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Dr. Ellen Balka, professor in the School of Communication, and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Communication, Arts and Technology, receives the
Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award. 

Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award

Named in memory of Dr. Paz Buttedahl – academic, community builder and faculty association leader – this award is for sustained outstanding contributions to the community beyond the academy through research or other scholarly activities by an individual or a group over the major portion of their career. 

Her work is devoted to helping people better use technology to affect positive change in many domains, including the health sector and the advancement of women in technology. Her research focuses on the design, implementation, and use of health information technologies, health indicators and their use in health decision-making, and technology and public policy.

Ellen Balka has helped women’s organizations and non-profits across Canada harness the power of technology to advance equity, diversity, and social change. By attending to the often hidden social dimensions of technology, her work has resulted in the development of new processes and innovative methods which have saved money, improved technology design, and given voice to under-represented groups.

Prof. Balka uses a multidisciplinary lens to reveal the role that technology plays in constructing real-world outcomes relating to sex, gender, work, and health. Her scholarly and methodological contributions extend across the areas of participatory design, social informatics, technology studies, systems design, and health policy. She has obtained more than $7 million in research funding as principal investigator. She has edited three books, two monographs, and written more than 50 refereed journal articles and 20 book chapters.