken significant studies funded by a number of agencies including the Canadian Institute for Health Research, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Career Scientist Program. He has published 190 articles in peer‐reviewed journals as well as numerous abstracts, editorials, case reports and book chapters, in non‐peer reviewed journals.

Since 1996, Dr. Pickett has delivered fourteen courses to graduate level students primarily involving epidemiological methods. He has received several departmental awards for graduate teaching and supervision and he continues to supervise a number of undergraduate and graduate students. He served as the Director of the MSc Program in epidemiology at Queen’s from 2007-11, and has been an active contributor to the department’s teaching programs in undergraduate life sciences and medicine.

In making this announcement, Dr. Harrison would like to extend his sincere appreciation to Dr. William Mackillop for the outstanding leadership that he has provided to the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology since January 2002.