Graduate student profiles

Jessica Delaney

Health Promoter, Brant County Health Unit

Jessica Delaney works with interdisciplinary teams to address public health issues such as substance misuse, mental health and youth engagement. As a Health Promoter she uses a population health promotion approach to guide public health programming which includes researching, planning, developing, implementation and evaluating programs for different priority populations.

Amanda Doggett

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Amanda's PhD research examines the impact that missing height and weight data can have on youth body mass index research.

Laura Fadrique

MSc student, Public Health and Health Systems

Laura's MSc research examined privacy and user trust in companies, and transparency in healthcare IoT (Internet of Things) data collection.

Eric Filice

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Eric's PhD research explores sexuality, information and communications technologies, and body image.

Mahmood Gohari

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Mahmood’s PhD research evaluated how the authorized sale of alcohol in some Ontario grocery stores affected alcohol use behaviours among youth.

Nour Hammami

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Nour's PhD research investigated patterns of protective (physical activity) and risk health behaviours (binge drinking, cigarette smoking and cannabis use) and their relationship with weight status over time among youth participating in the COMPASS study in Ontario, Canada.

Somkene Igboanugo

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Somkene's PhD research examines the embedding of psychosocial stress among firefighters and university faculty and aims to increase our understanding of the relationship between stress and disease.

Nnenna Ike

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Nnenna's MSc research investigated the role of resilience on university students' use of mental health services while on campus. 

Yong-Jin Kim

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Yong-Jin's PhD research investigates the cost-effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the first-line treatment of lung cancer in Ontario.

Kirsten Lee

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Kirsten's PhD research investigates the potential for nutrition labelling on menus to support healthy and sustainable eating in cafeterias.

Jerrica Little

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Jerrica's PhD research examined the clinical mental health needs and service access of emerging adults aged 18-29.

Alex Luther

MSc student, Public Health and Health Systems

Alex's MSc research examined the impact of adverse childhood experiences on Indigenous children, and the nature of coping or resilience strategies to overcome these adversities. 

Julia Man

Executive Officer, Office of the Chief Coroner

Julia Man (MPH ’15) has worked for organizations like the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Office of the Auditor General and the Ministry of Health. In her roles, she has explored health issues from a variety of perspectives. Now, she is working for the Office of the Chief Coroner as an Executive Officer.

Sonya Pirani

Master of Public Health

As a registered nurse, Sonya Pirani (MPH '20) noticed that decisions being made by policy makers did not always reflect the realities she experienced on the front line. Driven by her experiences, Sonya pursued the Master of Public Health program with her sights set on a career in health policy.

Emily Rutter

MSc student, Public Health and Health Systems

Emily's MSc research investigated the relationship between social support availability and cognitive function in Canadian adults between the ages of 45 and 85.

Ahmad Syed

Surgical Clinical Analyst, William Osler Health System

Ahmad Syed (MHI '20) started graduate studies with a clear vision – he wanted to work on the non-clinical side of health care. With this goal in mind, he pursued the Master of Health Informatics (MHI) program at the University of Waterloo. Now, Ahmad works as a Surgical Clinical Analyst at William Osler Health System.

Timothy Muttoo

Master of Public Health

Using simple technology, Master's of Public Health Student, Timothy Muttoo created a water filtration system that is transforming thousands of lives in the Dominican Republic.

Danielle Brandow

MSc Public Health and Health Systems

Inspired by her time as a resident of Northern Ontario, Danielle Brandow focuses her Master's research on the health of indegenous people, and the disparities that many face when living in northern communities.

Lesley Johnston

PhD Public Health and Health Systems candidate

As part of her doctoral research, Lesley Johnston is investigating ways in which community well-being in Mongolia and Zambia are affected by Canadian-sponsored mining operations.

Erika McMullin

Student, Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Erika McMullin is passionate about making a change in Canadian Health Systems. Going through the Master of Health Evaluation (MHE) program has helped her take a step closer to achieving that goal, as she now applies her knowledge of health evaluation to improve government initiatives and health programs. Currently working with a dedicated team at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Erika hopes to continue collaborating with stakeholders and conduct creative interventions to improve patient care for the community.

Babak Rashidi

Internal Medicine Physician, The Ottawa Hospital/Queensway Carleton Hospital

As an Internal Medicine Physician, Babak Rashidi takes on various roles to contribute toward improved patient health care at two of the biggest hospitals in Canada's capital city. Completing University of Waterloo's Master of Health Informatics (MHI) program has connected him to the rising field of health technology, as he has contributed to projects such as CANImmunize, a user-friendly app that's helping Canadians keep track of their immunizations. 

Miriam Klassen

Medical Officer of Health, Perth District Health Unit

As a former physician in a small Ontario practice, Miriam Klassen decided to shift her work from one-on-one health care provision to address broader population health issues. Now working as Medical Officer of Health at the Perth District Health unit, her Master of Public Health degree allowed her to focus her knowledge and understanding for the new role.

Denise Ng

MSc Public Health and Health Systems

Working in a pediatric clinic after graduating from her bachelor's degree provided the inspiration for Denise Ng's graduate research. Now a Master's student, she focuses on health informatics and health service research, and explores the level of risk perceived by patients when they are asked to provide feedback via smart-phone technology.

Pemma Muzumdar

Communications Coordinator, National Collaborating Centres for Public Health

Pemma Muzumdar credits the University of Waterloo's Master of Public Health (MPH) program for teaching her the importance of maintaining a strong learning network, developing collaborative practices, and sharing knowledge and resources in an online environment. Now working as Communications Coordinator at the National Collaborating Centres for Public Health her experience in the program has positively impacted her career.

Merryn Maynard

Program and Operations Coordinator, Meal Exchange

Merryn Maynard works at Meal Exchange, a national charitable organization that advocates for student food security in postsecondary institutions around the country. Her experiences both with pursuing an MSc in Public Health and Health Systems and becoming a finalist in the 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) competition have helped her successfully transition into her role as a Program and Operations Coordinator, working passionately to making a change to improve ’good food for all’ on Canadian campuses.

Harnoor Rangi

Senior Consultant, Deloitte Canada

Harnoor Rangi gained hands-on experience and technical skills that launched him into a new career even before graduating from the Master of Health Informatics (MHI) program. Now employed as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Canada, he works with big analytical companies to maximize production efficiency for a variety of businesses. 

Madeline Reed

MSc student, Public Health and Health Systems

Madeline's MSc research compared health-related quality of life in parents of children with mental illness with what you would typically see in the Canadian adult population.

Ellen Stephanie Reyes

Human Health Risk Assessor, Golder Associates Ltd

Ellen Stephanie Reyes' journey has taken her all the way to Vancouver, where she is pursuing a career that aligns perfectly with her research in toxicology and risk assessment during her time at the University of Waterloo. Ellen works at Golder Associates Ltd as a Human Health Risk Assessor, collaborating with scientists and engineers to solve environmental issues using statistical analysis and quality control measures.

Eden Amare

Program Evaluator, Toronto Public Health

While juggling full-time work, part-time online studies, volunteering with the Canadian Evaluation Society, and networking with health professionals, Eden Amare created a peer network of connections and resources that has opened doors to opportunities that have launched her new career. Eden credits the Master of Health Evaluation (MHE) program for giving her the confidence and knowledge she needs to truly make a difference for diverse populations in her role as Program Evaluator at Toronto Public Health.

Wilfred Ntiamoah

Director of population health, Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut

When he discovered that the University of Waterloo offered remote courses for its Master of Public Health program, Wilfrid Ntiamoah (MPH '12) was keen to apply. Living community in Canada's northern Qikiqtaaluk region (also known as the Baffin region) and working as an environmental health officer it was a good fit. Today, Wilfrid credits graduating from the program as a having a direct impact on his current role as director of population health.

Robert Pierce Gauthier

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

For his PhD, Robert is studying how machine learning can be used by researchers to assist with thematic analysis of online communities that are discussing public health topics such as addiction recovery and vaccination.

Shoshannah Speers

MSc student, Public Health and Health Systems

Working with a NGO in the Philippines, Shoshannah pivoted her research plans in response to the global pandemic to understand more about the experience of community volunteers giving up their time to address the emergency food insecurity amongst some of the country's income-poor.

Kirti Sundar Sahu

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Kirti's research explores the use of NexGen data sources for public health surveillance. This includes the use of data from the Internet of Things (IoT) for real-time monitoring of behavioural risk factors for chronic diseases in Canada.

Kathy Luu

MSc student, Public Health and Health Systems

Kathy's MSc research examined the interaction of gender and social networks and how social networks can be a source of assistance for women experiencing poverty when accessing health care services in the Philippines.

Acrifa Fears

Master of Health Informatics student

During her practicum placement for her Master of Health Informatics program, Acrifa Fears worked for St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton Ontario where she worked on a project that utilized digital health technology to monitor patients post-sugery at home wile faciltating administration of care and communication between patient and the healthcare system.

Madara Marasinghe

PhD student, Aging, Health and Well-being

For her doctoral research, PhD Aging, Health and Well-being student Madara Marasinghe investigates the impact of assistive devices on the lives of older adults to understand more about the benefits and challenges these devices can have.

Gustavo Betini

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Gustavo Betini's PhD Public Health and Health Systems research took a turn when the global pandemic hit in 2020. His longitudinal study looks at the long-term affects of COVID-19 on the mental health of Canadians.

Megan Janecka

Master of Public Health student

Megan Janecka is doing her practicum as part of her Master of Public Health program. A chance connection through the social network Reddit led Megan to the placement she's doing at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. There she's working on creating a report that will summarize the latest epidemiology studies on the effects of radiation, to inform global radiation protection. 

Andrea Loncaric

Master of Health Evaluation student

Andrea Loncacric completed her practicum placement at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging as part of her Master of Health Evaluation program. Pushed outside of her comfort zone where quantitative evauation was more familiar, Andrea developed her skills around qualitative evaluation methods and hasn't looked back.

Sara Husain

Master of Health Evaluation student

During her practicum placement at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Sara Husain contributed to three ongoing evaluations. There she realized the difference between learning about evaluation in the classroom and working in a real-world situation. Being in the workplace, she started to fully appreciate that the process of evaluation is a complex navigation of careful planning, insightful negotiations, teamwork and adaptation to dynamic situations.

Pam Hopwood

PhD student, Public Health Sciences

Pam Hopwood's PhD Public Health Sciences research examines the experiences of women who find work via digital platforms or apps in feminised care occupations such as elder care work.

Tasneem Khan

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

By 2031, immigration is projected to account for 80 percent of Canada’s population growth, making mental health among newcomers an important public health issue. Tasneem's doctoral research investigates the mental health of immigrants to Canada by applying ecological system and life-course perspectives.

Brendan Flynn

Master of Health Informatics student

The practicum component of the Master's of Health Informatics program has made a big impact on Brendan Flynn. Working at TAMVOES, a health management platform, Brendan has been involved with helping launch their new app. This experiential learning component to the program was central to his decision to choosing the program.

Shu-Feng Tsao

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Public Health and Health Systems doctoral student, Shu-Feng Tsao is passionate about infordemic - or health mis-/disinformation associated with infectious diseases. In particular her research looks at the infodemic that has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shu-Feng explores how infodemic influences people's decisions and behaviour with Twitter data analyzed by machine learning or artificial intelligence techniques.

Busola Adekoya

PhD student, Aging, Health and Well-being

Busola Adekoya's PhD Aging, Health and Well-being research examines how policies and programs for alert systems at local, municipal, and provincial or national levels are developed and implemented in Canada and Scotland.

Margaret Mutumba

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Margaret Mutumba's PhD Public Health and Health Systems research investigates the implementation of accessible and affordable fertility services in Sub-Saharan Africa.  

Adaora Enumah

MSc student, Public Health and Health Systems

Adaora Enumah's MSc Public Health and Health Systems research looks at how stress that is experienced both directly and indirectly can affect the Prefrontal Cortex. Her research hopes to contribute to the little that is currently known about the effects of these types of psychosocial stressors on this part of the brain.

Emma Conway

PhD student, Aging, Health and Well-being

People with dementia often experience challenges communicating their experiences, which can impact their ability to participate in research. PhD Health and Well-being student, Emma Conway's research examines the current use of adapted or modified research methods with a view to improving the accessibility of research for people with dementia.

Kelly Gregory

MSc, Public Health and Health Systems

Kelly Gregory's master's research explores the occupational experiences of women first responders, through a comparative analysis of women police officers, firefighters, and paramedics. 

Joy Hutchinson

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Although most of her doctoral program so far has been online due to the global pandemic, Joy Hutchinson's experince as a PhD Public Health and Health Systems student has still been incredibly positive. Her research is examining novel methods for characterizing dietary patterns and their relationships with markers of inequity in Canada.

Shahan Salim

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

As well as environmental and economic impacts, air pollution is considered a major global health risk. Working toward his PhD Public Health and Health Systems, Shahan Salim has partnered with UNICEF Mongolia to develop a tool that will better predict air pollution patterns and provide early warnings for vulnerable populations.

Mona Qutub

MSc student, Public Health and Health Systems

Through her MSc Public Health and Health Systems research, Mona Qutub is working to better understand food insecurity among post-secondary students, as it is a growing concern, particularly within this demographic. 

Natalie Doan

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Intersectionality reflects the idea that people simultaneously embody multiple social characteristics such as gender, race, and socioeconomic position. Natalie Doan's PhD Public Health and Health Systems research uses intersectionality to advance our understanding of the systemic and structural barriers preventing adults in Canada from eating diets supportive of optimal health and well-being.

Melissa Chao

Master of Public Health student

Working at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for her practicum placement as part of her Master of Public Health program, Melissa Chao has had the opportunity to broaden her understanding of data collection and governance and its challenges in practice.

Nicole Hutchuk

Master of Public Health Sciences student

Nicole's MSc Public Health Sciences research explores the role of public health in climate change initiatives withing the mining industry in Ontario.

Amber Ripley

Master of Public Health student

Amber completed her Master of Public Health practicum at the Canada Public Health Association (CPHA). There, she worked on projects to support the development of policy positions. It helped her develop a new set of skills and understand more about the functions of a non-governmental and not-for-profilt orgaization.

Alexandra Pepetone

PhD student, Public Health Sciences

Alexandra's research explores if and how food insecurity among adults and youth changed after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing our understanding of the impact of policy responses and how they may better prepare us to respond to food insecurity

Martin Holmes

PhD candidate, Public Health and Health Systems

Martin's research focuses on food literacy, the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate the modern food environment. A better understanding of food literacy can inform interventions to improve dietary patterns and practices to improve health.

Shweta Pant

Master of Public Health student

Shweta completed her Master of Public Health practicum with HealthBridge, a Canadian non-profit organization. There, she researched common strategies or interventions for HealthBridge's partners in developing nations.

Lesley Andrade

PhD student, Public Health Sciences

Lesley's research is examining the proportions of children and adults in Canada who use low- and no-calorie sweeteners, as well as identifying the key food and beverage sources of these sweeteners.

Danielle Fearon

PhD student, Public Health Sciences

Danielle Fearon is a PhD student in Public Health Sciences.  Her thesis focuses on individuals with traumatic life events who have been admitted to inpatient psychiatry in Ontario.

Bara' AlShurman

PhD student, Public Health Sciences

Bara's research focuses on proposing a new framework to understand how biological and social interactions between vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 can cause negative health outcomes among marginalized populations living in Ontario.

Emily Kocsis

PhD student, Public Health Sciences

Emily's PhD Public Health Sciences thesis investigates how and to what extent does taking part in agroecology inflences women's capacity to sustain rural livelihoods in the Western highlands of Guatemala. As a growing movement, science and set of practices, agroecology offers a strategy for advancing food system transformation through the centring of ecological and social wellbeing.

Karen Hock

PhD student, Public Health Sciences

Karen Hock is a second-year PhD student in the Public Health Sciences program. Her research will examine the impact of government policies implemented with the goal of reducing the occurrence of diet-related chronic diseases.

Kimberly D'Mello

MSc student, Public Health Sciences

Kimberly's research aims to examine changes in the types of cessation assistance used by people trying to quit smoking over time.

Ashlyn Simpson

MSc student

Ashlyn Simpson is an MSc student with a specialization in epidemiology and biostatistics. Her research focuses on comparing the levels of dixons in people living in an arctic community with the Canadian national average, and looks to discover how traditional indigenous foods can expose these communities to environmental contaminants.

Sarah Sousa

PhD, Public Health Sciences

Sarah Sousa is a PhD student in Public Health Sciences.  Her thesis focuses on the use of technology designed for older adults with dementia located in northern British Columbia (BC)

Karen Khalil El Hajj

PhD candidate, Aging, Health and Well-being

Karen’s research examines the potential implications of a new staffing policy taking effect across Ontario’s long-term care homes.

Emma Littler

PhD Candidate, Public Health Sciences

Emma’s research explores the relationship between chronic stress and mental disorders in children with a chronic physical illness.

Michaella Miller

PhD, Public Health Sciences

Michaella's research focuses on the working conditions in long-term care for direct care workers and how staffing characteristics impact quality of care.

Arlene Oetomo

PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

Arlene’s research leverages smart thermostat technology to gain insights into indoor heat levels during extreme heat events and inform warning systems and health programs.

Raquel Watkis

PhD student, Aging, Health and Well-being

Living with multimorbidity has influenced Aging, Health and Well-being student Raquel Watkis to dedicate her research to understanding how it affects Black women in Ontario, and ultimately, what changes are needed to increase the longevity of their lives.