The University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health is set to launch its new master of public health (MPH) in Black health in the fall of 2023.
Roberta Timothy, the school’s Black health lead, led the creation of the program in just five months – it was expected to take 18 – and believes it’s the first of its kind globally.
She said she couldn’t wait to share the news.
“I put the message out because when I think about the process, it’s emotional for me – and it’s emotional for me because this should not be, nor can it be, the only master’s in Black health that exists,” says Timothy who is an assistant professor of social and behavioural health.
“I don’t think I can fully feel the impact of that and the honour that led me to this journey.”
The new program, which will take applications from October 2022 to January 2023, will launch with an inaugural cohort of 10 students. It is inspired by the school’s MPH in Indigenous Health. In fact, Timothy says that her counterparts at the Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health have been instrumental in helping her develop the program so quickly.
