Laying the foundation for a healthy future
A new 63,000-square-foot facility will help Waterloo's School of Public Health and Health Systems grow as a leading public health research and training enterprise.
A new 63,000-square-foot facility will help Waterloo's School of Public Health and Health Systems grow as a leading public health research and training enterprise.
By Christine Bezruki Applied Health Sciences
University of Waterloo’s new School of Public Health and Health Systems is positioned to become the leading public health research and training enterprise in Canada. Part of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, the visionary school opened in 2012 and has ambitious plans for growth.
Over the next five years the school plans to add several new degree programs, double student enrollment and directly impact health care policy through increased interdisciplinary research. To rank among the country’s best, the school needs a facility large enough to house its aspirations.
Enter the biggest fundraising campaign the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences has ever undertaken. A proposed 63,000 square foot facility will cost more than $25 million and include two large lecture theatres, a state of the art data repository and a high-tech data visualization centre.
“To reach our full potential and truly be able to make an impact, we must provide our researchers and students with the right resources. In this case, there is no question we need a new facility,” said Susan Elliott, Dean of Applied Health Sciences.
At the heart of the building’s design is community engagement. With more accessible space for students and a community meeting room, the building will reflect the university’s desire to be a community and student resource. It will also act as a launching pad for global impact.
“The building will catalyze our attempts to engage critical new partners from other faculties, other universities, other agencies and sectors. Such partnerships will ensure that we can become a public health leader, not only in the community, but across the country and around the world,” Elliot said.
For more information about the campaign, visit the Support School of Public Health and Health Systems web page.

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The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.