Careers panel: Practice in Health Sciences

Gillian Williams, MSc, PhD

Gillian is a Senior Epidemiologist in the Tobacco Control Directorate at Health Canada. In this role she conducts surveillance of tobacco and vaping product use in Canada using nationally representative surveys to support policy and regulatory initiatives. Prior to working at Health Canada, Gillian completed her PhD at the University of Waterloo under the supervision of Dr. Scott Leatherdale. Her thesis examined the associations between poly-substance use and anxiety and depression among high school students participating in the COMPASS study.  

Gertrude Omoro, MPH, PMP

Gertrude is a Project Management Institute (PMI) certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with over seven years of experience in developing, managing, and implementing development projects that promote equitable healthcare delivery, strengthen healthcare systems, and reduce health inequalities among vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries. Notably, she effectively coordinated efforts to reduce cardiovascular mortality across multiple World Health Organization (WHO) HQ departments and technical focal points in 12 countries through the Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) initiative. In her previous role as a Regional Partnership Consultant for the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) in East Africa, Gertrude co-led and coordinated the development of gender-targeted proposals (GE-3), ensuring alignment with Global Affairs Canada’s funding requirements. Her efforts played a key role in securing the recent award of the STRIDES for SRHR through Resilient Health Systems Partner project, which is set to be implemented in Kenya and Mozambique. In her current role, Gertrude is focused on empowering women and girls to exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Bangladesh. 
 
As a firm believer of the adage, “think globally, act locally”, Gertrude has leveraged her affiliations to effect positive change in her community. Most notably, she co-founded the first Canadian Coalition of Global Health Research (CCGHR) affiliated student group while undertaking undergraduate studies at the University of Waterloo. In subsequent years, she supported the development of 11 more CCGHR student chapters across Canadian institutions, championed the inclusion of marginalized voices in development, and contributed to the Canadian Society of International Health (CSIH’s) policy position on Canada’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) unveiled during the 25th annual Canadian Conference on Global Health. In her role as PEGASUS Institute Board Member, Gertrude hopes to contribute to the creation of a world whereby all people have the opportunity to lead healthy, fulfilled lives. 

Maddy McBay, BSc

Maddy McBay is a Product Manager for health care technology company coeus.health where she fearlessly leads product vision, strategy and execution for the product suite. Here, Maddy has played an integral role in building out a world class patient engagement solution using artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) to provide perfected, reliable, multilingual patient communication. 

During her time in the Health Studies program (Health Informatics option) at University of Waterloo, Maddy co-founded TAMVOES, a digital healthcare platform acclaimed as a top tech startup, earning her a well-deserved Co-op Student of the Year award for the Faculty of Health in 2021. Madison drove the company's mission and vision of empowering individuals to make more informed decisions about their care, while providing a platform to access their personal health information. Maddy has proven her commitment to innovation and her passion for driving improvements in patient experience, access and outcomes. She is excited to share more about her journey into health technology and provide insight into the opportunities that are available for other graduates in this sector.

Priya Iyer, MPH, PhD Student

Priya is a part-time PhD student in the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo under the co-supervision of Drs. Kelly Skinner and Jennifer Yessis. She holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Genetics from McMaster University. As a public health professional, she has 10+ years of work experience in policy, research and evaluation in areas including chronic kidney disease, long-term care, and education. Presently, as a Senior Advisor in the Ontario Public Service (OPS), her work supports the mental health of public safety personnel in Ontario. A freelance journalist since 2018, she has contributed stories to media organizations including Al Jazeera and TVO. Her PhD focus will explore factors impacting mental health among public safety personnel and first responders.