Community

The study found that 7.5 per cent of 165,434 patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals in Ontario between 2006 and 2017 had used opioids in the year prior to admission, which compares to estimates that 2 per cent of the general population used opioids in 2015. Among patients who said they experience daily pain, the percentage who reported opiate use jumped to 22 per cent.

With the New Year fast approaching, it’s time to look back at some of our most popular alumni stories of 2019. Here they are, in no particular order.

Here’s how it all began

Ellen McGee was sitting in her Oakville Grade 10 history class when she first heard about the mass shooting of 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal.

The senseless act of targeted violence on December 6, 1989 both stunned and saddened McGee who was born 10 years later in 1999.

Sara Kannan (BA ’16) didn’t expect her love of writing to result in a job at an engineering firm. But today, she's a technical writer working with engineers and technical experts.

While it might not be the career she expected, Sara’s passion for communications is just as strong as it was when she was an Honours Literature and Rhetoric student at Waterloo. Since starting her career, she’s noticed just how much writing happens in the workplace – even in some unexpected roles.

Popy Dimoulas-Graham (BSc '99) found her calling—but not right away.

After graduating with a Science degree from Waterloo, she completed a Masters in epidemiology and then accepted a job as an outbreak epidemiologist for the federal government. The role sounded exciting, but she found herself spending the majority of her days planted at her desk, eyes glued to her computer screen.

Banner image courtesy of Loran Scholars Foundation. Chidi Umenwofor-Nweze, far right, stands with all of Waterloo's current Loran Scholars.

Earlier this year, Waterloo opened its doors to thousands of new students, one of whom was Chidi Umenwofor-Nweze, a 2019 Loran Scholarship recipient whose educational journey from the ice-capped mountains of Iqaluit to a small village in India has given her the ability to thrive as a young leader and make a positive impact in her communities.

Recently, pharmacist Jeff Wong (BScPhm ’11, PharmD ’16) was explaining to a diabetic patient that diet and exercise were at the root of his illness. But he could sense the patient was disengaged, and he worried that he wasn’t getting the message.

Feeling that the conversation was going nowhere, Wong thought to flip the script. He asked the patient what he thought was to blame for his health problems.

Startup companies at the University of Waterloo's flagship entrepreneurship programs have generated more than $2 billion in revenue and around 7,500 jobs over about a decade, according to a major new report by Deloitte Canada.

For the third year in a row, the University of Waterloo is pleased to recognize four outstanding community members as recipients of the President’s Community Impact Awards.

Hi everyone, my name is Navdeep and I graduated from the University of Waterloo with a BSc in Health Studies in June 2018. I knew I was interested in helping people achieve optimal healthcare services following my own experiences with our healthcare system at a young age.