In the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University, we are advancing human and societal health and well-being as we train health care teams including physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, physician assistants, midwives and researchers to work together to provide the best patient care.
Our pioneering education advances and our excellence in world-class research has consistently placed McMaster among the top 50 universities in the world for health and medicine.
The Faculty’s programs cover a full range of health care, including schools of medicine, nursing and rehabilitation science, as well as programs for midwifery and physician assistant and a Bachelor of Health Sciences program. As well as graduate studies within the Faculty, we also have joint graduate programs including e-health, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, health management and health policy with Faculties across the university. The Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact also support important education programs and research, including research institutes.
At the Faculty of Health Sciences, we also look ahead, developing health care specialties for the changing health care sector. The Bachelor of Health Sciences program is one of the most highly sought-after undergraduate programs in Canada. A unique bachelor/master’s program in biomedical discovery and commercialization and an integrated biomedical engineering and health sciences (iBiomed) program are also very highly regarded. Master’s programs in public health, health science education, speech language pathology and psychotherapy are among our most recently developed programs.
The Health Leadership Academy, jointly established with the DeGroote School of Business, provides a pathway for health care students and professionals to develop world-class leadership capabilities in the health sector.
The Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine is renowned worldwide for its innovative method of small group, problem-based education and a focus on self-directed, lifelong learning. Its three campuses – the Waterloo Regional Campus in Kitchener, the Niagara Regional Campus in St. Catharines and the Hamilton campus — ensure new physicians are prepared in both community and tertiary health care.
The School of Nursing graduates more than 500 nurses a year with a McMaster’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
Our School of Rehabilitation Science trains evidence-based practitioners through self-directed, problem-based educational programs, all at the graduate level, and the school continues to be a leader in the transition to electronic-based curriculum.
The new Marnix E. Heersink School of Biomedical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at McMaster University has launched a Master of Biomedical Innovation program, welcoming its first cohort in September 2023.
Integral to our mission are our extensive research programs. McMaster has been Canada’s top research-intensive university for the past four years, and the Faculty of Health Sciences is a major contributor to this success.
With our faculty at our strong academic hospital partners Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, the Faculty oversees biomedical and health care research totaling $289 million.
In partnership with the hospitals, government, health agencies and generous friends of the Faculty, the Faculty has 96 endowed chairs or professorships, which support researchers of the highest calibre, 33 Canada Research Chairs, which are given to the top scientists in their field, and 23 high-impact research institutes and centres.
Our areas of research expertise are many, and range from addiction to allergy, asthma and childhood disability, cardiology, cancer immunology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, population health, stem cells, thrombosis and virology.
The Faculty is known for its interdisciplinary research, and we look to translate what we learn in our laboratories into health care thought and practice. We are committed to improving health care for the people of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and beyond.
Please enjoy learning more about our Faculty of Health Sciences on this website.
Dr. Paul O’Byrne
Dean and Vice-President
Faculty of Health Sciences