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Laying the groundwork

In his first years of undergrad, James had important learning experiences—both in and out of the classroom—that would prepare him for his later career endeavors. In his “Foundations in Health Studies” course, he learned about biological systems through a societal lens, something he would put into practice eventually working at an NGO. He also took a job working at the Academic Advising and Career Centre, building administrative and communication skills. Additionally, he volunteered as the Social Media Coordinator for Amnesty International’s UTSC chapter. In this role, he learned about human rights initiatives all over the world, expanded his knowledge for social justice causes, and learned skills in social media and content creation.
 

Valuable co-op experience

The journey to James’s co-op experience started as early as his second year. Through UTSC’s co-op program, students are provided support on application prep, like resume writing and interview practice. Ultimately, James landed a paid co-op placement at BayCrest Hospital in North York. Working in the MEG Lab in the Rotman Institute for Research under Dr. Bernard Ross, James learned how to attach circuits to volunteers’ heads to measure brain waves as they listened to audio stimuli. He used this method to test hearing ability between younger and older people to research how people process auditory sounds at different ages. This experience was James’ first time in a lab, and he loved the experience of getting to run a study, meet with participants and analyze data.
 

Since graduating…

After graduating with his Bachelor’s degree in 2018, James went on to earn his Master’s from Dalla Lana School of Public Health in 2020. Since he’s graduated, James has been working as a Program Lead on the Patient Safety, Equity and Engagement team at Healthcare Excellence Canada, an NGO in Ottawa funded by Health Canada. In his role here, he aims to improve healthcare for Canadians, by supporting annual campaigns, executing virtual programming.