Epidemiology Specialization
“My personal career goal is to become a public health practitioner working within the equity deserving communities. Completing the practicum was one of the major steps towards this goal, as it was the final requirement of the MPH Program.
My practicum was completed with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) and provided me with an in-depth understanding and practical experience of communication in public health with the general population, which can be quite challenging. I was able to assess the various strategies being used and provide recommendations to improve messaging to the local community about the importance of public health. In an effort to improve the new hire orientation portfolio at the TBDHU, individual meetings with all the managers provided amazing insight as to the many functions of Public Health Units. This was very insightful, as it helped me to identify the areas I can contribute to through employment, based on my interest and experience.
Overall, being able to apply various skill sets such as systematic research and report writing, has shown me that the MPH program has equipped me to be a competent Public Health professional, and I feel confident that I will be able to effectively practice within the field and effect positive changes.”
- Kadian Plumadore, Master of Public Health with Specialization in Epidemiology, 2025
“I had the amazing opportunity to complete my MPH Practicum in Paris, France with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the Well-being, Inclusion, Sustainability, and the Economy Centre (WISE), specifically within the Well-being Data Insights and Policy Practice Unit (WDP).
During my time at the OECD, I produced several deliverables, such as the following: The development of a database of interventions related to children and youth mental health and digitalization, along with a supporting infographic; contributions to the early development of a Food and Social Connections paper, including a framework search, literature review, and preliminary data analysis; and participation in the review and feedback process for the OECD How’s Life database and dashboard.
Altogether, the deliverables produced during my practicum demonstrate how useful and relevant my MPH coursework, professional experience, and applied research skills have become and will continue to serve me as I grow in my public health career. From developing databases and infographics, to conducting literature reviews and data analysis and participating in data tool drafts and quality assurance processes, I was able to directly apply classroom learning and workplace experience to real-world outputs with potential global impact.
My practicum was the first experience I acquired working directly on research projects and contributing to paper development in a professional, international context. While I gained important skills in literature synthesis, framework analysis, and data interpretation, I also came to realize that my long-term career interests lie more in evaluation and public health programming than in academic research. The experience was therefore valuable not only for the skills I developed, but also for the clarity it provided about the areas of public health that most interest me.”
-Danielle Provost, Master of Public Health with Specialization in Epidemiology, 2025
Harleen Hans and Ekjot Grewal (two Master of Public Health with Specialization in Epidemiology graduates, 2021) accepted permanent roles as Policy Analysts after completing their practicum placements with Health Canada in 2021.
"I completed my practicum for the MPH program with the PPE strategy team of Health Canada’s Covid-19 Task Force, and I was incredibly excited to have accepted an offer from Health Canada to continue employment with them as an Analyst. My practicum experience was quite literally life changing. Working with the Covid-19 Task Force was such an enriching, eye opening experience, as I was able to see certain aspects of the federal response for the Covid-19 crisis up close. I had the privilege of working with and learning from some remarkable people, and hope to continue doing so in my journey with Health Canada.
‘The opportunity will present itself; you just have to be prepared to meet it’ – and I wanted to give my sincere thanks to Lakehead University for helping me prepare for such an amazing opportunity through all the support and learning they provided to me during my time as a student.”
Zarin Tasnim, Master of Public Health with Specialization in Epidemiology, 2021
"In the last semester of my MPH program, I completed my practicum with a Public Health Unit where I was in charge of the climate change portfolio. My work included: understanding the burden of climate change on vulnerable populations by laying the foundation for a heat vulnerability assessment map, improving knowledge exchange strategies by creating content for a webpage on climate change and human health, assisting with climate change policies for the Official Plan, improving stakeholder engagement by connecting various staff in other departments working on climate change to share one unified vision, liaising with municipal climate change advisors to support local bylaw development for adaptation/mitigation, providing data analysis consultation at a partnering university working on climate change and vulnerability, hosting monthly lunch & learn sessions with regional staff to discuss the impacts climate change will have on their health, compiling a list of ways the public health department has mitigated climate change, creating a climate change committee, and presenting all of this work to my board of health.
Following the completion of my program, I was able to keep my promise to continue to fight for climate change work in my region. Since graduating, I have been promoted to a team lead position at the health unit (where I am employed) and I was allowed to continue to work on the climate change portfolio. Recently, myself and three other colleagues were able to produce a report to our senior leadership team outlining climate change strategies that we could adopt within our public health department to help tackle climate change in the region. Our report was well received and I am looking forward to seeing how our recommendations will be implemented.
I also would like to highlight that my MPH has been able to open other doors for me as well. I was able to teach my own course this past spring/summer at TMU’s Chang School for Continuing Education, which has helped me to realize that my passion is in academia. I have applied to a PhD program and I am hoping that I will get in! Without my MPH, I would not have been able to take this next step. I am very grateful for my time at Lakehead.”
- Kaitlyn Irving, Master of Public Health with Specialization in Epidemiology, 2020
"The Masters of Public Health program offers lectures, readings and coursework which foster a comprehensive understanding of core health concepts; these are both fascinating and deeply significant, and generally tied to the Social Determinants of Health.
Specializing in Epidemiology, I became deeply interested in more specific issues associated to Health Literacy; Antimicrobial Resistance, Antimicrobial Stewardship, and infectious diseases more generally.
The greatest aspect of the MPH program is the practicum placement. I completed mine in Sioux Lookout with an Infectious Disease physician. Here, I was able to match the theoretical knowledge I acquired through my coursework, with the concrete realities of life in northern Indigenous communities. I observed the interplay of infectious disease, health determinants (overcrowded housing and lack of access to safe drinking water), history, cultural and politics, and how all of these influence what we call "Indigenous Health".
I feel well-equipped for a long career in working to alleviate unnecessary human illness and suffering. I also feel equipped to advocate for health policy change, and to articulate the profound value of our shared Public Health."
- Travis Kirkwood, Master of Public Health with Specialization in Epidemiology, 2018
"The public health program at Lakehead University, with a comprehensive course curriculum, provided me an extensive knowledge and skills to apply in the field to improve the health and well-being of communities. Working as a Graduate Assistant under the supervision of Dr. Helle Moeller provided me with an in-depth knowledge and experience in conducting a research project from start to end. This is helping me a lot in my current work as a Research Analyst. Throughout the MPH program, I had an awesome experience working in groups and learning from classmates with different backgrounds.
I was fortunate enough to secure a practicum position at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) where I worked on a provincial report regarding the “Gaps in the Use of Health Care Services by Adults with Developmental Disabilities". I also had the opportunity to work with their internal database to review Autism Charts. Upon completion of my practicum I was offered a position as a Research Analyst at CAMH.
I hope that I will continue to work in this field and apply the knowledge and skills that I have learnt to make a sustainable impact on the health and well-being of communities.”
- Nancy Gupta, Master of Public Health with Specialization in Epidemiology, 2018
“In the final term of my MPH program, I was offered a Federal Student Work Program (FSWP) student position with the equity analysis and policy research team of the Public Health Agency of Canada in Ottawa, which allowed me to complete my practicum requirements. In this position I was able to look at data gaps using survey data and vital statistics data from the new health inequalities report for small jurisdictions (such as Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and the Yukon). I created knowledge translation products to visually display this information for provincial stakeholders to use for future priorities and funding. It was very exciting to see how my education plays a role into the real world; my experience allowed me to apply my epidemiology, health promotion, and data analysis courses. Following my placement, the Public Health Agency kept me on a casual contract as a policy analyst. I highly encourage others to apply to the Federal Student Work Program with the Federal Government!
I am now currently an epidemiologist with the Office of Drug Research and Surveillance team at Health Canada where I have worked on quarterly surveillance analysis and data release of opioid- and stimulant- related hospitalizations poisonings in Canada (https://health-infobase.canada.ca/substance-related-harms/opioids-stimulants) and I have just recently worked on the analysis and data release of the 2022 Canadian Cannabis Survey (https://health-infobase.canada.ca/cannabis/).”
- Jeanette Bourne, Master of Public Health with Specialization on Epidemiology, 2018
"The MPH Epidemiology program at Lakehead University, with a comprehensive course curriculum, provided me an extensive knowledge and skills to apply in the field to improve the health and well-being of Canadians. Working with Dr. Vicki Kristman during my directed studies course provided me with in-depth knowledge
and experience in conducting epidemiological studies and acquired data analysis skills. I was also fortunate enough to secure a practicum position at the Ottawa Public Health where I worked as a student Epidemiologist with six Epidemiologists who provided me with a lot of experience in this field.
Currently, I am working as an Epidemiologist with the Regional Government (Durham Region) where I am responsible for conducting an epidemiological analysis of surveillance data, including monitoring trends over time, emerging trends and priority populations, in accordance with Ontario Public Health program standards and protocols.
I have a background in integrative biology and neuroscience from the University of Toronto. I have almost 10 years of experience in the public and private health sectors and had recently worked for seven public health units throughout my student and working life, most recently Public Health Sudbury District and York Region.
I hope that I will continue to work in this field and apply the knowledge and skills that I have learnt to make a sustainable impact on the health and well-being of Canadians.”
- Saad Pervez, Master of Public Health with Specialization in Epidemiology, 2017
Avril Beaubien graduated from the Master of Public Health (with specialization in Epidemiology) in 2017. She is now working for the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development as part of a small specialized team focused on workplace guidance related to COVID-19. During the 2020 Alumni Homecoming event, she shared the story of her career journey through an engaging presentation entitled "Well that’s a unique career path… and it turns out you can make an elevator pitch in an elevator". Avril’s story was inspiring because it demonstrates how a wide diversity of work and education experiences, combined with natural curiosity and a willingness to learn, can contribute to success.