The future of health care: How Waterloo co-op students are leading innovation
By: Christie Zeb
Future-ready talent at the University of Waterloo is at the forefront of innovation, revolutionizing patient care and research.
Waterloo co-op students are driving innovation in healthcare, one hospital at a time. With the new Waterloo Region hospital set to be built on campus, both students and employers will benefit from health-care experiential learning opportunities close to campus.
From working on medical research to developing solutions that enhance patient management, students are helping to transform the future of health care.
Read how Waterloo co-op students apply their future-ready skills to contribute to medical advancements in hospitals and other health-care institutions:
Co-op Student of the Year for the Faculty of Health, Danielle Lebowitz (she/her) (BSc ’24) created solutions to aid genetic testing at Sunnybrook Hospital. During her co-op term, Lebowitz’s passion for genetic counselling led her to research molecular tumour boards.
Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre is now using this research to help physicians who do genetic sequencing determine targeted treatment options. “I was really involved in patient-centered care and it was amazing to interact with them. The gratitude that I heard from patients every day made me feel incredible," says Lebowitz.
Rahul Desai (he/him), a third-year Health student, is currently on a co-op term at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre. Desai is working with a team to write a meta-analysis on the best treatment lines for biliary tract cancer. “We're looking at all the research available and working with partners to find the best ways to treat this cancer,” says Desai.
Before Odette Cancer Centre, Desai had his first co-op term at Toronto General Hospital where he worked on implementing software for electronic health records. He also provided technical support to the clinical staff, training them on how to use the tool.
Jaskaran Singh Attwal (he/him) (BSc ’20) (PharmD ’24) worked at Cambridge Memorial for his first two work terms. His roles covered medication reconciliation and distribution. Attwal worked with various departments to accurately document patients' medications and maintain optimal inventory to overcome the challenges of medication shortages.
Attwal also spent a work term at Shoppers Drug Mart, where he led the development of the company's first natural disaster standard operating procedure. The procedure equips more than 1,300 pharmacies across Canada to navigate natural disasters such as wildfires and provides uninterrupted pharmacy services to millions of individuals.
“Creating the first natural disaster standard operating procedure for Shoppers Drug Mart was a unique experience. Wildfires were occurring in Canada during the co-op, so it was a time-sensitive project,” says Attwal.
Attwal also assisted with the design and implementation of Ontario's new Pharmacy Care Clinics in Mississauga and Burlington, which provides access to pharmacy healthcare services.
Mariam Toluwalashe Omilabu (she/her) (BSc ’23) had three co-op terms at Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care (TLCPC), under Mount Sinai Hospital.
She worked as a research assistant, supporting the research team on quality improvement initiatives and researching various terminal illnesses.
She also led the development of a tool that screens the social determinants of health. TLCPC is now implementing this tool to screen patients.
Omilabu also built a process for collecting patient feedback on palliative care services.
“During that experience, I got to speak to bereaved caregivers and loved ones and I learned how palliative care can provide comfort to people during a difficult time,” says Omilabu.
This process has helped TLCPC streamline their services and better meet the needs of patients.
Co-op Student of the Year for the Faculty of Science, Milena Gojsevic (she/her) (BSc ’24) was involved in patient interviews, information analysis and communicating study information during her co-op terms at Sunnybrook Hospital.
Over her two terms, Gojsevic did a literature review of almost 200 studies about the quality of life for malignant spinal cord compression patients. She completed three additional literature reviews on topics focused on radiation dermatitis.
“I felt incredibly honoured to be working on that project and making some kind of contribution to such a big project that would impact countless numbers of lives,” says Gojsevic.
Gojsevic’s research has helped to enhance cancer treatment at Sunnybrook.