Esther Ignagni appointed executive director, Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
The Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) welcomes Dr. Esther Ingagni as its next executive director, effective September 1, 2024.
Dr. Ignagni is an accomplished scholar and academic leader who joined TMU’s School of Disability Studies in the Faculty of Community Services (FCS) in 2006, where she has served as director since 2019 and, most recently, interim director of the School of Social Work. Since joining TMU, she has also served on several committees that support the advancement of learning and teaching, including the Universal Design in Learning Committee, School of Medicine Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice Working Group, Learning & Teaching Grants Adjudication Committee, FCS Teaching Standards Committee and Academic Standards Committee.
Within the School of Disability Studies, Dr. Ignagni has led several curriculum innovations, including those that support the school’s unique online delivery for distance students. She led and collaborated on the creation of open educational resources, community and industry collaborations, anti-racist and decolonial curriculum reviews, and interprofessional education initiatives. She is also a strong advocate for robust curriculum quality assurance and has led several Periodic Program Reviews.
Dr. Ignagni holds a PhD from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Her scholarship focuses on intimate citizenship within dis/ableist cultures and seeks to better understand how the private lives of disabled people are shaped by public institutions and policy. Committed to centering lived experience, her scholarship is also deeply driven by public engagement and co-production of knowledge.
Dr. Ignagni’s critical expertise and administrative skill will be an asset to CELT. Her interest in open pedagogies, community-engaged learning, digital learning, and universal design will help advance teaching excellence at TMU.