University to launch master of science in occupational and public health this fall

The School of Occupational and Public Health is set to launch a new graduate program this fall. 

The new master of science (MSc) in occupational and public health will be the first applied and research-focused graduate degree in Canada that brings together the fields of occupational health and safety and public health.

“I’m thrilled the School of Occupational and Public Health is launching a new, one-of-its-kind graduate program,” says Jennifer Martin, associate dean, graduate studies, and scholarly, research and creative activities, Faculty of Community Services. “Students will benefit from a unique blend of learning and research opportunities; gaining the knowledge and expertise needed to shape the future of occupational and public health.”

The program is seeking applicants from a variety of occupational and public health backgrounds, including recent graduates and professionals working in the field. “We’re looking for people who’ve got a range of expertise,” says Richard Meldrum, a public health microbiologist and director of the School of Occupational and Public Health.

Typically, the discipline of occupational health and safety is concerned with preventing injury and illness in the workplace, whereas the realm of public health aims to prevent disease and protect public health for the entire population.

The two fields are highly interdependent, but often siloed in undergraduate and graduate education programs. Professionals in both areas play a key role in anticipating and preventing negative health outcomes and improving our overall quality of life. 

“We’re offering something which is relatively rare,” says Meldrum. “It’s a graduate program where students can select the topic they want to research, whether that lies within public or occupational health, or a combination of the two areas.”

Students can explore aging populations, climate change, infectious diseases and more

In Canada, and globally, we’re seeing the rise of emerging occupational and public health challenges related to aging populations, climate change, infectious diseases and more. Through coursework and research, students will draw upon both disciplines to address these challenges; preparing to create innovative solutions in policy and practice. 

Take COVID-19, for example. The infectious disease, typically framed as a public health issue, has impacted our health and well-being in countless ways. If you were to look at COVID-19 from both occupational and public health perspectives, however, you might understand its implications in a new light.

“You could look at how a public health worker dealt with the pandemic from a mental health perspective, how they cope with stress, and so on,” explains Meldrum, pointing to possible research opportunities for students. “You could examine it from a policy perspective and ask whether the government did the right thing in terms of response, timelines, and opening things up and closing things down.”

The same applies to climate change. Extreme temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, decreased air quality, and extreme weather events are impacting individual, community, and workplace health and safety.

In Canada, we’re already seeing the emergence of Lyme disease and West Nile virus, heat-related illnesses, and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases related to poor air quality.

“Climate change is one of the big issues -- one of the huge ones -- even if you just look at flooding, that’s a huge public health issue,” says Meldrum. 

In their master’s research thesis, students can explore these trends and other issues via their own interest or area of expertise -- whether that lies in toxicology, food safety, epidemiology, environmental health, water quality, or something else (for a fulsome list of possible research areas, visit the program website.) 

“I’m trying to expand the boundaries of the topics that we’re covering,” says Meldrum. “I’m very keen to support climate change projects, policy-based projects, governance projects -- perspectives that might be moving away from traditional public health or occupational health and safety topics.”

Professors have diverse expertise and strong industry partnerships

Students will benefit by learning from professors with diverse and interdisciplinary expertise in several fields of occupational and public health. “Our faculty have a unique range of experiences,” says Meldrum. “We have microbiologists, toxicologists, epidemiologists, ergonomists, engineers, food and water specialists -- just to name a few.” 

Moreover, professors in the school have strong partnerships with professional organizations and public agencies, and work closely with industry in their research. “A lot of our research is focused on external partners,” says Meldrum. “We work with public health agencies and other organizations to give students that real world experience.”

“The project work that students will engage in is not just ‘ivory tower’ academic work,” Meldrum says. “They’re actually trying to answer a question which has real-life implications.”

School has state-of-the-art facilities and long track record of success

The program will be based in the award-winning Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex, a new, state-of-art building that houses innovative academic space, administrative offices and student accommodations. Students can take advantage of occupational and public health laboratories (including a Containment Level 2 lab for the safe research of pathogens like Salmonella or E. Coli) and dedicated workstations near faculty offices.

The school has a long history of providing applied undergraduate education in occupational and public health, graduating students who are prepared for professional careers and committed to protecting the health of people, their communities and their workplaces.

“It’s been a long time coming,” says Meldrum, on the development and launch of the new program. “Our undergraduate public health program is 60 years old, and our occupational and public health program is decades old.”

Note: This program is launching in fall 2022 with approval from the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance. Approval from the Ontario Ministry of College and Universities is pending. Prospective students are currently ineligible for OSAP until approval is granted by the ministry.  However, other funding opportunities are available! Please visit Financing Your Studies for more information.