USask master's student: shaping the future of population health
While working as a pharmacy assistant in rural Saskatchewan, Emilia Gillies witnessed firsthand the gaps within the health-care system, particularly when it came to individuals who experienced substance abuse.
By Amanda Woroniuk“I was seeing the impact of substances in the people that were coming and accessing services from this pharmacy. That experience really helped me to see places that people need support and encouraged me to further understand how that support can be created from a system level – bringing what is needed to people, rather than trying to give them things in a way that a system thinks works, but often doesn’t.”
Driven by the desire to better understand these challenges and how she could make a difference, Gillies enrolled in a master’s program in Community and Population Health Sciences through the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). She recently accepted her degree during the university’s 2025 Spring Convocation on June 5.
Gillies decision to pursue a graduate program was shaped by her background in health sciences. She earned a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Health Studies, followed by a graduate certificate in Substance Use Health and Wellbeing from the School of Public Health – both at USask. This foundation sparked her interest in population health, a field that studies the health of the entire community, not just at the individual level.
During her master’s program, Gillies was co-supervised by Dr. Cory Neudorf (PhD), Department of Community Health and Epidemiology (CH&E) in the College of Medicine, and Dr. Nathaniel Osgood (PhD), Department of Computer Science in the College of Arts and Science. Working with supervisors from two different colleges provided a unique opportunity to merge public health and technology in her research.
“I think it really allowed me to take my own journey with this degree and not feel like I was limited to any one type of research, or anything like that,” she said. “I was able to dig deeper into things, to find different ways of thinking about a problem, and how I can use these different ways of thinking to approach new kinds of solutions that might be most valuable for populations.”
Gillies conducted her research using agent-based modelling, a computational modelling technique. This technique uses computers and software to analyze data and help researchers understand complex health patterns and predict trends. Gillies explained that while this type of modelling offers an innovative way to develop health policies without relying on rigid frameworks, it remains underused in public health research.
“I think one of the biggest impacts of my thesis is the way that it presents agent-based modelling, not as a new concept, but as a concept that can be used in public health research, and how that can speed up or increase the efficiency of public health research.”
One of the biggest challenges Gillies faced during her research was the limited availability of data, which is common for people studying substance use. She had to adapt her approach and be upfront about the limitations she faced.
“What I ended up doing – and it’s documented throughout my thesis – is I found what was available publicly and I was very clear about this,” said Gillies. “It’s ‘this much information’ and I have another section of ‘this is what I had wanted to before, but I couldn’t do that’ because of the barrier of access to information. That's one of the hugest hurdles for a lot of people that research substance use.”
Gillies said it’s important to be creative while also raising awareness about the need for timely and accurate data.
In May, Gillies presented a pilot project at the Canadian Public Health Conference with the Urban Public Health Network. Her work focused on what it would take to develop a pan-Canadian surveillance system to track substance use metrics such as death rates, emergency medical service responses, naloxone distribution, and hospitalizations. The project provided Gillies with a clearer understanding of the requirements involved to establish a system of this scale across the country.
“It was a really fun project. We got to talk with a lot of epidemiologists and medical health officers to better understand how they have created their own surveillance systems,” she said. “As well, understanding the differences between these systems and why those differences make it difficult for the current systems to communicate with each other.”
During her master’s program, Gillies volunteered extensively at Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health (SWITCH) Saskatoon, an after-hours clinic in the city centre, alongside other health sciences students. Talking with clients who access the clinic, Gillies learned about the barriers people face when accessing health services, including having to work during clinic hours, lack of transportation, or even being incarcerated and missing out on important health information. She said that learning about these issues helped her understand where the gaps are in the health-care system and why they need to be addressed.
Reflecting on her journey through her master’s research and thesis, Gillies said the strong sense of community and support from fellow graduate students stood out the most.
“I really did enjoy being able to study and learn. I think one of the most valuable things for me was the other graduate students that I met and being able to build a community with them. To laugh, to cry together, to meet together and talk about what our problems are – building this community and feeling I have people that are beside me and that will support me throughout the whole process of my grad school.”
What advice would she give to someone looking at a graduate program?
“You don’t have to have it all figured out before you start. You don’t need to know what your project is or exactly the direction you’re going to go. You should just find a supervisor who does things that you think are interesting and speak with them and see if your values align,” she said. “Then you should pursue that and see where things go. You don’t need to have everything all figured out and all knowing before you even have a chance to learn anything new.”
Currently working for one of her professors in USask’s School of Public Health, Gillies is motivated to continue her work in population and public health.
“I am trying to pursue a career in potentially research, or research co-ordination, that kind of thing,” she said. “I’m hoping that soon I will be able to continue my work in this field and to be positively impacting the lives of our population.”