A New University Librarian - Sophie Regalado

Sophie Regalado will join Lakehead University’s academic community as the new University Librarian beginning November 17, 2026.

With over two decades of leadership spanning academic and hospital libraries, Sophie currently serves as Director of the Health Sciences Library and Data Stewardship Office at NOSM University.

“I’m delighted to join Lakehead’s academic community and to lead its exceptional library team as University Librarian,” she says. “Libraries are at the heart of learning and discovery, and I look forward to working with colleagues, students, and the broader Lakehead community in shaping the next chapter together.”

Prior to her time at NOSM U, Sophie held progressive leadership roles within the Health Sciences Library for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine on Lakehead’s Thunder Bay campus. She’s been an active member of Lakehead’s Centre for Research on Safe Driving since 2016 and taught as a sessional lecturer in Lakehead University’s departments of History and Gender and Women’s Studies. In addition, she also served as the Manager of Library Services at St. Joseph’s Care Group in Thunder Bay.

Sophie holds a Master of Information Studies from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in History from McMaster University. A distinguished member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals since 2015—the highest professional credential for health sciences librarianship—Sophie has deeply contributed to her field. Her leadership contributions include serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association and President of the Ontario Health Libraries Association. Beyond her university roles, Sophie has also held key roles with the Medical Library Association, the Canadian Health Libraries Association’s Board of Directors, and currently chairs the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Frameworks and Standards Committee. Her dedication to the field has been celebrated nationwide, receiving both the Ontario Health Libraries Association’s Outstanding Achievement Award and the Canadian Health Libraries Association’s Canadian Hospital Librarian of the Year Award.

“We are thrilled to have Sophie joining us and look forward to welcoming her to Lakehead University and this new role,” says Dr. Gillian Balfour, Provost and Vice-President (Academic).