Eden Amare | School of Public Health Sciences

Master of Health Evaluation: Discovering passions through connections

Eden Amare always knew she wanted to make an impact in the field of public health. As a go-getter who believes in the power of connections, Eden has simultaneously juggled full-time work, part-time online studies, volunteering with the Canadian Evaluation Society, and networking with health professionals. Since joining the MHE program she gained experience as a Program Evaluator at Toronto Public Health and previously, as an Evaluation Analyst at the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI). Eden has had the opportunity to apply her passion for health promotion, build organizational capacity for health evaluation and collaborate with stakeholder organizations to evaluate healthcare programs for diverse populations across Canada.

I’ve started on a great, new career track because of the relationships I’ve made with other MHE and Waterloo graduate students.

Eden Amare, MHE Alumna

As a Bachelor of Science with a Double Major in Biology for Health Science and Psychology graduate, she knew she wanted to pursue a post-graduate degree in the public health field but was searching for her niche. She was drawn to community health and was eager to make a difference in the Canadian health care system. It wasn’t until Eden did some voluntary work as a Research Assistant at The Evaluation Centre for Complex Health Interventions that she discovered program evaluation. Researching online, Eden discovered the University of Waterloo’s Master of Health Evaluation (MHE) program and it was the perfect fit for her. It combined her enthusiasm to work with people along with a drive to build new skills in health evaluation, which was exactly what Eden wanted to jump start a new and exciting career.

A student network of opportunity

Eden loves to connect with people and learn from those who come from different walks of life. The MHE program provides her with a huge network of similar-minded individuals who are all working toward a common goal. In addition to gaining relevant skills in the field of health evaluation, Eden has developed relationships with her peers that have opened opportunities that she never knew existed. Through the connection of a classmate, Eden came upon the CFHI Evaluation Analyst position, sparking a complete career change that matches her skills and interests. This position opened doors to her new role, as Program Evaluator at Toronto Public Health. With the strong connections that she has made, Eden brought together a team of students to enter the Canadian Evaluation Society’s 2018 Student Case Competition, who ended up being one of three teams who were chosen to advance to the finals. Being the only team to ever compete from remote locations, their dedication to collaboration has led to proven success.