Betty Havens was born October 9, 1936. She obtained a B.A. from Milwaukee-Downer College in 1958 and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin in 1965. From 1972 to 1982, she served in the position of Research Director with Manitoba Health. She initiated the Manitoba Longitudinal Study of Aging in 1971 that is still being used by researchers today. From 1982 until 1994, Havens acted as Provincial Gerontologist for Manitoba Health. From 1990 until 1994, she was Assistant Deputy Minister for Manitoba Health. In 1992, Havens was Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. From 1992 until her death in 2005, Havens was Research Associate for the Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation, University of Manitoba. Concurrently, she was Professional Associate, Centre on Aging. In 1994, Havens became Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, a position she held until her death in 2005. Havens wrote numerous articles throughout her career and was the recipient of several awards and distinctions including the YWCA Professional Woman of the Year. In 1994, she received a D.Litt. from the University of Waterloo. In 1997, she was made a senior scholar at the University of Manitoba and in 2005 she was the recipient of the Order of Canada. Havens died March 1, 2005.