Welcome to the Department of Health & Society

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The Department of Health and Society: We're the home of Canada's new generation of health change-makers.


Welcome to the Department of Health and Society. Our department is committed to interdisciplinary research and teaching about health, disability, illness, and disease.  We are home to over 800 committed undergraduate students and faculty who are enrolled in one of our four, interlinked Majors:  

Students who choose to major in Population Health will anchor their knowledge in a sophisticated understanding of health and illness’s biological determinants, including epidemiology, aging and the life cycle, and the impact of environmental factors on health, as realized in evolving Canadian and international settings.

Students who choose to major in Health Policy cultivate a sophisticated understanding of the structure and effectiveness of health care systems, including public health policy, health crises and management, caregiving across the life course, and pressing issues in health care delivery for marginalized communities. Special emphasis is placed on how matters of culture and identity—including race, ethnicity, gender, and colonialism—directly impact health outcomes and services across Canada and in the wide world beyond.

As of April 2017, the Department of Health and Society is proud to offer Canada’s first Minor Program in Health Humanities, which explores human health and illness through the methods and materials of the creative arts and humanities. For more info on this exciting Minor and the award-winning Health Humanities research done by our Health and Society undergrads, check out www.scopelab.ca.

As of 2023, the Department of Health and Society offers a joint Specialist Program in Paramedicine with Centennial College.

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Welcome from the Chair
A welcome to the department from our Chair, Professor Michelle Silver.