Michelle Mujoomdar (BSc ’99) is being recognized as a rising star in the health-care field.

The Brock alumna was honoured at an awards luncheon at the 2018 Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) Symposium, a premier forum to discuss health care in Canada.

The Biological Sciences graduate (BSc ’99) was honoured with the Dr. Maurice McGregor Award in Halifax, N.S., on April 17. Named in honour of the retired Chair of the Health Technology Assessment Unit of the McGill University Health Centre, the award recognizes rising stars in the field of health technology assessment early in their careers.

Mujoomdar is no stranger to successful early starts. At 17, the Riverview, N.B., native moved far from home to attend school at Brock. The venture paid off and she thrived in her new environment.

Thinking back to her time at the University, she recalls many fond memories.

“It sounds cliché, but there are too many great memories to count. I lived in what we called ‘New Rez’ and made friends for life through residence as well as within Biological Sciences. I’m still in contact with many people to this day.”

After graduating with Honours from Brock, Mujoomdar studied at Dalhousie University before joining CADTH in 2008. Her work ethic, leadership qualities and talent helped her quickly advance. In her current role as Director, Scientific Affairs, she is responsible for ensuring the work produced is of the highest quality.

“I oversee a program where CADTH provides advice to pharmaceutical companies on how the clinical trials they conduct can be designed to better meet the needs of health-system payers.”

Mujoomdar’s professional path comes as no surprise. With her entire family in the delivery side of health care, her interest in pursuing a health-related career felt like a natural fit.

“I was interested in transitioning to a field more closely related to health policy,” she said. “The concept of promoting evidence-informed decision and policy-making was appealing.”

As a female in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field, Mujoomdar is thankful for the many remarkable role models she had to look up to and emulate.  

“I feel fortunate that there have been so many great women who have carved a path for me. I know I’ve benefited tremendously from their perseverance.”

Mentorship is an important part of any career, particularly for women in STEM, she said.

While at Brock, she counted Biological Sciences Professors Alan Castle and Joffre Mercier as her mentors. They co-supervised her fourth-year honours project and she credits them with her decision to pursue graduate school.

“Find a mentor or sponsor to provide support, guidance and sometimes to challenge you. I can only hope that in some small way, I’ve done the same for others.”

Ejaz Ahmed, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science, also emphasized the importance Brock places on mentorship.

“The Faculty of Mathematics and Science takes pride in mentoring undergraduate students in their research projects. Our courses and research opportunities are groundbreaking and position our students for success during their studies and after they graduate. Michelle and her mentors are excellent examples of this.”

CADTH is an independent, not-for-profit organization responsible for providing Canada’s health-care decision-makers with objective evidence to help make informed decisions about the optimal use of drugs and medical devices in the health-care system. CADTH receives funding from Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments, with the exception of Quebec.