Support Applied Health Sciences

Together we can build a healthy future

Committed to improving the quality of life for individuals and communities through innovative education and research activities, Applied Health Sciences is a leader in the development of strategies that prevent disease and injury, protect and promote healthy living, optimize physical ability, and improve well-being across the life course.

Learning and research occur in settings ranging from classrooms, laboratories, and specialized research centres to partner organizations in the local and national community.

The Faculty is unique in Canada because it engages in population-based disease prevention research and plays a leadership role in national research networks that study population-based interventions to reduce diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Applied Health Sciences is very successful in translating research into practical programs that support health and wellness. These programs have had a profound effect on the lives of many people, including obese children, persons with dementia and their partners in care, the aging population, cardiac patients, and those battling cancer.

Please consider supporting one of the following priority projects:

School of Public Health and Health Systems building

The School of Public Health and Health Systems focuses on developing solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges, such as reducing health inequalities, the health consequences of aging, global conflict and global climate change, water safety and health information management.

These solutions will be pursued by working strategically with the Faculty’s national and international stakeholders and leaders in public health such as the World Health Organization, Canadian Cancer Society, Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information, to integrate the most important and emerging needs of these agencies into our curriculum, training and research.

This ensures our research is directed at transformational public health care solutions and that our graduates are positioned to have an immediate impact leading these organizations.

Canadian Index of Wellbeing

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) is an independent, non-partisan network located in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. The CIW is a robust information tool that provides a new way of measuring wellbeing that goes beyond narrow economic measures.

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing provides unique insights into the quality of life of Canadians – overall, and in specific areas that matter: our standard of living, our health, the quality of our environment, our education and skill levels, the way we use our time, the vitality of our communities, our participation in the democratic process, and the state of our leisure and culture. In short, the CIW is the only national index that will measure wellbeing in Canada across a wide spectrum of domains.

The CIW Network aspires to enable all Canadians to share in the highest wellbeing status by identifying, developing and publicizing statistical measures that offer clear, valid and regular reporting on progress toward wellbeing goals and outcomes Canadians seek as a nation.

Undergraduate scholarships

Among the many significant ways of recognizing students' achievements are scholarships, bursaries, and other awards. These are important ways to reward talented students for their accomplishments and provide financial assistance to help them with their educational expenses.

The University of Waterloo has a goal of ensuring that all qualified full-time undergraduate students have adequate financial assistance for their studies, and being offered a student award or scholarship can make the difference in whether or not a student chooses UW.

Graduate scholarships

UW's spirit of innovation continues to cultivate knowledge and ideas that have an impact on local, national, and international communities. Our graduate students contribute significantly to research that encompasses many areas — from public health to recreation management.

The Faculty of Applied Health Sciences will use these donations to leverage provincial matching programs. For every $5,000 disbursement by this fund, the Ontario government will contribute $10,000 towards a $15,000 OGS scholarship to support our bright and innovative graduate students.

MAREP

The Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP) is an innovative program that integrates research and education activities in an effort to improve dementia care practices in Canada. MAREP's goals are to:

• enhance the ability of partners in care (both professionals and families) to respond to the needs of persons living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias;

• build individual capacity by strengthening skills and providing resources and information to persons diagnosed with dementia, to help them contribute to their own care and live meaningful lives; and

• ultimately improve the quality of life of those with dementia and their families.

MAREP is involved in a number of ongoing and new initiatives that have made significant advances in translating research into practical tools from which others can learn.

UW WELL-FIT

The UW Well-Fit Program integrates physical activity into cancer recovery. Cancer patients undergoing treatment often experience unpleasant and negative side effects such as fatigue, weakness, nausea, psychological distress, weight gain/loss, and depression.

Evidence has shown that monitored physical activity will minimize negative impacts on patients and improve their quality of life. In partnership with physicians at Grand River Regional Cancer Centre, exercise specialists from UW assess and guide patients through a group physical activity program that has significant positive effects on well-being, energy level, and mental health.