News & Events

IMIx Certificate of Effective Healthcare Management
Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto, University of Toronto Mississauga

Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto, University of Toronto Mississauga

Master Scholar
Addis Ababa University

Ethiopia
Canada
My time as a Mastercard Foundation scholar at the University of Toronto has truly been a transformative experience.
As a medical doctor from Ethiopia, I have gained a new perspective on healthcare and the ways in which it is viewed around the world. In Canada, I have been inspired by the idea that healthcare is a right, not a privilege to be earned, and I now dream of bringing this ideology back to my home country.

Master Scholar
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Canada
One of the most enriching experiences was the opportunity to engage in a vibrant and diverse academic community.
The scholarship not only provided financial support but also opened doors to various academic and extracurricular activities that have enhanced my experience at the University. Networking opportunities with fellow scholars and professors allowed me to connect with leading experts in my discipline and gain insights into the latest developments in the field. These interactions were invaluable for both my academic and professional growth.

TAAAC Toronto Director University of Toronto
Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration
Canada
Marci Rose completed a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy at The Ohio State University and her master’s at the University of Toronto. She began her OT career at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in 1990 where she worked for 15 years.
In 2002, she became the OT in Chief, and then assumed a variety of different management positions at The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In 2005, Marci became the Administrative Director for the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital, a role she held until 2012. In 2012, she started the Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre where she worked as the Administrative Director until formally joining TAAAC.
Her professional passion is for global health work in Ethiopia. She has been an active participant in TAAAC since 2010, first as the TAAAC-OT co-lead, then as the Program Manager and now as the Toronto Director for TAAAC. She has been to Ethiopia on many occasions including as a consultant in the Biaber Project, a 3-year Grand Challenge Canada grant. Marci is a Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto and is the Ethiopian Lead for the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation at UofT.

Managing Director
African Impact Challenge
Christine Arsenault is the Managing Director for the University of Toronto Scarborough’s Management Department, which houses all of the University’s business co-op programs and The BRIDGE; the department’s commitment to Work-Integrate Learning and Entrepreneurship.
She has been involved in co-operative education nationally and internationally for 20 years including leading Co-op and Work-Integrated Learning Canada as President in 2012/13, as a board member of the World Association for Co-operative Education and previously chairing the Canadian co-op research committee. In 2018, she received the U of T Scarborough Principal’s Accomplished Leader Award.
While completing her M.A. she led award-winning research that compared English Language Learners and native English speakers and their success in job searching and recent published research on work-integrated learning’s influence on entrepreneurship. Under her leadership, U of T’s innovative Management and International Business Program was designed and implemented and the department has fulfilled its commitment that ever graduate should have a work-integrated learning experience.

Vice President, International
Office of the Vice-President International
Canada
Joseph Wong is the University of Toronto’s Vice President, International. He is also the Roz and Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, and a Professor of Political Science.
He was the Director of the Asian Institute at the Munk School from 2005 to 2014, and held the Canada Research Chair in health, democracy and development for a full two terms, 2006 to 2016.
Joe is the author of many academic articles and several books, including Healthy Democracies: Welfare Politics In Taiwan and South Korea and Betting on Biotech: Innovation and the Limits of Asia’s Developmental State, both published by Cornell University Press.
He is the co-editor, with Edward Friedman, of Political Transitions in Dominant Party Systems: Learning to Lose, published by Routledge, and Wong co-edited with Dilip Soman and Janice Stein Innovating for the Global South with the University of Toronto Press.
Professor Wong’s articles have appeared in journals such as Annual Review of Political Science, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Perspectives on Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Politics and Society, Governance, among many others.
Professor Wong has been a visiting scholar at institutions in the US, Taiwan, Korea, and the UK; has worked extensively with the World Bank and the UN; and has advised governments on matters of public policy in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.
Joe’s current research focuses on poverty and innovation. Professor Wong is the founder of the Reach Alliance at the University of Toronto (http://reachalliance.org/). He is also collaborating with Professor Dan Slater (Michigan) on a book about Asia’s development and democracy, currently under contract with Princeton University Press.
Professor Wong is also writing a book for the Cambridge University Press on the political economy of the welfare state in East Asia. Professor Wong teaches courses in the department of Political Science, the Munk One program and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. Joe was educated at McGill University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Master Scholar
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Canada
So far, my experience with the Mastercard Foundation has been phenomenal.
The staff has been incredibly helpful from day one to the present. I felt so welcomed to the city of Toronto; I was chauffeured from Pearson airport to Graduate House, where my room was already prepared with a greeting basket containing amenities for my stay. The organization has ensured that I am fully prepared for academic and social life. I am extremely appreciative for this opportunity.

Master Scholar
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Canada
Joining the Mastercard Foundation scholar’s program at UofT was a pivotal moment in my academic journey.
After completing my bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science, I was uncertain about my next steps. The transition was demanding, pushing me to find direction and purpose amidst a sea of aspirations. Today, I am extremely grateful for the life-changing opportunity offered by the Mastercard Foundation scholar’s program. It has allowed me to pursue my master’s in Financial Insurance, a field that perfectly aligns with my career ambitions. Through this enriching experience, I am building formidable skills and establishing meaningful connections vital for impact and transformation in Africa.

Master Scholar
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Canada
I am Nicholas Kofi Adegbe from Ghana. Once doubtful of advancing beyond high school, but my life took a pivotal turn with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars program at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2018.
Fast forward after undergraduate degree, I got the life changing opportunity from the scholar’s program again to pursue a masters in Financial Insurance at the University of Toronto. The intricate blend of data science and finance in my program doesn’t just add to my academic knowledge; it serves as a catalyst, setting me on a path to reshape financial frameworks.
Beyond academia, the Scholars program’s leadership training has been transformative. Molding me with virtues of integrity and resilience. Equipped with all the necessary resources, I am empowered to inspire young people to leverage technology to solve problems in Africa. With a world-class education and these foundational lessons, I am poised to drive financial innovation with technology, ensuring a prosperous future for many.

Master Scholar
African Leadership University
Mauritius, Rwanda
Canada
Being a Mastercard Scholar has provided me with a profound educational opportunity, equipping me to address the healthcare challenges confronting Africa, particularly in Rwanda.
With firsthand experience of the continent’s healthcare system, I am uniquely positioned to contribute meaningfully. I recognize the importance of collaboration in effecting change, and I’m committed to working with fellow scholars, professionals, and organizations to improve healthcare across Africa. Moreover, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to give back to my community by addressing healthcare disparities and promoting equitable access to healthcare.
In essence, this scholarship has empowered me to be a force for positive change in the African healthcare system, enabling me to make a lasting impact on the well-being of individuals throughout the continent.