¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

Sarah Sikder (she/her)

Program: Master of Public Health

Email: sarah_sikder@sfu.ca

Coming from a background in applied biology and health sciences, I was used to understanding systems on a cellular level, but public health drew me in with the chance to zoom out and drive change at the population level. I became increasingly interested in how systems shape access, where disconnects between policy and practice exist, and how care can be redesigned to be more effective and inclusive.

My MPH journey has allowed me to explore these questions through work across diverse communities and care contexts. From researching urban accessibility for older adults in the Inclusive Environments Lab, to evaluating newcomer health services during my practicum with Fraser Health, I’ve developed a strong interest in advocating for community-based solutions. For example, examining immunization-related feedback among newcomers to the Fraser region showed me how something as simple as clinic hours or design of a form can make the difference between receiving care or giving up.

One of the things I really valued about the MPH program was going into class knowing we’d be exploring real-world, relevant topics in health, from clinical breakthroughs to political nuances. The in-depth discussions and practice-oriented projects not only deepened my understanding, but also strengthened my ability to apply public health principles beyond the classroom. 

To incoming students, I'd say: treat coursework and practicum as a chance to prototype the kind of public health work you want to do. Approach each class discussion, assignment, group presentation, case study or practicum deliverable with curiosity, creativity, and intention. Grad school is a chance to test your voice and vision in a supportive environment, so I encourage you to make the most of it!

Jeannine Ho (she/her)

Program: Master of Public health

Email: jeannine_ho@sfu.ca

Hello, my name is Jeannine, my pronouns are she/her, and I am very enthusiastic about connecting with prospective and incoming students who are interested in the Faculty of Health Sciences. I completed my undergraduate honours Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (Life Sciences) and graduated with distinction, and immediately knew I wanted to continue my studies in the Master of Public health program because of all opportunities available here.

I am grateful to have been born and raised on the traditional lands of the Katzie, Kwantlen, and Semiahmoo Nations, also colloquially known as Surrey, to Vietnamese refugee parents. Overcoming major life adversity and being an informal caregiver to my parent with cancer really challenged me think about the policies and structure of our healthcare system that contribute to health inequalities, especially in underrepresented and equity-deserving communities. From then, I knew that I wanted to learn the skills and engage in research that would improve healthcare and lead to policy-level changes, which naturally brought me to the MPH program.

Health equity and advocacy is a huge part of my life purpose. As a Research Assistant transitioning into Research Manager with the with Dr. John O’Neil, I’m currently working on a CIHR-funded international mental health RCT that will improve mental healthcare accessibility in Vietnam and other low resource settings. For over 5 years, I’ve served as President of Blood, Organ, & Stem Cell Club and work with Canadian Blood Services to facilitate campus-wide blood donation clinics and stem cell swabbing events. More recently, I’ve founded ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV’s Partners in Health chapter and bring students together to develop real-world solutions to pressing global health challenges.

I am grateful for the opportunities to work with so many amazing faculty and mentors who have supported my academic and research career. In turn, I find great meaning in being a TA and providing the same mentorship to other students—offering guidance and advice in academics, research, balancing student life and school, applying for scholarships, and wherever else I possibly can. I would love to build connection with incoming and prospective students, and look forward to answering any questions you may have!

Bolu Adeoti

Program: Master of Public Health

Email: bta76@sfu.ca

Hi, My name is Bolu Adeoti, a Nigerian-trained dentist, born and raised in Nigeria. My academic journey has not been one without its challenges, I had to retake a year during undergrad. Even though I was told this would reduce my chances of getting admission to study abroad, with the grace of God, perseverance, and a good support system I graduated as one of the top 5 in my class. I am also passionate about research and have published two papers.

I  love community work and enjoyed community dentistry. This spurred me to apply for my masters in Public Health. Amazingly, I applied to only one school and bam, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV said yes. Since the onset of my program about six months ago, I have acquired more skills from the lectures, assignments, group works, and discussions. I can boldly say I am better off than when I started. I am looking forward to doing a thesis based MPH in my second year and I anticipate contributing to public health knowledge and making a tangible impact.

My Cohort is a really amazing one because we make room to catch some fun despite the rigor of studying. One of the social events that stood out for me was our visit to a bowling alley. It was so much fun.

¶¡ÏãÔ°AV provides an enriching environment for learning, with ample opportunities for growth. If you are keen to learn, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV's got your back.

Rhien Hare

Program: Master of Public Health

Email: rhien_hare@sfu.ca

Hello, my name is Rhien (she/her). I am originally from New Brunswick but have been in BC for over 10 years. I earned my Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2023, where I majored in Biology and minored in Kinesiology. During my undergrad, I discovered a passion for science communication and knowledge translation. Although I love science, I discovered that what I love most about science is talking about it and sharing it with those around me.

My research interests focus on menstrual and women's health, particularly in how to effectively disseminate knowledge in these areas. I had the privilege during my undergrad to concentrate my honours thesis on knowledge mobilization efforts related to menstrual side effects of COVID-19 vaccination, a consideration I believe is crucial for any vaccine or drug trial. This intersection of knowledge translation, women’s health, and infectious disease is ultimately what inspired me to pursue a career in public health. In addition to my education, I also work as a science communicator supporting academic investigators and science-driven non-profits; work that has allowed me to apply my science background and love for translating scientific knowledge on a daily basis.

The MPH program at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV has been a fantastic fit for me. Finding a program that aligned perfectly with my goals, given my unique research interests that span several fields, was challenging. The holistic nature of the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV MPH program has been incredibly rewarding, exposing me to all facets of public health and providing room for my growth as an emerging public health practitioner. I am confident that my education at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV will prepare me for a successful career in knowledge mobilization.

Getting to know other like-minded individuals in the program has also been an incredible experience – no two people in our cohort have the same background or interests and we learn from each other just as much as we do from the program. I would encourage all incoming students to get to know your cohort-mates because they are likely to become some of your closest connections!

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions about the program or just want to chat – I would love to connect with you!

Keturah Kalio (she/her)

Program: Master of Public Health

Email: Keturah_kalio@sfu.ca

Hello, my name is Keturah. I was born and raised in Rivers State, Nigeria, and I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. A significant part of my background involved volunteering with non-governmental and non-profit organizations. Experiencing the adverse effects of air pollution in my community ignited my interest in Environmental Health, steering me towards a career in public health.

In my first year of the program, I decided to focus my interests on leveraging data to transform public health interventions and programs. This interest has led me to my current role as a Data Analyst with Fraser Health Authority. I am currently in my second year of the MPH program, and my advice to new students is to be intentional about growth and remain open to new ideas. The ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV MPH program has provided me with invaluable knowledge, resources and networks that have significantly impacted the direction of my career, and I am grateful for that.

When I'm not working, I enjoy exploring Vancouver and immersing myself in books.

If you have any questions or need guidance, please feel free to reach out. I’d be more than happy to help.

Andra Tarta

Program: Master of Public health

Email: ait2@sfu.ca

Hello! My name is Andra, and I was born in Romania and raised in Ontario. In 2022, I graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science, and a minor in Psychology. In Ontario, I did some lab-based research investigating breast cancer and obesity comorbidity, and held some writing consulting positions. My first introduction to public health was a research assistant position where I connected with various health professionals from across Canada to describe the landscape of SARS-CoV-2 research, and tried to identify gaps in our pandemic response. I applied to the MPH program after taking a gap year, and was very excited to attend ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV because of their strong emphasis on application-based work, social justice, and their Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation.

Through my biology and psychology backgrounds, I learned about many systemic inequities in healthcare, and the MPH has allowed me to deepen my understanding of personal interests like women’s health, environmental health, and health promotion. The program also offers many great opportunities to connect with passionate professors and peers, and I have learned a lot just from hearing other people’s stories.

Although the semester can be challenging at times, your cohort and professors are there to support you, so don’t hesitate to reach out to others. Take time for yourself, even when things get busy. Personally, I love café-hopping, exploring new hiking trails, and cooking a fun, new meal.

If you have any questions, I am more than happy to help! Feel free to reach out for a chat.

Leanna Wong

Program: Master of Public Health

Email: leanna_wong@sfu.ca

Hi there, my name is Leanna and I am in my first year of the MPH program. My background includes a Bachelors of Health Science from Thompson Rivers University and a diploma in Diagnostic Medical Sonography from the College of New Caledonia. I credit my interest for public health towards my upbringing and frontline healthcare experience. I was born and raised in Northern BC, and grew up in an area where complex social issues such as crime, poverty, substance use, and mental health challenges were present. In my later years I worked as a diagnostic medical sonographer and as a medical lab assistant. I worked in public and private settings in rural and urban communities and witnessed systemic racism and discrimination in healthcare. Therefore, both my personal and professional experiences have inspired me to pursue my MPH to work towards health equity and creating accessible healthcare opportunities for marginalized peoples. 

I greatly appreciate the social justice lens that ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV’s MPH program incorporates as this helped shape my understanding of public health as well as helped to develop my research interests. Without this program I don’t think I would have realized how passionate I feel about Indigenous Health and Harm Reduction. I feel really grateful to be surrounded by a community of peers and faculty members who support my passions and empower me to learn more about the topics I care about. I am excited to continue learning and I cannot wait to see where my career in public health will take me. 

I encourage prospective students to reach out to me if they have questions about the MPH program. Please do not hesitate to reach out, I am more than happy to share advice and chat. 

Maëve Leduc (she/her)

Program: Master of Science

Email: maeve_leduc@sfu.ca

Hi there! My name is Maëve, I am an MSc student working with Drs. Lyana Patrick, Dawn Hoogeveen, and Clifford Atleo. My research is in partnership with Snuneymuxw First Nation’s community-led program to address cumulative effects from development activities to environment, health, and culture. 

I grew up in Coast Salish Territories, between Vancouver Island, the mainland, and the small islands in between. I was raised with a strong connection to the natural world, and am descended from French, Dutch, and Red River Métis ancestors. In the 2010s, I completed a BA at UVic in Anthropology and Gender Studies. In the five years between my BA and grad school, I moved across the country and back and worked a variety of jobs in research and archives, including at the Te’mexw Treaty Association and the BC Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. 

Initially, I applied to the MPH program, intimidated by the prospect of finding a supervisor and thesis topic after being out of school for several years. By Spring 2023, I realized it was not the right fit for me and took a break over the summer to prioritize my mental health and decide on next steps. Already enmeshed in two research projects through the FHS, in Fall 2023, I finally found my place in the MSc program. 

Throughout my journey I have connected with excellent mentors and colleagues, developed deep friendships, struggled with and overcome mental health issues, and begun working on meaningful community-based work that has given me a sense of purpose and hope for the future. Please feel free to reach out if you’d like to connect, I am happy to share more and offer support if I can.

Evan Barad (he/him)

Program: Master of Science

Email: evan_barad@sfu.ca

Hello! My name is Evan, I am a first-year master’s student in Health Sciences, working with Dr. Zabrina Brumme at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE). I was born in Vancouver and raised in Coquitlam. I completed my Bachelor of Science (Honours) at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV in the Faculty of Health Sciences (Life Sciences Stream). My honours research focussed on immunogenetic, sociodemographic and clinical correlates of HIV reservoir size. I am grateful to be able to work and study at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV. Through my time in the Health Science program, I have understood the importance of chronic illness and how health is multi-faceted. In addition, the importance of ensuring everyone is provided adequate care. I currently work as a research assistant at the BC-CfE.

My research examines a condition some people with HIV experience called persistent low-level viremia, during therapy, when blood HIV levels suddenly become detectable. This condition can last for years, and is often not resolvable by medication changes, causing great anxiety and stress for those living with HIV and their physicians. My research hopes to advance our understanding of HIV reservoir biology and contribute to improving HIV clinical care.

I could not be happier with my decision to apply for graduate studies at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV. I am learning so much and am studying a topic that can make a difference in people’s lives. In addition, I have met many amazing people in my cohort, forming connections with friends, professors and colleagues who help me strive to better myself as a researcher and person.

Please feel free to reach out over email if you have any questions about graduate school or the MSc program. It would be my pleasure to help support the next generation of health researchers!

Emily Blyth (she/her)

Program: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Email: emily_blyth@sfu.ca

Hello, my name is Emily, my pronouns are she/her, and I look forward to connecting with prospective and incoming students to talk about our program here at FHS. I was born in a small town outside of Toronto, Ontario. Following my small-town-heart, I pursued my BAH in Linguistics at Queen's University, a school in Kingston Ontario, where I graduated in 2015. I never saw myself in academia, but fell in love with research and teaching when I completed my MA in Communication & Culture in 2021 while working full-time in professional communications at York University. I started to see my love of  small towns as a reflection of my desire to focus on community and human well-being, and moved to Burnaby in 2021 to follow that passion here in FHS. Under the supervision of Dr. Lyana Patrick, my SSHRC-CGS funded research focuses on the health outcomes and community impacts of media exposure to police violence. 

I love the sense of community and connection that I have found on the Tsleil-Waututh, Kwikwetlem, Squamish, and Musqueam territories where ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Burnaby campus sits and where I live and work. I appreciate the opportunities to grow and learn that I have found at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV, such as working as a Senior Research Assistant with our and as a Community-Engaged Research initiative (CERi) Graduate Research Fellow (2023-2024). In particular, as a White settler on this land, I am grateful for how my time and connections in FHS have helped me to unlearn some of the limiting ideas that I picked up through Western academic norms, and instead engage in more heart-, art-, and community-based practice.

Part of this process has been unlearning the competitive nature of PhDs that is instilled by capitalist job markets and limited granting opportunities, and instead seeing this time as a chance to grow deep connections that will last a lifetime. I would love to build such connections with incoming and prospective graduate students, and would look forward to answering any questions you may have by email, hopping on Zoom, and generally welcoming you into the FHS community!

Angel Kennedy (she/her)

Program: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Email: angel_kennedy@sfu.ca

I completed my BSc in Health Sciences (Population and Quantitative Health Stream) and a Master of Public Health degree at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV. Throughout these three degrees, I was able to network through the faculty and partnering universities to get involved in a series of projects, teams, and networks. More specifically, I work for the , Ecohealth International, the on , the , and as the Research Manager for the Research for EcoSocial and Equitable Transformation (RESET) Team.

Throughout these experiences, I developed both a strong passion for working on issues that intersect eco-social health and mental health equity, and a deep love of research (with a particular focus on community engagement and knowledge exchange). This created the conditions in which I decided to pursue a PhD under the RESET Team’s TAKE NOTICE project, looking at promoting the mental health of youth by consolidating strategies for communicating about the climate crisis.

Through the Faculty of Health Sciences’ appreciation of interdisciplinary lines of inquiry and cross-cutting themes, I was not forced to make my project fit neatly into one area of health sciences, but rather was able to pursue research that crosses various fields that I feel passionate about. Further, I was able to find supportive faculty members and mentors who supported this journey.

Some pieces of advice that I entered the PhD program with are: Endlessly ask questions, pursue any projects/questions/opportunities that feel inspiring or nourishing to you (even if they don’t feel relevant at the time), and don’t compare your academic journey with anyone else’s – we all have something unique to contribute!

I would love to connect with you if you have any questions!

Judy Wu

Program: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Email: jtwu@sfu.ca

Hello! My name is Judy and I am a current PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Hasina Samji. My academic journey began at UBC with a Bachelor of Science, driven by my passion for ecology, environmental protection, and climate action. However, my experiences during a co-operative work placement at BC Children's Hospital and as a facilitator for a mental health support group later in my undergraduate degree sparked my interest in health science. 

Through my work with the mental health disorder support group, I witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by participants in accessing mental health services, particularly during childhood and adolescence. As a result, many support group participants were unable to be diagnosed and receive treatment until adulthood. This highlighted for me the importance of taking an upstream approach to address mental health disorders, ultimately leading me to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) at UBC.

In my current PhD work, I’ve had the opportunity combine my interests of youth mental health and environmental/climate action. Specifically, I’m interested in understanding the ways in which the ecological and climate crises impact youth mental health and well-being. 

I am thankful for the strong community provided to me via my lab as well as the larger faculty at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV. There is a strong group of researchers focused on health research related to environment/planetary health at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV that have helped guide my research. 

My advice to incoming graduate students is to remember to take care of your well-being, because that can quickly get forgotten in the shuffle of research work, course deadlines, and the variety of other responsibilities of a graduate student. Taking care of your well-being doesn’t always have to take a long time, sometimes just a simple 10-minute walk is enough to improve your mood and increase productivity. 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!