Vivien Runnels is a Senior Researcher at the Globalization and Health Equity Research Unit in the Institute of Population Health at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, working on global health issues and social determinants of health research. She holds a PhD in Population Health from the University of Ottawa, and a Master‘s degree in Disability Management in Work and Rehabilitation from City University, London, U.K. She is a Registered Rehabilitation Professional of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Canada.

Vivien has made a number of contributions and presentations to academic and professional journals and conferences. She has worked in the education sector as a secondary school teacher, an adult education program coordinator, and as a university research coordinator. In the health sector she has worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor in a provincial psychiatric institution. Vivien has been a community volunteer for over 30 years serving in different capacities and has a particular interest in board governance, and the human rights of persons with disabilities.