The overall objective of this new field will be to provide graduate students with a culturally relevant program to fully understand Black public health issues in preparation for public health practice with Black communities. Black communities consist of diverse genders, gender identities, ages, sexual orientations, religious and spiritual backgrounds, abilities/disabilities, classes, immigration and migration processes, among other factors. Black identity is complex, made of diverse ways of identifying, such as Black, African, and African-Canadian, to name a few. Hence, African/Black is used to holistically include the diversity of representation amongst Black community members.
Areas the program will look at will include the impact of anti-Black racism on health, maternal health, the intersectionality of Black Elders and children, inter-generational relationships and their effects on community health, wellness and healing, resilience and resistance, infectious and chronic illness prevalence and treatment within the health-care system, among others. The program will also give students translatable skills in the practices of decolonizing pedagogy and anti-oppression frameworks.
MPH students are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS): Applicants must hold an appropriate Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a recognized university with at least a mid-B average in the final year of the degree or in the last 5.0 full course equivalents completed at a senior level. Proof of English Language Proficiency is required (See below).
Minimum Admission Requirements for MPH Black Health
- At least one undergraduate statistics course with a minimum grade of mid-B or higher is required. Please review the MPH statistics requirements information.
- Relevant work or volunteer experience.
International applicants
No applicant will be admitted without evidence of English Language Proficiency (ELP). As per the policy of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), the following applicants do not have to provide direct supporting evidence of ELP in the application.
- A Canadian citizen who studied at a Canadian university where instruction is in English or French;
- Any applicant who has obtained a qualifying undergraduate degree from an institution that is recognized by the University of Toronto, and where the language of instruction and examination is uniformly English.
If either criterion above is satisfied, the application can be submitted without test scores or other proof of ELP.
Otherwise, an approved test of English Language Proficiency must be submitted at the time of application. Scores must meet the minimum requirements set by SGS and must be valid (taken within 2 years of submission of the application). See SGS website for details.
If an applicant is required to submit proof of ELP and does not include this with the application, by the application deadline, the application will be considered incomplete and inadmissible.
Applicants who studied outside Canada must consult the School of Graduate Studies website to determine whether evidence of ELP can be waived. The SGS website lists those countries where university instruction in English will be recognized without further documentation. Click here for more information.
The SGS website also has an international degree equivalency tool that may be consulted to determine minimum admission requirements for graduates from recognized institutions outside Canada. Admission eligibility cannot be determined until a complete application is submitted. We are not able to review or assess your academic record without an official application to a graduate degree program, including payment of the appropriate application fee.
Visit the Future Students page for complete application information and instructions.
Please learn more about the program’s core competencies.
- To learn how to promote the well-being, health, healing, and wellness of diverse Black peoples and our communities.
- To develop a comprehensive understanding of the social/historical and current contexts that have led to public health crises resulting from intersectional violence in relation to anti-Black racism.
- To understand how systemic violence and exclusion are sustained by concrete public health practices that need to be eradicated.
- To ensure that social and political determinants of health include colonialism, racism, and other forms of intersectional violence from a decolonizing and resistance-centered framework/praxis.
- To unlearn and learn how to intentionally challenge power structures that uphold white supremacy and colonialist models.
- To ensure that African/Black health practitioners/leaders and those working in solidarity; have impactful roles in public health discourse and decision-making spaces, especially in areas that impact the health of Black populations.
- To include African Indigenous ways of wellness and healing as important to creating culturally responsive health care and safety.
- To incorporate African/Black epistemologies and methodologies that help in understanding the complexities of African/Black communities, specifically, intersectionality. Going beyond collecting demographics.
Students are required to complete 10.0 Full Course Equivalents (FCEs) within the maximum time limit of 3 years as a full-time student and 6 years as a part-time student. Please note, that most full-time students complete their degree within 2 years. The table below outlines the usual distribution of required and elective courses, together with practica, which are taken throughout the program.
Elective Courses
Students have an opportunity to take at least 1.5 FCE in elective courses. Through electives, students can tailor their academic work to suit their professional needs and career interests.
Students can take courses within the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, or (with permission) from other Graduate Departments at the University of Toronto. Students also have the opportunity to take courses outside of the University of Toronto and must consult with their Program Director and the Graduate Office.
Practicum
Students typically undertake a 16-week full-time practicum in the Summer session of year 1 of the program (Term 3). Some students complete an optional 12-week full-time practicum in the Winter session of year 2 (Term 5). The practicum experiences will provide meaningful and essential application and synthesis of program learning outcomes and will be directly related to issues of Black public health.
Students will only receive a maximum of 3.5 FCE for practicum courses during their program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the MPH degree program can be completed on a part-time basis. For more information please see: https://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/students/future-students/application-process/application-frequently-asked-questions/
Information regarding program costs for studies at the University can be found at: https://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/students/current-students/information-for-incoming-students/
Funding and award opportunities can be found here: https://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/students/current-students/student-awards-funding-opportunities/
Below is a list of potential job titles that this degree would prepare you for:
- Analyst (Research and Policy, Research Planning and Policy, Health)
- Health Promotion Specialist
- Health Promotion and Community Liaison
- Health Planner
- Program Coordinator
- Program Facilitator
- Coordinator of Community Engagement
- Community Health Worker
- Program Evaluator
- Medical Doctor (Further Education)
- Nurse (Further Education)
For those who are interested in learning more about the program, you can sign up for an information session. They are offered on the following dates:
- October 31, 2024 6:00pm-7:00pm
- November 21, 2024 6:00pm-7:00pm
- December 12, 2024 6:00pm-7:00pm
Sign up at this link: https://sway.office.com/faKg1YBe7L3QKeBt?ref=Link
Sign-up for our newsletters! By joining the list, you will be made aware of all upcoming Black health-related events, upcoming application dates and open houses where you can speak to professors in the program.
Current Students
Hi, my name is Osatohanwen Joanne Okungbowa (She/Her), but many call me Joanne. Health equity, content marketing, entrepreneurship and travel are what makes me feel the most alive and purposeful. My research areas of focus are food sovereignty, Black health, Indigenous health, women’s health, health equity for marginalized communities; (particularly, the physiological manifestations of racism), as well as the surveillance, prevention and management of chronic illnesses. My goal is to create accessible health services that go beyond the biomedical approach by using interactive art-based therapies.
My name is Amani Chabikuli. I am currently a student researcher at MAP center of urban health solutions and I have recently graduated from Western University with a double major in Medical and Environmental sciences. I am beyond thrilled to embark on my graduate studies at Dalla Lana, specializing in Black health alongside U of T’s diverse and renown research community.
Some of the goals I have in the future is to work with health organizations to improve the health and wellbeing of Black communities worldwide. I strongly believe in manifesting radical Black futures and creating space for the imagination necessary to create worlds that center the voices and perspectives of all Black people.
Hello, my name is Adrianna Perryman. I am a graduate of the Global Health Program at York University in which I specialized in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. I currently work as a women’s outreach worker in the HIV/AIDS sector. I enjoy working in community and being on “ground” knowing I am working in partnership with who I wish to reach. I am also passionate about serving Black women in the community through addressing the social determinants of health. I am also interested in policy and program development to ensure changes are made to create more equitable health outcomes for all.
My name is Asli Nur, and I am a first-generation Somali Canadian. I have a diverse background in healthcare management, interpretation, and translation, having worked internationally for various health and governmental agencies. Additionally, I gained valuable experience as a research assistant with the Black Health Matter Covid-19 project from 2021 to 2023.
My future goals revolve around working closely with the Africa/Black Canadian community. I am determined to address the social determinants of health that significantly impact our communities.
My name is Joshua Pratt and I am entering my first year of the MPH in Black Health program at the University of Toronto DLSPH. I graduated from the University of Toronto, Scarborough in 2021 with a BSc, double majoring in Health Studies and Human Biology. Throughout my undergrad I engaged in extracurriculars including working with the Athletics and Recreation department, playing intramural basketball, and working for the Imani Black Mentorship program. Since graduating, I have been working as a research assistant in the Knowledge Translation Program at St. Michael’s Hospital. I was born in Guyana and still have strong ties to my home country. I hope to be able to transfer the knowledge and experiences I gain through this program to equitable Global Health work in Guyana.
Hello, my name is Tiya Samuel, and I recently graduated from York University with a degree in Global Health (specialization in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention). I am passionate about addressing health disparities and promoting equity in healthcare. I am also committed to empowering marginalized communities, especially women of colour, in combatting GBV. My future goals are firmly rooted in creating a meaningful impact on marginalized communities’ health outcomes. I aspire to advocate for GBV prevention and work in government agencies to design and implement initiatives and programs to reduce health inequalities.
Simone Blais is a doula, director and reproductive justice advocate. She holds a degree in Gender Studies and Indigenous Studies from the University of Victoria. Her work focuses on equity in the arts through film and reproductive justice for marginalized communities. In the past five years, she has worked with the grassroots BIPOC Nesting Doula Collective and the Native Youth Sexual Health Network delivering childbirth education, sexual health education and full spectrum birth support.
Hannah Zuta is a recent graduate from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Health Sciences. As a Ghanaian-Canadian, Hannah is passionate about addressing chronic disease disparities within Black communities and improving maternal health outcomes for marginalized women. During her undergraduate studies, she collaborated with the Black Health Education Collaborative (BHEC) and the Vulnerability, Trauma, Resilience, and Culture (V-TRaC) lab to mitigate the adverse effects of anti-Black racism among health professionals and Black youth. Hannah aspires to use her knowledge to improve health equity for Black Canadian populations and to apply her learnings to better health outcomes in Ghana.
Oluwakemi (Kemi) Komolafe is a registered nurse, mentor, and advocate. Her extensive experience in child health and development is informed by her work on the Healthy Babies Healthy Children program at Toronto Public Health and the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU). At MLHU, she served as a social determinants of health nurse and the Black Health Lead on the Health Equity and Indigenous Reconciliation Team. In these roles, Kemi focused on identifying and addressing structural inequities and barriers to healthcare access caused by social and environmental factors. Her portfolio involved collecting social determinants of health data and developing strategies to combat anti-Black racism with the goal of improving healthcare access for equity deserving groups. She currently supports the sexual health team in the areas of health education, health promotion and harm reduction.
My name is Julia Bonsu and I am grateful to be entering my first year of the MPH Black Health program at the DLSPH at the University of Toronto! I graduated from Dalhousie University in 2024 with a BSc in Kinesiology. I was very interested in social determinants of health and women’s health during my undergrad. I currently am a research assistant for the Interprovincial Violence Against Women (IPV) project through Dalhousie University. In my future, I hope to work on making healthcare more accessible and fairer for women of colour, and utilize knowledge from my undergraduate degree and masters degree to create actionable recommendations and changes.
I am Jamaul and I’m enrolled in the Master’s of Public Health: Black Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. My have an undergraduate background in Biochemistry at McMaster University, where I learned and grew an interest for pathology and the effects of lifestyle choices on health and disease. Prior to my enrolment, I have worked with Black, African and Caribbean (BAC) communities in Peel region through outreach and research in order to assess and address health inequities they faced. Witnessing these disparities, along with gaps the access to health services, mistrust in the health system, and lack of representation of BAC communities in health settings, I grew a profound interest in anti-oppressive practices to improve health outcomes of my community. Through my MPH, I hope to build on my understanding on how social disparities and inequities affect the health outcomes of BAC communities and how they’re perpetuated by systemic factors. This understanding then will give me the necessary skills to play a pivotal role in contributing to the development of future public health interventions that are culturally-responsive once I graduate.
Sylvia Okonofua is the Founder and Executive Director of Black Donors Save Lives, a federal non-profit dedicated to engaging Black people to blood, stem cell, and organ donation. With a background as a donor recruiter, Sylvia has spent the last 7 years addressing unique barriers to donation impacting African, Caribbean, and Black communities in Canada. Through Black Donors Save Lives, Sylvia also educates healthcare professionals and students on structural barriers to donation impacting Black people, fostering critical dialogue on overcoming these challenges within the healthcare sector. Sylvia hopes to take advantage of the learnings, skills and experiences available through the MPH in Black Health program to help prepare her for a career in medicine as a hematologist focused on addressing racial disparities across donation products for marginalized groups.
Hi there! My name is Sanjana Jones and I just graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Health Science: Honours Double Major in Health Science and Sociocultural Anthropology. I am passionate about advocating for equitable standards in healthcare among marginalized communities and bridging the gap in care that racialized people experience. More specifically, decreasing the injustices that women of colour experience in maternal care environments.
My journey thus far has comprised of being a recreation support coordinator with municipalities, being President of my Faculty Council, serving on numerous EDI Committees interning at KTH in Stockholm, and working on an inclusive birth control app through market research, while running a small crochet business! I am ecstatic to begin my journey at Dalla Lana as it encapsulates everything I want to accomplish and see for the Black community. In the future, I hope to be a gynecologist impacting lives and equalizing life expectancy during labour at the patient-level, while brightening the world with some black girl magic.
My name is Ashanté Lakey, and I am an avid food security researcher, musician, yogi, and nature enthusiast. In 2020, I graduated from Queen’s University with a BScH in Chemistry, and, more recently, I graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University with a BASc in Nutrition and Food and a Certificate in Food Security. My experiences working with African/Black communities to advance food sovereignty have deepened my understanding of the need for Africentric approaches in community development and research. I aim to empower communities to create sustainable and culturally responsive local food systems to address food insecurity and associated health ailments and nourish cultural identities for future generations. I am honoured to be joining the Master of Public Health program in Black Health and furthering my skills in promoting health equity through community-centred research and policies.
Hiwote Addisalem is an incoming MPH: Black Health student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Hiwote completed an Honours Bachelor of Science degree at U of T Scarborough; majoring in Human Biology and Health Studies. Over the years she has worked with Taibu Community Health Centre in various roles, delivering health promotion initiatives to Black-identifying individuals throughout Scarborough and the Greater Toronto Area. Hiwote is also a research assistant with the Black health Equity Lab (BHEL) where she conducts community-based health research to advance policy, practice and equitable health service delivery. Her primary interests include health equity, non-communicable disease, and cultural competency within healthcare. Through her work she aspires to improve the wellbeing of Black people in Canada.
Hi, my name is Chaylan Nairne, and I am a first-generation Canadian of Jamaican descent. I am a recent graduate from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Public Health. Throughout my undergrad, I have had the opportunity to research the effects of HIV and iron supplementation on women and children living in sub-Saharan African countries. Because of this, I have developed a deep interest in public health specifically within black populations worldwide. My extracurriculars have included being an executive and co-founder of a school club geared towards discussing public health topics and concepts. Within this program, I am looking forward to gaining more of an understanding of health and wellness within black communities globally.
Hello! My name is Etienne Oshinowo (he/him). The MPH in Black Health program combines my passion for research, health equity, and my support of the Black community. During my undergraduate, I mentored Black students and took on leadership roles within the Black Students’ Association, including serving as president. After graduating, I conducted clinical research in Cardiology at St. Michael’s Hospital and am currently working on a research project with UofT, focusing on Afrocentric Geriatrics. Additionally, I work as a Health Administrator for the Ontario Ministry of Health to provide care to the vulnerable sector. Lastly, I hope to use my experiences to create more inclusive healthcare opportunities for marginalized communities and to explore the impacts of racism on chronic illnesses and mental health within the Black community.
Cidia Prentt is a Mokaná immigrant to Canada with a strong commitment to improving maternal health experiences for systemically excluded groups. Her background as a doula, advocate, Spanish-English interpreter, and program facilitator has fueled her passion for advancing Black women’s health and maternal care. Her main goal is to create inclusive and culturally competent spaces that actively address inequality and anti-Black racism. Through the MPH in Black Health, she aims to enhance her skills and contribute to the development of culturally responsive initiatives that incorporate diverse perspectives on illness, healing, and wellness, particularly those from underrepresented communities.