Alumni

Astha Ramaiya

Health promotion advocate

Astha (BSc '07) graduated from Waterloo’s Health Studies program, and her passion for health promotion and social justice led her to internship placements in Nepal and work in Tanzania.

Eden Amare

Program Evaluator, Toronto Public Health

While juggling full-time work, part-time online studies, volunteering with the Canadian Evaluation Society, and networking with health professionals, Eden Amare created a peer network of connections and resources that has opened doors to opportunities that have launched her new career. Eden credits the Master of Health Evaluation (MHE) program for giving her the confidence and knowledge she needs to truly make a difference for diverse populations in her role as Program Evaluator at Toronto Public Health.

Ben Austin

Pharmacist, Ingersoll Pharmasave

While keeping up with the constant influx of new medications can be a challenge, Ben finds pharmacy an incredibly rewarding field; he helps patients manage their medications and conditions, ultimately improving their health. From interacting with patients and other health professionals to handling the business side of pharmacy, the diversity of the work keeps it interesting.

Stephanie Austin

Medical School student

Stephanie Austin chose the Health Studies program because it seemed like the “ideal pre-med program,” combining natural and social science courses. The natural sciences were crucial for Stephanie’s MCAT preparation, but she had a keen interest in the social science courses - with the Health Studies program she didn’t need to compromise.

Bradley Bonitatibus

Public Health Alumni

Bradley completed his degree in the Honours Public Health program in the School of Public Health Sciences (SPHS). Read about his life since graduating from SPHS!

Mikki Campbell

Strategic Initiatives Manager, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Since Mikki Campbell was a child, she wanted to become a radiation therapist. Inspired by the kindness of a health care worker who helped her dad during his battle with cancer, Mikki understood what her passionate purpose in life was from a young age. Now working as Manager of Strategic Initiatives at Sunnybrook Health Sciences, Mikki shares her journey to the Master of Health Evaluation and the impact of that program to where she is today.

Jessica Delaney

Health Promoter, Brant County Health Unit

Jessica Delaney works with interdisciplinary teams to address public health issues such as substance misuse, mental health and youth engagement. As a Health Promoter she uses a population health promotion approach to guide public health programming which includes researching, planning, developing, implementation and evaluating programs for different priority populations.

Rose Harrison

Principal, Harrison Health Collaborative Inc

Health informatics may not be a term you’re familiar with – but if you’ve visited a hospital or clinic lately you have likely seen it in action. People like Rose Harrison are using information technology to better manage the health care you receive.

Miriam Klassen

Medical Officer of Health, Perth District Health Unit

As a former physician in a small Ontario practice, Miriam Klassen decided to shift her work from one-on-one health care provision to address broader population health issues. Now working as Medical Officer of Health at the Perth District Health unit, her Master of Public Health degree allowed her to focus her knowledge and understanding for the new role.

Judy Kruger

Senior Scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

What does the University of Waterloo and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta have in common? Well-respected international reputations and Dr. Judy Kruger.

Lana Vanderlee and Andrew Mitchell

Co-creators of BABU (Bringing About Better Understanding)

When AHS graduates and current PhD students Lana Vanderlee and Andrew Mitchell went to Nepal as volunteers, it didn’t take long for them to discover a serious problem.

Julia Man

Executive Officer, Office of the Chief Coroner

Julia Man (MPH ’15) has worked for organizations like the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Office of the Auditor General and the Ministry of Health. In her roles, she has explored health issues from a variety of perspectives. Now, she is working for the Office of the Chief Coroner as an Executive Officer.

Merryn Maynard

Program and Operations Coordinator, Meal Exchange

Merryn Maynard works at Meal Exchange, a national charitable organization that advocates for student food security in postsecondary institutions around the country. Her experiences both with pursuing an MSc in Public Health and Health Systems and becoming a finalist in the 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) competition have helped her successfully transition into her role as a Program and Operations Coordinator, working passionately to making a change to improve ’good food for all’ on Canadian campuses.

Erika McMullin

Student, Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Erika McMullin is passionate about making a change in Canadian Health Systems. Going through the Master of Health Evaluation (MHE) program has helped her take a step closer to achieving that goal, as she now applies her knowledge of health evaluation to improve government initiatives and health programs. Currently working with a dedicated team at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Erika hopes to continue collaborating with stakeholders and conduct creative interventions to improve patient care for the community.

Nicola Mercer

Medical officer of health, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health

Nicola Mercer (MPH '10) was already working as a critical care doctor and anesthesiologist when she realized that she wanted to make a bigger impact preventing disease in addition to treating disease. The flexibility of the Master of Public Health program at UWaterloo allowed her to fulfil a lifelong-learning passion, juggle family responsibilities with study and make an impact in health care.

Pemma Muzumdar

Communications Coordinator, National Collaborating Centres for Public Health

Pemma Muzumdar credits the University of Waterloo's Master of Public Health (MPH) program for teaching her the importance of maintaining a strong learning network, developing collaborative practices, and sharing knowledge and resources in an online environment. Now working as Communications Coordinator at the National Collaborating Centres for Public Health her experience in the program has positively impacted her career.

Wilfred Ntiamoah

Director of population health, Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut

When he discovered that the University of Waterloo offered remote courses for its Master of Public Health program, Wilfrid Ntiamoah (MPH '12) was keen to apply. Living community in Canada's northern Qikiqtaaluk region (also known as the Baffin region) and working as an environmental health officer it was a good fit. Today, Wilfrid credits graduating from the program as a having a direct impact on his current role as director of population health.

Phuc-Nhi Phuong

Public Health Planner, Region of Waterloo Public Health

If you asked Phuc-Nhi Phuong (Health Studies ’04, Master of Public Health ’08) to create a job description based on her university experience, her current position as a Public Health Planner for the Region of Waterloo would be it!

Alexandra Piatkowski

Master of Public Health student

Alexandra completed her degree in Health Studies in the School of Public Health Sciences (SPHS), and has done much more since then. Read about her life since graduating from SPHS!

Dr. Rohit Ramchandani

Founder and CEO, Antara Global Health Advisors

Dr. Ramchandani is Founder and CEO of Antara Global Health Advisors, a Canadian consultancy that provides technical expertise and evidence-based public health and management advice to organizations around the world, including fortune 500 companies, NGOs and governments.

Harnoor Rangi

Senior Consultant, Deloitte Canada

Harnoor Rangi gained hands-on experience and technical skills that launched him into a new career even before graduating from the Master of Health Informatics (MHI) program. Now employed as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Canada, he works with big analytical companies to maximize production efficiency for a variety of businesses. 

Babak Rashidi

Internal Medicine Physician, The Ottawa Hospital/Queensway Carleton Hospital

As an Internal Medicine Physician, Babak Rashidi takes on various roles to contribute toward improved patient health care at two of the biggest hospitals in Canada's capital city. Completing University of Waterloo's Master of Health Informatics (MHI) program has connected him to the rising field of health technology, as he has contributed to projects such as CANImmunize, a user-friendly app that's helping Canadians keep track of their immunizations. 

Gaby Sabados

Midwife, St. Jacobs Midwives

As a midwife, Gaby Sabados (Health Studies '99) requires a diverse set of skills. A strong clinical background is necessary in order to provide the best evidence-based care for clients, but she also requires the communication skills and the capacity to build relationships in order to become a trusted partner in care.

Patrick Seliske

Epidemiologist

For Patrick Seliske (Health Studies '78), the decision to attend Waterloo was simple – it was the Canadian leader in health studies and health promotion. Now working as an Epidemiologist for the Child and Family Health Division (CFHD) of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH), he also credits the program for providing him with the unique opportunity to study epidemiology.

Hoang Tang

Practice Consultant, Indigenous Services Canada

People interested in health-care careers are often faced with choice overload. In a field that is so vast, with so many different pathways ranging from hospital work to dissecting health data, how does one choose the right direction? For Hoang Tang (MPH ’20),experiential education was her compass. Her practicum placement she experienced as part of her Master of Public Health program led her to where she is today.

Laura Wells

Health Studies Alumni

Laura completed her degree in Health Studies in the School of Public Health Sciences (SPHS), and went on to go to medical school. Read about her life since graduating from SPHS!

Dr. Doris Winfield (MD, Health Studies '89) didn’t always know what she wanted to do with her career, but with the support of friends and professors who she met in Health Studies she found her fit by pursuing a career as a physician.