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Lisa Barnoff

Lisa Barnoff

Interim Dean, Faculty of Community Services; Associate Professor, School of Social Work
EducationBA, MA, PhD
Areas of ExpertiseAnti-oppressive practice, equity and inclusion in social service delivery; Anti-racism/anti-oppression approaches to organizational change; LGBT health; Social work education.

Dr. Lisa Barnoff is an accomplished educator, scholar, and academic leader. She joined TMU in 2003 as assistant professor, School of Social Work. A tenured associate professor since 2006, Lisa brings deep institutional knowledge and a strong record of community-engaged academic leadership including serving as director, School of Social Work (2011-2016) and dean, Faculty of Community Services (2016-2021). Most recently, Lisa served on the senior leadership team of TMU's new School of Medicine (2022-2026). 

Lisa is deeply committed to equity, justice, anti-oppressive practice and community-building. She is known for her collaborative, progressive, and community grounded approach to leadership. Across her leadership roles at TMU, Lisa has built and led diverse teams, strengthened academic governance, and advanced systems that support access, equity, and community inclusion. Lisa's contributions to TMU have been recognized with several honours, including the Usha George Faculty Recognition Award (2016), the Errol Aspevig Award for Outstanding Academic Leadership (2020) and, most recently, the President’s Blue and Gold Award for Staff Excellence (2026).

Lisa's program of research and areas of scholarship include anti-oppressive practice, equity and inclusion in social service delivery; anti-racism/anti-oppression approaches to organizational change; LGBT health; and social work education. Lisa holds a PhD in social work and an MA in sociology from the University of Toronto, as well as a BA in sociology from Trent University.