BKI '16: Sam, Health Outcomes Scientist
Sam is a 2016 BKI grad who is working with the implementation science team with Nova Scotia Health as a Health Outcomes Scientist. Prior to this role, Sam completed a PhD in Health Sciences from Carleton University, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto/University Health Network, where he helped implement a cardiovascular program of care to better manage heart failure in remote Indigenous communities in northern Ontario.
His current job is to conduct rigorous mixed-methods evaluations of healthcare interventions and programs within Nova Scotia as well as broad implementation research. Sam also work on projects focusing on implementation of virtual care, health equity, and learning health systems.
Sam says, "Knowledge Integration helped build the skills required for me to effectively communicate with interdisciplinary groups, critically evaluate data, and implement evidence-based programs."
Embracing Complexity to Tackle Health System Challenges
When it comes to tackling real-world challenges, few are as complex and interdisciplinary as those found in healthcare. For Dr. Sam Petrie, a 2016 Knowledge Integration graduate, there is no clearer example of this than in his current work as a Health Outcomes Scientist, where he focuses on improving health systems in Nova Scotia.
With years of experience working in healthcare systems, Sam’s career includes a PhD in Health Sciences from Carleton University and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto/University Health Network, where he was part of a team that implemented a cardiovascular program of care to better manage heart failure in remote Indigenous communities in northern Ontario. But his interest in complex systems began long before his postdoctoral work. In high school, his interests ranged not only in science, but also in history, art, and economics. He explored programs that would bring together his passions, such as systems engineering, journalism, or other fields combining science and technology, before ultimately landing in KI. “I wanted flexibility in my options,” Sam explains. “KI provided a foundation and structure to let me explore what I wanted to accomplish at the University of Waterloo and beyond.”
While there were many moments that shaped Sam’s journey, one stands out as pivotal: The Museum Course (INTEG 320/321). "Collaborating with my classmates to create a museum exhibit proved to be a fantastic building block for future studies," he shares. "We had to conceptualize and execute on a vision, building an exhibit from the ground up.” This hands-on project taught him skills such as stakeholder engagement, process mapping, and systems thinking—approaches Sam still uses today in his professional work.
Sam’s interest in how things worked – or, in the case of health systems, how they often didn’t work – only grew during his time in Knowledge Integration. He reflects, “Without my KI degree, I don’t think I would find many of the things I’m interested in today as engaging. More and more, health systems are recognizing that the skills needed to tackle modern problems don’t come from traditionally trained undergraduate, graduate, or professional students.”
It is no wonder that Sam shares that a “background like KI is viewed as an asset” in his current career as a Health Outcomes Scientist, where complexity and problem-solving are at the forefront. When evaluating the success of an innovative program or project in the health system, it is his KI training that helps him recognize that solutions to problems don’t exist in black and white. Instead, Sam approaches each project with an interdisciplinary mindset, engaging with stakeholders and emphasizing the importance of mixed-methods evaluations. "Being able to distill complex information into actionable recommendations for decision-makers is a skill I wouldn’t have developed without KI,” he shares.
For current students and recent graduates who are just beginning their own career journeys, his advice is simple: embrace complexity. “Organizations aren’t as concerned about the skills you already hold as much as the ability you possess to adapt to change and help the organization adapt as well. Don’t worry about trying to ‘sell’ KI – instead, emphasize why KI makes you more agile, responsive, and capable to adapt to change than your peers.”
This approach to a career – rooted in adaptability, problem-solving, and the blending of diverse disciplines – is exactly what makes Knowledge Integration alumni well-prepared to tackle today’s most pressing challenges.
Sam Petrie (middle) presenting as part of a panel discussion on health equity and patient engagement at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research’s Heart Failure Symposium in October, 2023.
Here are the courses Sam chose during his Bachelor of Knowledge Integration with a minor in Chemistry to help prepare him for a career in health sciences:
First year courses
- INTEG 120: Introduction to the Academy: Disciplines and Integrative Practices
- FR 151: Basic French 1
- MATH 127: Calculus 1 for the Sciences
- SPCOM 223: Public Speaking
- ECON 101: Introduction to Microeconomics
- INTEG 121: Introduction to the Academy: Design and Problem-Solving
- CS 100: Introduction to Computing through Applications
- BIOl 165: Diversity of Life
- CHEM 212: Structure and Bonding
- PHIL 145: Critical Thinking
Second year courses
- INTEG 220: Nature of Scientific Knowledge
- CHEM 140: Introduction to Scientific Calculations
- CHEM 266: Basic Organic Chemistry 1
- CHEM 266L: Organic Chemistry Laboratory
- FR 152: Basic French 2
- MATH 128: Calculus 2 for the Sciences
- INTEG 221: The Social Nature of Knowledge
- INTEG 230: The Museum Course: Preparation and Field Trip
- CHEM 237: Introductory Biochemistry
- CHEM 267: Basic Organic Chemistry 2
- CHEM 267L: Organic Chemistry Laboratory
- PHIL 215: Professional and Business Ethics
- STAT 202: Introductory Statistics for Scientists
Third year courses
- INTEG 231: The Museum Course: Field Trip Project
- INTEG 320: The Museum Course: Research & Design
- BIOl 130: Introductory Cell Biology
- CHEM 333: Metabolism 1
- PHIL 216: Probability and Decision Making
- PSYCH 101: Introductory Psychology
- INTEG 321: The Museum Course: Practicum and Presentation
- BIOL 359: Evolution
- CHEM 430: Special Topics in Biochemistry
- CLAS 252: Roman History
- INTEG 375: Special Topics in Knowledge Integration
Fourth year courses
- INTEG 420: Senior Research Project A
- ANTH 201: Archaeological Anthropology
- BIOL 303: Introductory Developmental Biology and Embryology
- BIOL 355: Biology of Human Aging
- CHEM 432: Metabolism 2
- INTEG 421: Senior Research Project B
- BIOL 360: Evolution 2: Fossil Record
- CHEM 357 Physical Biochemistry
- INTEG 475: Special Topics in Knowledge Integration
- PACS 203: A History of Peace Movements
Course descriptions can be found in the Undergraduate Course Calendar