Be one of 30 people to join Meghan O'Neill (BSc '16, Health Studies), Epidemiologist and Research Officer at the Population Health Analytics Lab, and hear about her experiences at the University of Waterloo and beyond.
Come expecting to learn:
- what its like to work as an Epidemiologist,
- hard and soft skills that will set you up for success,
-
tips for crafting letters of intent for MPH/MSc programs,
-
career options after completing a Masters of Public Health!
Spots are limited and you don't want miss out on this great opportunity. Send in your questions for Meghan today, and come ready for a great conversation!
About Meghan
I began my undergrad in Recreation and Leisure studies and through my elective courses was exposed to Health Studies. I developed an interest in understanding how individual and environmental factors shape health outcomes and transferred to the Health Studies Co-op Program in my second year. I applied to the Master of Public Health (MPH) Program in Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health in my final year of undergrad and received a rejection.
Despite feeling defeated, I used my connections with faculty at UW to secure a 1-year position as a Research Assistant at the University of British Columbia working in a lab that examines how physical activity impacts the health of populations. In this position I developed my technical skills, contributed to research projects, and grew personally. I was accepted into the MPH in Epidemiology Program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health the following admissions cycle.
Returning to Toronto, I completed my MPH in Epidemiology with a specialization in Public Health Policy. Since graduating I have worked as a Research Officer/Epidemiologist at the Population Health Analytics Lab at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. I lead several of our labs research projects that span from using large population-level databases to mixed-methods evaluations of programs that support equity-deserving groups (e.g., people who use drugs or who are unhoused). I have published over 13 peer reviewed publications and worked with a diverse set of stakeholder groups, including public health agencies, hospital-sector partners, research institutes, and academic groups. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I also had the opportunity to support the York Region COVID-19 response as a Statistical Data Analyst.