Thanks to retiring faculty members for their service to King's

It has come time to say farewell to those faculty members who are retiring. While they will be missed by colleagues, friends and students, they will also be remembered and thanked for their contributions to the King’s community.

After starting as a sessional instructor in the School of Social Work in 1978, Dr. Dermot Hurley joined the faculty at King’s in 2001. He brought to King’s his experience as a child and family therapist in the Department of Child Psychiatry at London Health Sciences Centre. In addition to teaching courses at King’s, which included trauma and social work, advanced clinical practice, family therapy intervention, mental health and resilience, Dr. Hurley served as the faculty representative on King’s College Board for two terms. He also contributed to King’s Cultural Festival each year with Irish Stew, a band he played in with other King’s community members. Dr. Hurley’s retirement is effective July 31, 2023.

“I will remember King’s as an incredibly supportive place that promoted the development of all persons who had the good fortune to work and study in this vibrant community,” says Dr. Hurley.

Dr. Christopher Roney has been part of the Department of Psychology since being hired in 1995. During his time at King’s, he has been active in the academic community, serving as Chair of the Psychology department, and the Research Grants and Research Ethics committees. He also served on the Faculty Association as Chair, Grievance Chair, and Chair of the Bargaining Committee. His retirement is effective June 30, 2023.

“In my time at King’s, it has been a pleasure to work closely with many great colleagues. I have also been extremely fortunate to have had 28 years of experience teaching so many wonderful students. It has been a good ride,” says Dr. Roney.

Dr. Rachel Birnbaum, Professor, cross-appointed with Childhood and Youth Studies and the School of Social Work, has been a professor at King’s since 2002. Dr. Birnbaum was selected as a Member to the prestigious Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in 2016 in recognition of her research as an emerging scholar. That same year, she was recognized by her colleagues at King’s with the Hugh Mellon Research Award. She received the inaugural Distinguished University Professor Designation on April 27, 2023. Her retirement is effective June 30, 2023.

Dr. Ayoub Yousefi, Professor Emeritus of Economics, retired in December after 21 years at King’s. Dr. Yousefi earned his Ph.D. degree in Economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1992. After coming to King’s in 2001, he was actively involved in planning and leading change both at King’s and the School of Management, Economics, and Mathematics. He served as the Department Chair and sat on numerous committees, including representing faculty on the King’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Yousefi’s research has reflected his broad interests and produced a diverse set of papers exploring questions in health economics, energy economics, monetary economics, and international finance, e-commerce and tech manufacturing. Dr. Yousefi succeeded in shining a strong light in new directions. His scholarly stories illuminate the universal principles governing our complex and diverse social lives.

“I have had the privilege of working closely with each of our retiring faculty members, and of getting to know them as friends and esteemed colleagues. They exemplify the very best of our community of learning. In reflecting on their contributions to King’s, one word comes to mind: collegiality. Each has been a model of collegiality: collaborative, fair, humane and always deeply respectful of others even on points of principled disagreement about how best to advance our shared educational mission,” says Dr. Robert Ventresca, Academic Dean (Interim).

Thank you to all of our retiring faculty and we wish you well in your future endeavours.