Vivek Goel

Vivek Goel is a Canadian physician and academic who served as the 7th president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo. As a physician and public health researcher, he was also a university administrator, and served as a special advisor to the president and provost of the University of Toronto, and as a professor for the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. He is recognized in Canada and internationally as a public health researcher and expert in health-services evaluation. He has been an advocate for the use of research evidence in health policy-making.

Education Goel obtained his medical degree from McGill University. He then completed post-graduate medical training in Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Goel went on to do a Master of Science (MSc) in Community Health from the University of Toronto and a Master of Science (MS) in Biostatistics from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Goel left the University of Toronto, in 2008, to serve as the first president and CEO of Public Health Ontario until 2014. Goel returned to the university in 2015 to serve as its Vice-President of Research and Innovation, and Strategic Initiatives, holding the office until 2020. He was also the Chief Academic Strategist of Coursera. On 2 December 2020, Goel was appointed as a Member of the "Order of Canada" for his contributions as an academic and administrator who is committed to the advancement of public health services, evidence-based health care and research innovation.

It was announced in November 2020 that Goel would be the seventh President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo. He was officially installed on November 8, 2021. In 2023, he was recognized for his contributions to the Canadian health system through the Canadian Health Leadership Network’s McNaught-Taillon Leadership Award.

Goel is set to conclude his tenure as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo in June 2026.

Honours

Awarded on 2 December 2020. 80px Member of the Order of Ontario (O.Ont.) 2024