How Waterloo leads in health-care delivery

Did you know your optometrist is likely a University of Waterloo graduate? Or that Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy offers Canada’s only pharmacy co-op program? Waterloo doesn’t just teach — our programs transform our students into allied health professionals who diagnose, treat, rehabilitate and support patients, improving lives across Canada and beyond.

Optometry and Vision Science

The School of Optometry and Vision Science provides the only English-language optometric training in Canada leading to an accredited Doctor of Optometry degree with practical clinical rotations in primary and specialty care. Since 1967, the School of Optometry has trained close to 4,000 optometrists who provide essential eye care in communities across the country.

Among its many impactful alumni is Dr. Shaina Nensi (OD ’16), a key member of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan negotiating team who advocated to expand patient access to affordable eye care. She currently serves as president of the Ontario Association of Optometrists while operating a clinic in North York and in Kasabonika Lake, a remote First Nation community, delivering vital eye care to Indigenous families. Beyond Canada, Nensi is a Global Impact Fellow with Unite for Sight, partnering with local eye clinics in Ghana to teach patients about eye health and screen for ocular pathologies.

Pharmacy

Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy is the only co-operative PharmD program in Canada. Students work with more than 1,000 health-care providers nationwide, including hospitals, primary care clinics, community pharmacies and long-term care, to improve the health of Canadians. As the most accessible health-care providers, pharmacists are increasingly making an impact in both urban and rural areas by providing care for minor ailments and immunization as well as managing chronic disease.

During their last year of the program, students live and work in rural, remote and northern communities to better understand the unique needs of each region and to improve health equity. Our graduates are in heavy demand as the program has students working with patients through co-op since early in the program. Waterloo Pharmacy alumni work in our health-care system and practice in a variety of areas including transplant, renal, cardiovascular, pediatrics, geriatrics, diabetes management, oncology and more.

Dr. Sarah Zorzit (BSc Pharm ’14, PharmD ’20) created an outpatient retail oncology pharmacy at Sault Area Hospital. The pharmacy offers tailored care for chemotherapy patients by monitoring their oral chemotherapy and ensuring immunizations are up to date through the pharmacist-led immunization clinic.

Dr. Sarah Zorzit (BSc Pharm ’14, PharmD ’20) and Logan Coccimiglio at iCcare Pharmacy, Sault Area Hospital. Photos credit: Sault Area Hospital.

Kinesiology and Health Sciences

In 1967, Waterloo established the world’s first Department of Kinesiology, bringing biochemistry, physiology, neuroscience, biomechanics, psychology and sociology together to study human movement. Building on this foundation, the School of Anatomy opened in 1978, making Waterloo the first non-medical school in Canada to offer cadaver-based anatomy studies for undergraduates, an immersive experience that continues to set the program apart.

Waterloo's Kinesiology alumni are driving change in health care across the nation, including Dr. Clement Liu (BSc '02), who co-founded First Markham Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation in 2010 to serve the growing older adult population in Markham. He has been monitoring Waterloo co-op students since 2012, giving them hands-on experience to prepare for practice.

Today, health innovation thrives at the Centre for Community, Clinical and Applied Research Excellence (CCCARE), where researchers, exercise specialists, clinical experts, graduate students and staff collaborate on outreach programs and services to support individuals affected by cancer, stroke, dementia and other conditions, turning classroom knowledge into real-world impact.

Dr. Clement Liu (BSc '02) and his team at First Markham Physiotheraphy and Rehabilitation

Psychology

Waterloo’s Department of Psychology offers one of Canada’s most dynamic pathways, a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science with a pre-medical option. Co-op and access to community-focused centres on campus, such as the Early Childhood Education Centre and the Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, encourage students to obtain hands-on experience while stepping into roles across mental health services, neuroscience, education, public health and beyond.

Waterloo alum Dr. Karen Rowa (PhD ’03) leverages her expertise to create meaningful change in health and wellness for all. In 2024, Rowa stepped into a pivotal role as provincial clinical lead for Ontario’s Structured Psychotherapy program, guiding strategy and operations to expand access to evidence-based treatment care. Alongside her leadership, she also serves as a professor at McMaster University and a psychologist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton where she advances treatment for anxiety disorders and mentors the next generation of clinicians.

Public Health Sciences

Waterloo's School of Public Health Sciences is training a new generation of leaders, researchers and change agents to prepare for and respond to the complex adaptive systems that affect health and health care. It was the first trans-disciplinary department in Canada dedicated to health promotion and disease prevention, and the first in the country to offer a master's and doctoral degree in gerontology. An innovative online Master of Public Health program was added in 2006, featuring practicum and capstone components.

Researchers work closely with ministries of health and health promotion, the World Health Organization, the Public Health Agency of Canada, private industry and many others to identify and understand health complex challenges and to develop relevant solutions. Alumni such as Dr. Rohit Ramchandani (BSc ‘04), have improved health systems on the global stage as the innovations and strategic partnerships officer at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. Ramchandani works to bridge the gap between science and policy, raising awareness of urgent global issues. 

Recreation and Leisure Studies

For five consecutive years, Waterloo’s Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure Studies has ranked among the world’s top 100 universities in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, reflecting its global influence and commitment to redefine inclusive recreation and leisure studies.

Waterloo was one of the first Canadian institutions to offer a degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies and remains one of the largest leisure programs of its kind. Students benefit from cutting-edge research, hands-on learning and mentorship that prepares them to make an impact in people’s lives.

One inspiring example is Chris Bourne (MA ’01), a wheelchair racing triathlete with multiple championship medals, who chose Waterloo for its faculty’s diverse expertise and knowledge in healthy, active living for people with disabilities. His passion for inclusion has driven his work overtime, promoting active lifestyles for all. Bourne helped develop SkiAbility, a national outreach program offering adapted water-ski clinics for individuals with disabilities and has worked with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario, managing the Changing Minds, Changing Lives program with the Canadian Paralympic Committee.