Richard K.S. Wu (BSc ’19 Honours Science, medical physics, chemistry and biology minor) is one of 20 Canadians selected to join the fifth cohort of McCall MacBain Scholars at McGill University.
Established with a historic $200 million gift in 2019, the McCall MacBain Scholarships are Canada’s largest leadership-based scholarships for master’s and professional studies.
“I was travelling at the time, so I ended up receiving the news in my car while parked at a gas station in rural Quebec,” says Wu, “Finding out I was going to be receiving a McCall MacBain Scholarship was initially quite surreal, but soon turned into joy, relief, excitement and a deep sense of gratitude.”
Recipients were chosen based on exceptional character, community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic strength and intellectual curiosity.
During his studies at the University of Waterloo, Wu sat on the Board of Governors, UW Senate and the Building and Properties Committee. In his leadership role with the Federation of Students, he worked with a team to launch a 24/7 mental health helpline, establish a legal protection service for students and advocate for the University to adopt the Okanagan Charter for health and well-being.
While pursuing a second bachelor’s degree at York University recently, Wu volunteered at the Global and Environmental Health lab. His research studies addressed housing insecurity, energy insecurity and mental health in informal settlements in Accra, Ghana.
Currently, Wu works as a clerical assistant at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and volunteers as a research assistant at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research. Inspired by his experiences as a caregiver for a family member, he also volunteers as a patient and family advisor for Ontario Health.
“Volunteering on campus and in my community has had such a positive impact on my life,” he says, “It has not only allowed me to connect with, empower, and give back to the communities that have shaped me into the person that I am. Volunteering has provided tremendous opportunities to reflect and grow personally, and has allowed me to form lifelong friendships.”
Wu plans to pursue a Master of Science in experimental medicine at McGill. He hopes to one day make meaningful contributions to health policy and humanitarian efforts.
“I am hoping to further explore the impact of the social determinants on health outcomes and, in particular, gender and culture as it relates to mental health and childhood development,” Wu says, “Through the experimental medicine program’s digital innovation option, I am also interested in exploring the wide-ranging applications (and ethical implications) of using AI in clinical research and medicine, particularly for improving healthcare accessibility for marginalized populations.”
Students applying for endorsement through Waterloo should visit Waterloo’s McCall MacBain website for specific deadlines.