McMaster Collaborations

McMaster University is a research-intensive, student-centred institution with a longstanding culture of collaboration that attracts top researchers and students who work across disciplinary boundaries.

Through our Global Health Office, McMaster plays a strategic role in driving and supporting international opportunities in health education for the benefit of the international community — its International Interdisciplinary Summer institute is just one example. Our Faculty of Engineering is deeply committed to delivering educational programs and research that directly tackle the SDGs, collaborating with industry partners, NGOs and other stakeholders.

Our other faculties also work with organizations locally, nationally and internationally on collaborations connected to many of the SDGs, such as improving health and well-being, combating poverty, building sustainable cities, and pursuing affordable and clean energy alternatives.

Student learning and research are intertwined at McMaster. This is more than tradition. It has proven to be the most successful way to activate student interest and commitment to enhancing the societies in which we all live. It also helps to attract and retain world-class researchers to McMaster researchers with a particular interest in delivering research and teaching with impact.  

Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) 

The McMaster Health Forum is a member of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) globally, as well as SDSN Canada, and SDSN Australia, New Zealand and Pacific. Through SDSN, our efforts are focused on SDSN theme 5, ‘Health for All,’ and include bringing synthesized research evidence from Health Systems Evidence and Social Systems Evidence to network activities involving policymakers and other leaders, and identify gaps in synthesized research evidence and primary studies that SDSN researchers can address 

Social Systems Evidence 

Through a partnership with the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, the McMaster Health Forum has developed and continues to expand Social Systems Evidence — the world’s most comprehensive, free access point for synthesized evidence about strengthening 20 government sectors and program areas. The home page of Social Systems Evidence includes a user-friendly visual representation of the 17 SDGs, that allows users to access pre-selected content on each individual SDGs by clicking on the respective SDG tile.  

We are actively collaborating with the Monash Sustainable Development Institute and SDSN partners to promote Social Systems Evidence through numerous channels available through the network. 

“Unparalleled dedication to student growth and climate science” – Professor’s local initiatives have global impact

Dr. Altaf Arain, who’s now a professor in the School of Earth, Environment & Society and the Science Research Chair in Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change, was looking to test a potential solution to our climate crisis. In 2002, he launched the Turkey Point Environmental Observatory which has been collecting data every half hour ever since, making it an invaluable resource for hundreds of climate scientists around the world.

Seven years later, he founded the McMaster Centre for Climate – a centre he would lead for 15 years and build into a catalyst for interdisciplinary research, student engagement, science communication and community outreach.

Altaf met with politicians and government agencies, fielding interview requests from journalists and connecting with climate scientists, groups and organizations looking to collaborate or replicate what the centre was doing at their universities. He says the centre has become everything he had hoped for – fostering multidisciplinary research with local to international partnerships, championing science communication and inspiring the next generation of climate scientists.

Faculty associated with the centre have published more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, presented over 160 times at national and international scientific conferences, workshops and symposiums and secured more than $8.5 million in grants from Tri-Council agencies and the Global Water Futures Program.

Institute on Ethics & Policy for Innovation

At IEPI, we identify and address ethical challenges, ethics-related risks, and policy gaps that have the potential to undermine the impact of life-saving technologies and interventions in global health. We collaborate with the global health research community, partners, funders, and other stakeholders to navigate the ethical, social, and cultural challenges that arise from scientific and technological advancement — so that, ultimately, innovative health solutions reach those who need them most.

McMaster University partnership with AMREF-Kenya 

The AMREF Health Africa formed a unique partnership with McMaster research institutions to help bolster its work in Kenya. AMREF is a non-governmental organization with 50 years of experience in development. The partnership with McMaster University and the Father Sean O’Sullivan Research Centre (also connected to McMaster) and a Canadian NGO, the Salama SHIELD Foundation, assists AMREF in evaluating the impacts of its programs, base planning decisions on research, and share the findings with other African NGOs. 

IAU Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development 

McMaster University is a proud member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), a membership-led NGO spanning 130 countries. 

Since 1993, the IAU has advocated for the key role that higher education plays in achieving sustainable development. IAU’s actions in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provide a framework for universities to develop inter-institutional collaboration in pursuit of sustainable development. The aim is to assist higher education leaders wishing to embed sustainable development concepts and principles in strategic planning and academic and organizational work. 

As part of its involvement in the organization, McMaster belongs to its Cluster on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development. Research collaborations with the Hamilton community 

The McMaster Research Shop works with public, non-profit, and community organizations in Hamilton to provide plain-language answers to research questions relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. A collection of 30 of these community research reports is housed by McMaster University Libraries. 

International Activity Compendium 

McMaster University is actively engaged every year in hundreds of international collaborations and partnerships. These connections include research collaborations, faculty exchanges, capacity building initiatives, joint supervision of doctoral students, and student exchanges and mobility agreements. 

McMaster logs close to 2,000 international partnerships in the International Activity Compendium, a searchable database that highlights the university’s research and scholarly activities with global involvement and impact. Many of these are research initiatives with NGOs all over the world. 

Some examples include: 

• Helping Babies Breathe in Remote Fishing Villages in Cambodia Researchers from the Faculty of Health Sciences (Pediatrics) worked with the NGO, The Lake Clinic-Cambodia, to implement a newborn training program for health care workers and provide birth kits. 
• Early Childhood Education in Ethiopia The project had a primary goal of assessing the effectiveness of the SRI, a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization founded on concerns regarding the lack of appropriate early child education in the country. The goal of the program was to make universal high-quality preschool education the standard in the education system of Addis Ababa. The secondary goal was to validate the Early Development Instrument (EDI) in Ethiopia. 
• Responses to Internally Displaced People in Ukraine The Russian annexation of Crimea, and the ongoing conflict with Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk puts Ukraine at eighth on the list of countries with the largest number of internally displaced people. This project explores how various governmental and non-governmental agencies in Ukraine provide assistance to internally displaced people and the ensuing challenges. 
• Essential Medicines for Children with Cancer WHO has been establishing an essential medicines list for more than three decades. More recently, the list has undergone further refinement to focus on specific patient populations and disease states. Researchers from McMaster University have worked with WHO to provide input into the Essential Medicines List for children with cancer; and then worked in an advocacy role targeting NGOs and the pharmaceutical industry to make access to these medicines a reality. 

Students help set up new outdoor teaching and research lab

Two students are setting up the latest lab in the School of Earth, Environment & Society — on the the banks of Ancaster Creek.

They’re looking for places to install a network of sensors and stations that’ll make up the new McMaster Watershed and Ecosystems Living Lab (Mac WELL).

The outdoor teaching and research lab will continuously monitor the health of the creek – a vital coldwater habitat that supports aquatic species dependent on cool temperatures to spawn and survive.

The creek runs through much of Hamilton – including the McMaster Forest and West Campus – and into Lake Ontario through the Cootes Paradise wetland behind the university.

That vision became a reality when the Ratford Trust provided funding to buy the sensors and stations that will measure real-time changes in water quality, water storage and runoff, weather and climate, stream morphology and remotely sensed land cover and vegetation.

“After years of planning, it’s exciting to see Mac WELL get off the ground,” says Papangelakis. “Our lab will be another way for McMaster to help solve major environmental challenges through research, teaching and citizen science.”

Undergraduate and graduate students will play a pivotal role in making that happen, joining through co-ops, courses and capstone projects. In the process, they’ll gain hands-on experience measuring environmental parameters, using state-of-the-art equipment and analyzing datasets.

Students help community members adopt sustainable habits

A group of McMaster students, in collaboration with the community organization Daily School Route (DSR), helped elementary school students at a downtown Hamilton school adopt greener, more active modes of transportation, such as walking and wheeling, to and from school.

Establish A Model Forest with McMaster

Students working with the McMaster Centre for Climate Change participate in high-school outreach activities to highlight climate change and its impacts.

Work with us to establish a “model forest” that will sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and help mitigate the effects of climate change. The McMaster Carbon Sink Forest initiative will develop a model forest where 1,000 native tree species will be planted to facilitate maximum carbon sink capabilities while also taking into consideration promoting and preserving biodiversity, sustainability, and conservation. A team of faculty and students will track the growth and health of each tree for years to come and share this data with other researchers working to grow carbon sink forests in Canada and around the world.

Established on a one-hectare plot beside McMaster Forest lands in west Hamilton, McMaster Carbon Sink Forest is accessible by walking, biking, public transit, or car.

Planting began on November 6, 2021 with 250 trees planted by students and members of the public. A second planting took place on Earth Day. A third planting where students and volunteers expand the McMaster Carbon Sink Forest was held on November 5, 2022. The final planting took place on April 22, 2023.

SDSN Youth Connector on Campus 

McMaster is part of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Canada, which opens up additional opportunities to help researchers and students tackle the SDGs, such as advanced notice for sustainability-related funding, online communities of practice, and the addition of a SDSN Youth Connector on campus. The role of the SDG Hub Youth Coordinator at each member institution is to highlight volunteer, learning and research opportunities for students on campus. 

Doctors Without Borders, Engineers Without Borders 

McMaster University graduate, Dr. Richard Heinzl, is a founder of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (Canada), the Nobel Peace Prize-winning NGO that inspired the movement among the medical profession to help the world’s most vulnerable populations. Dr. Heinzl graduated from McMaster’s medical program in 1987, before founding the first North American branch of DWB. 

The student organization McMaster Friends of MSF hosts global health events at McMaster University and engages in advocacy on behalf of MSF Canada. The club serves to raise awareness of MSF’s international field work, advocate for improved health in conflict-affected regions, and fundraise for MSF Canada. 

In 2022, Jenna Lazarou and Rachel Housser, had the opportunity to complete their practicums virtually with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). With a focus on a project titled Climate Change and Gender under the Humanitarian Action on Climate and Environment (HACE) – a collaborative initiative that applies a climate change lens to its humanitarian work – they have been engaged in various areas of research.

Much like DWB, the McMaster chapter of Engineers Without Borders aims to engage the university and Hamilton communities in the complexities of international development. Through workshops, advocacy, social events and outreach programs, EWB works to make changes in Canadian attitudes towards aid, development issues, and our role as global citizens. 

McMaster is the Canadian host university for Academics Without Borders (AWB), a volunteer-driven NGO that connects academics in the developed world with colleges and universities in developing countries. 

Recent projects include supporting engineering researchers at two Ugandan universities with mentorship from international experts, helping to design curriculum for a family medicine program at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, developing a centre that supports students with disabilities at the State Islamic University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and coaching health-care workers at Uganda’s Mbarara University of Science and Technology on health research methodology. 

MacChangers 

MacChangers is a unique, made-at-McMaster co-curricular program, supported by a partnership of the Faculty of Engineering, the Office of Community Engagement, and the MacPherson Institute for Teaching and Learning. The program is open to undergraduate and graduate students from all faculties who are interested in social change. It pairs multidisciplinary teams with community partners to propose innovative solutions to the challenges identified by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (“Think Global”) and Our Future Hamilton (“Act Local”) long-term community vision. 

McMaster University Student Traineeship Programme at UNU-INWEH 

McMaster University offers a range of internship and traineeship programs with water-related organizations as the host site of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). 

The McMaster University Student Traineeship (MUST) Programme is specially designed for McMaster students from all faculties and departments, working across disciplinary boundaries to develop innovative solutions to pressing problems in the water sector (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation). 

The program offers a platform to enable exchanges among young professionals in the UN university networks and beyond. Placements for students include projects focusing on water quality for Indigenous communities, international water investments, sustainable aquaculture, and other nature-based solutions. 

Master of Science in Global Health Practicum 

Prioritizing work-integrated learning, the program requires students to complete a ten-week practicum to gain hands-on experience in the global health field, with activities targeted to the UN SDGs, students complete work-integrated learning within local communities as far away as Bolivia, Guatemala, and Tanzania. This year, as a result of COVID-19, the program pivoted to offer international field practicums virtually.   

This map shows locations for SDG targeting practicums. 

See articles highlighting practicums targeting the SDGs:  

• Global Health students work towards community-based solutions for menstrual health and hygiene through education,advocacyand improved facilities  

• Developing an evidence-based collection related to earthquakes facilitates internationalization and knowledge translation skills 

Global health faculty have active grants nationally and in targeted countries. One example is a Global Affairs Canada project with the Tula Foundation, which has opened up opportunities for students to get hands-on experience implementing global health strategies to improve health, reduce poverty, and build social justice and equity in marginalized communities in Guatemala.   

McCall MacBain International Fellowships 

McMaster University is one of only two Canadian universities to pilot the McCall MacBain International Fellowships. 

These prestigious awards provide students with the opportunity to travel abroad, learn a new language, actively and respectfully participate in the societies they are joining, build lasting ties with local communities, and further their understanding of and their ability to work in a completely different cultural context. 

Each year McMaster funds up to 10 undergraduate students to experience a year of cultural immersion anywhere in the world, including language study, volunteering, and academic study. 

Collaboration between McMaster and the Universidad del Rosario   

McMaster has been increasing collaboration with partner institution Universidad del Rosario in Colombia, targeting SDGs 3, 4, 5 and 17, as part of our graduate Global Health programming.   

With funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), McMaster Global Health faculty are working with Rosario faculty on a research partnership focusing on adolescent and sexual and reproductive health. McMaster and Rosario also launched a multi-lingual, transnational pilot project, using machine learning technology to overcome language and communication barriers and facilitate teamwork between students. Five McMaster students studied abroad at Rosario with experiential learning in peri-urban areas of Bogota dealing with an influx of Venezuelan migrants and working in slums in Bogota.  This initiative was developed in consultation with, and supported by, McMaster University’s MacPherson Institute and University Technical Services, as well as representatives from Microsoft Canada, who are monitoring and evaluating the project on an ongoing basis. On the basis of these strengthened contacts between faculty at Rosario and McMaster, new research initiatives have been developed including exploring the use of artificial intelligence in health services for marginalized people in Bogota. 

The three-month exchange prioritizes international experience and experiential learning, and in 2022, for the first time, students in the Master’s in Public Health at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogota, Colombia were able to take a part in this unique offering.

Global Health Simulation 

From an educational perspective, our vision is to facilitate educational events with a focus on emerging global health issues and the SDGs.  Achieving these objectives requires partnerships with local and global community-based organizations such as Global Health Sim (GH Sim) – a non-for-profit community-based organization.  In collaboration with GH Sim we developed an experiential simulation as an instructional strategy to provide students with hands-on learning to navigate and problem solve global health challenges. 

International Interdisciplinary Summer Institute 

Every summer, McMaster University’s Global Health Office (GHO) hosts the International Interdisciplinary Summer Institute, which brings together health educators from around the world to share best practices and innovative ideas on curriculum development, experiential learning, and teaching approaches. 

For more than a decade, the GHO has welcomed participants from more than 24 institutions across 16 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, South Korea, Portugal, South Africa, Brazil, and Denmark. 

Most participants are educators responsible for curriculum and educational planning and represent various disciplines such as medicine, nursing, pharmaceutical science, scientific journalism, and midwifery. The most recent institute focused on SDG 3 (Health and Well-being) and 4 (Quality Education). 

Courses for the public to learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 

McMaster University participates in a global initiative to educate the general public about the SDGs and how they can be achieved. Coursera is the primary platform where these courses are offered in the form of online classes to increase participation in the work being done towards the SDGs. 

McMaster’s contributions and courses are focused on SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). 

Pilot project targets global sustainability goals with Microsoft tools 

McMaster University’s Master of Science in Global Health program launched a multilingual, transnational pilot project with partner institution Universidad del Rosario in Colombia, which uses machine learning technology to make higher education more accessible to the best and brightest around the world by overcoming language and communication barriers. 

Targeting SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), the project involves a collaboration between McMaster and Rosario students using Microsoft Teams, which delivers a range of collaboration features including instant messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing. 

The Essence of Internal Medicine Is Now at Hand 

The inaugural edition of the McMaster University Textbook of Internal Medicine was published in 2019. The first comprehensive Canadian textbook of its kind, the publication covers a full range of topics from allergy and endocrinology to palliative care to rheumatology. It is authored by close to 200 McMaster faculty members considered leaders in their fields, with contributions from more than 500 other expert authors around the world. 

The Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges (https://newsletters.cubiclefugitive.com/t/y-l-ohjjrkk-ittkuylijr-o/) – as described in goal 17.2.1.