Annisa Siu

Annisa is a first-year student in the Master of Public Health program at McMaster University. Prior to her graduate degree, she has worked at The Hospital for Sick Children as a Clinical Research Project Assistant in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program and as a part-time art instructor. Currently, her interests lie in equity-focussed policy and program development. As a current Research Associate with the McMaster Research Shop she is working with Rising Stars, a local Hamilton initiative, to conduct a feasibility study on co-operative housing models for those living with mental health challenges. Through her academic and work experiences, Annisa hopes to initiate meaningful health and social systems level change for vulnerable populations.

As an outgoing Queen Elizabeth Scholar, Annisa will be travelling to Sydney, Australia to work at the Sax Institute in the Aboriginal Health Research Program. She is looking forward to working under projects led by Aboriginal communities that equitably evaluate, develop, and improve care for Aboriginal people. The outcomes of these projects will help to contextualize prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services to each unique community. Findings will be shared with key policy makers and stakeholders to inform culturally responsive strategies for improving local services. During her internship, she hopes to gain insight on Indigenous-led research and evaluation methodologies as they may inform improved health equity considerations for minority Canadian populations.