Former 91社区 grad (BSc鈥� 18) and incoming DMD student Janelle Brown-Walkus has been awarded a , Canada鈥檚 first leadership-based scholarship for master鈥檚 and professional studies.
The scholarship provides mentorship, coaching, a leadership curriculum, and full funding for a master鈥檚 or professional program at 91社区. The funding covers the program鈥檚 tuition and fees, as well as a living stipend of $2,000 per month.
Janelle is the first McCall MacBain scholar the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences will welcome. With this scholarship she joins an elite group of 20 scholars, chosen from nearly 700 Canadian applicants through a rigorous seven-month process that involved two rounds of interviews.
鈥淚t almost felt surreal to hear the news鈥�, says Janelle of receiving the news that she had been selected. 鈥淎fter hearing the news, I felt a bit of disbelief, a sense of relief, but above all, I was feeling eager to start this new chapter.鈥�
While pursuing her undergraduate studies at 91社区, Janelle helped run AISES, a campus group for Indigenous students in STEM, and co-coordinated First Nations, M茅tis, and Inuit youth outreach for the Let鈥檚 Talk Science chapter. She also started a non-partisan club for public policy discussions, served on the executive team of the pre-dental student society, and worked as a mentorship program coordinator. Janelle recently earned a Master of Science in Dentistry degree from the University of Toronto, where she wrote a thesis on First Nations perceptions of quality preventive oral health care in First Nations communities.
Janelle hopes to hone her skills through the DMD program to help improve dental care for Indigenous peoples across Canada. 鈥淭his scholarship means so much more to me than just a financial award to support me through dental school; it enhances my opportunities to create change and grow as a leader in my field and for my communities, says Janelle of receiving this award. 鈥淚 believe that the leadership and mentorship components of the scholarship program will be incredibly fruitful and I am excited to see the growth and progress that I make over these next four years!鈥�
In addition to the 20 McMall MacBain scholars, 54 entry scholarships of $5000 and $10,000 were rewarded to promising candidates. Among them was Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Science DMD student Sabrina Bouferguene. Sabrina won a McCall MacBain Finalist Award for $10,000 to go towards her master鈥檚 degree in the Faculty.
鈥淒entistry has always been in the vanguard of technologies, integrating the best quality of evidence into practice almost on a daily basis鈥�, says Sabrina. 鈥淭housands of researchers across the globe are paving the way for a new evidence-based practice of dentistry, and there is an absolute beauty in this idea. However, it is crucial to keep in mind that at the end of the day, new improvements will only benefit an extremely limited number of patients who can afford it, while the most basic needs will not be met for the majority. As a researcher, development is always in the front row of my mind; as a future dentist, I wish only the best treatment for my patients; but as a healthcare professional and future advocate, achieving equity in oral health care is my only true goal.鈥�