Hamilton Community Impact. Faculty of Science

Dr. Zobia Jawed (Ph.D., M.Eng., MBA) earned both her Bachelor’s degree and her Ph.D. from McMaster and also engineering/MBA degrees from other Universities and is now an assistant professor (A) with McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering as well as research lead for the Faculty’s Office of Research and External Relations. An expert in fields including water/wastewater systems, environmental sustainability, and climate change, she was the visionary and research lead for COVID-19 wastewater testing at McMaster. More recently, she has been working on transitioning wastewater systems to resource-recovery facilities that will add to the economy while reducing or eliminating negative environmental impacts. Before joining McMaster, Zobia established a diverse career that included project and program management roles with SickKids Hospital, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, the World Water Operator Training Company, and the Halton Region. She has been a faculty member at Mohawk College; was vice-president for RainGrid Inc. and is the founder and CEO of Zenviro Consulting Inc.

Zobia is an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion lead and Vice President for the Healthy Youth Network in Hamilton, the only appointed female member of the board of the Pakistani Business Association Hamilton, a director of Conservation Halton, and a member of Metroland’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. In 2021, Zobia was awarded the Order of Hamilton and in 2022 the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in Research, Science, Technology, and Trades.

Community Impact. Faculty of Humanities

As a fundraiser and hands-on volunteer, Gerald Mak has committed countless hours to various youth, health and safety initiatives. Gerald is currently a Strategy Manager within Ontario Public Service. Prior to joining OPS, Gerald was a Senior Manager at Scotiabank and has worked in various financial and professional institutions including CIBC, RBC and PwC, with roles in risk, communications and technology departments. With over 15 years in community service, Gerald currently serves on the Board of the Children Aid's Society of Toronto, is a community consultant on the Toronto Police Service’s Race-Based Data Collection Strategy Advisory Panel, sits on the Communication Committee at Hospice Toronto, and is a Lead Advisor at Junior Achievement Ontario. Gerald is extremely passionate about his community and the well-being of others. Gerald holds a Commerce degree from the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, and an Executive Master’s degree in Communication Management from McMaster University.

Global Impact. Faculty of Health Sciences

Dr. Gretchen Roedde has spent over 40 years as a practicing physician in underserved communities in northern Ontario, and over 30 years in global maternal, newborn, and child health, as well as reproductive health, in over 40 countries, from Darfur in Sudan to Papua New Guinea and Bhutan. An assistant professor at the Northern School of Medicine, Gretchen is also the author of A Doctor's Quest on global health and Deepwater Dream on northern rural and Aboriginal health in Canada. In addition to her work with First Nation communities here in Canada, which included working with a Cree community to develop a medical dictionary in their own language, she has worked as a public health doctor in the developing world, specializing in mother and child health and HIV/AIDS.