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Faculty of Health

Faculty of Health

Building a Healthy World for All

At York University’s Faculty of Health, we are striving in all we do to be leaders and partners for a healthy and just 21st century world.

Our degree programs expand our understandings of health, bring innovations to health education, and contribute to the wellbeing of people and communities all around the world.

Through our teaching and research excellence, and with our community partners — locally and globally — we are acting every day to build a healthy world for all. Because we believe health is a fundamental human right. For everyone.

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Health Viewbook 2025-26 [PDF]
Healthy World Report 2024

YorkU Health
Programs

Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate programs in Global Health, Health Studies, Kinesiology & Health Science, Nursing, Neuroscience, and Psychology

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Graduate Programs

Graduate programs in Health, Critical Disability Studies, Global Health, Kinesiology & Health Science, Nursing, and Psychology

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Students talking on York's Keele campus

Year in Review

In our Fall 2024 Healthy World Report (formerly Impact Report), we present the major accomplishments and success stories of our faculty, students, staff, and community partners in advancing the strategic directions in our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan.

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Third year Nursing student James Ehiagwina shares his story as a young teen Nigerian immigrant to Canada and talks about his volunteer work with Kids Help Phone to champion mental wellness for youth.


Psychology professor Raymond Mar weighs in on research by psychologists and neuroscientists showing how people can make themselves more memorable via four actions to improve the recall of readers and listeners.


Published research from recent Kinesiology & Health Science PhD graduate, Luca Delfinis, has made history as the first to document that muscle weakness precedes muscle wasting in cancer – a groundbreaking discovery that presents new possibilities for early detection and treatment.


Psychology professor Yvonne Bohr talks to CBC about a new mental health video game that incorporates Inuit culture, traditional knowledge, and cognitive behavioral therapy for Nunavummiut youth to develop healthy coping skills.


Psychology professor Gordon Flett weighs in on youth suicides and the importance of mattering. Flett says mattering is a feeling of being important to others and gives examples of how youth can increase their sense of mattering.


Health Policy & Management professor Lora Appel leverages Virtual Reality (VR) technology to help people cope with anxiety and health conditions.

Suzanne MacDonald


Psychology professor and animal behaviour expert Suzanne MacDonald weighs in on a new wildlife count that suggests more Torontonians might soon encounter the opossum.

Joseph DeSouza


Dancing the blues away? A recent study from Psychology Professor Joseph DeSouza finds dancing lowers depression associated with Parkinson's disease, as seen in brain imaging.

Qjiel Giuliano Mikhl Zamora


Congratulations to Global Health student Qjiel Giuliano Mikhl Zamora who has been named a Top 25 Environmentalist Under 25 for 2024!

YorkU Keele campus


Two of the top Faculty of Health stories for 2024:
• Connected Minds: one year later
• Relationship agreement ensures Indigenous priorities are included in future of health care

Rebecca Pillai Riddell


Psychology professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell and University colleagues have launched a new e-training module that will help faculty members better understand and evaluate Indigenous research excellence.

Jennifer Mills


Psychology Professor Jennifer Mills weighs in on diet culture and the public discussing a celebrity’s body weight in The Globe & Mail.

L-R: Jacqueline Choiniere and Pat Armstrong


Nursing Professor Jacqueline Choiniere and Sociology Professor Emerita Pat Armstrong are co-editors of a new book, The Labour Crisis in Long-term Care: The Right to Care, which examines the widely acknowledged crisis in the long-term care labour force.


Alumna Zsofia Mendly-Zambo and Health Policy & Management Professor Dennis Raphael's co-edited book, The Politics of Food Insecurity in Canada and the United Kingdom, examines how economic and political systems create food insecurity.

Elham Dolatabadi


Health Policy & Management Assistant Professor Elham Dolatabadi and team have developed a computer vision tool that can identify sleep postures during pregnancy and potentially answer how sleep positions may affect pregnancy outcomes.


York University’s Global Strategy Lab (GSL) is celebrating a remarkable decade of groundbreaking global health research and policy advisory services, marking the milestone with the appointment of Mathieu Poirier as its new director. 

Healthy World Report 2024


The Fall 2024 Healthy World Report highlights the accomplishments of our faculty, students, staff, and community partners. Together, we’re building a healthy world for all.


The Faculty of Health’s Student Success Programs, delivered by Calumet and Stong Colleges, help students succeed at York and after they graduate.


The Connected Minds: Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society research program has announced the recipients of its second round of seed grants.


Kinesiology & Health Science Professor Lyndsay Hayhurst’s documentary examines how bicycles can be used to dismantle barriers related to gender inequality, education and health-care access. 


Health Policy & Management Professor and Mi’kmaw scholar, Sean Hillier, is featured in the Fall 2024 issue of The York University Magazine for his work developing Canada’s first Indigenous-led technology research hub as part of the $318.4-million Connected Minds partnership. 


York’s Psychology program ranks among the Top 75 Psychology programs in the world and 4th in Canada, while York’s Nursing program ranks 6th in Canada, according to the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2024. 


Current student Abirami shares her opinions on the Health Studies program, including courses, professors, hands-on learning, and student life.


Health Policy & Management Prof Jessica Vorstermans' course "Experience Cuba: Enacting the Human Right to Health & Health Equity" (HLST 4170), is open to all York students to travel to Cuba. Info sessions on Nov 20 & 21.


Kinesiology & Health Science PhD student Jessica Nachman won the Outstanding Sociology of Sport Journal Article Award, as lead author, for their paper connecting Indigenous theories of refusal to Indigenous youth sport participation in Canada.


Congratulations Psychology alumna and Clinical Psychologist & Neuropsychologist, Dr. Bri Susanna Darboh, who was honoured with the “One to Watch” award at the 2024 York U Alumni Awards for her significant impact in her field.


Kinesiology & Health Science Professors Hala Tamim, Heather Edgell, and Michael Rotondi published a new study showing women who have late menopause have a greater asthma risk.


Psychology professor Robert Muller and Kinesiology & Health Science professor Heather Edgell indicate research suggests cold water immersion benefits mental health.


Statement from the Faculty of Health on the passing of Murray Sinclair


Psychology student Lucas Quevedo sat down for a videotaped interview with the York University marketing team after finding out he had been randomly selected out of 5,400 entrants to win free first-year tuition.


Kinesiology & Health Science Assistant Professor Antony Chum’s new paper in the Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology journal examines the impact of cannabis legalization on health-care use among those with schizophrenia.


Psychology Professor Emerita Ellen Bialystok's groundbreaking research on bilingualism’s impact is highlighted in a new study in the Journal of Cognition and Development, showcasing her lasting influence in the field.


York University's Muscle Health Research Centre (MHRC) ranks 4th globally in skeletal muscle research. This recognition by ScholarGPS, for impactful work over the last five years, places York among the leading institutions in the field.


Third-Year Nursing student James Ehiagwina took centre stage at the Digital Mental Health International Congress held last month in Ottawa, showcasing his growing leadership in youth mental health advocacy.


In ranking York #5 among Canada’s Best Comprehensive Universities for 2025, Maclean’s magazine also listed Health Studies and Psychology among York’s Standout programs


Explore how York University’s Global Health degree equips students to tackle today’s health challenges and prepares them for diverse and impactful careers.


Jeffrey Reading, a leader in Indigenous public and global health, received an honorary degree from York University on Oct 16. He urged Faculty of Health graduates to challenge social inequities.  


York University launches its first Well-being Strategy and signs the Okanagan Charter. Join Fall Well-being Week events and help shape a healthier, supportive campus environment.


Joel Lexchin, School of Health Policy & Management Prof Emeritus, discusses the financial and social impact of leaving prescription drugs uncovered in our healthcare system.


The Psychology Department’s Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (DEDI) Committee hosted its inaugural "Diversifying & Demystifying Grad School in Psychology" event to support undergrad students from under-represented groups interested in psychology grad studies.


In honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Witness: The Canadian Journal of Critical Nursing Discourse – edited by Nursing Professor Cheryl van Daalen-Smith – released a podcast episode featuring Indigenous voices, discussing ways to disrupt health research to enhance reconciliation.


Health Policy & Management Professor Sean Hillier has been appointed Interim Associate Dean, Research and Innovation, and Kinesiology & Health Science Professor Chris Perry has been appointed as Special Advisor to the Dean on Strategic Research Partnerships. Both appointments are effective as of October 15.


Professor and School of Nursing Director Claire Mallette weighs in on Canada’s nursing shortage and how nursing agencies are costly to Canada's public healthcare system.


New School of Nursing Assistant Professor Kate Dunn, an Anishinaabe woman from northern Ontario, brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the University, particularly through her work on liver wellness and hepatitis C elimination in Indigenous communities.


Psychology professor Gord Flett discusses the latest research linking achievement culture to youth mental health issues, suggesting "mattering" – a sense of self-worth beyond success – as a possible solution.


The School of Health Policy & Management  was pleased to host the Sept 27 launch of the Handbook of Disability: Critical Thought and Social Change in a Globalizing World and pay tribute to one of the editors, the late Marcia Rioux.


York University begins accreditation process for proposed School of Medicine, ensuring top educational standards for future healthcare professionals.

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MEET THE CHANGEMAKERS
Learn more about Faculty of Health students, alumni, faculty and staff who are creating positive change.

STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAMS
Explore peer mentorship, leadership and development, and peer assisted learning programs for students in the Faculty of Health.

ADVANCING QUALITY EDUCATION
Get more information on how we support student learning in the Faculty of Health.

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TEACHING SPOTLIGHT

“Life-changing” learning at York’s Costa Rica EcoCampus

AFTER TAKING AN IMMERSIVE, community based field course at York’s Las Nubes EcoCampus in Costa Rica, associate professor of Psychology and environmentalist Adrienne Perry knew she wanted to become more involved.

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