Madison MacKinnon, MSc’21

TMED Alumni Stories

| 3 November 2021

I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo in Science and Business Co-op with a specialization in Biology. My co-op experiences introduced me to healthcare research, particularly a co-op at Sunnybrook Hospital with an gastrointestinal oncology group inspired me to and apply to my Master’s. I discovered the TMED program through the Queen’s website and was immediately interested in the interdisciplinary nature of the program, the wide range of faculty that you could work with, and the interesting courses. I had not seen another master’s program that included observerships as part of their classes. Ultimately it was these aspects and a wonderful meeting with my future supervisor that made me very excited about attending Queen’s and the TMED program.

Once in the program, my favourite aspects were the small class sizes, allowing me to get to know my cohort and faculty very well, and the focus on patient outcomes in the program. I loved attending MGRs and attending our class lectures that featured translational research. I thought this greatly emphasized the need for this focus and skill in one’s own research. I liked the community that was created through our program as well and how supportive the program faculty were of the students. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD in Health Services Research at the University of Toronto. TMED has greatly impacted how I plan to prioritize knowledge translation in my future research. My supervisor and the TMED faculty have shown me what excellent, empathetic researchers and academics look like and are who I strive to mimic in my career in academia.

Madison MacKinnon, MSc’21

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Madison MacKinnon, MSc’21

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