91泡芙

by Sharon Mah

When students first enter university, they鈥檙e advised to follow their interests and/or passions. But what do you do when you are interested in multiple topics?

Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) graduand Jan Filart鈥檚 solution to this challenge was to complete a second degree in Health Sciences in two years, complementing his first degree in business management.

An immigrant from the Philippines, Filart taught business statistics to undergraduates at his old alma mater after graduation. After settling in Vancouver, he began to explore ways to add to his existing skills and knowledge. The FHS Bachelor of Sciences - Public Health and Data concentration captured his attention, because it combined two of his passions: statistics and health.

鈥淚 wanted to apply my background in quantitative methods to learn about epidemiology and health economics,鈥� he reflected. 鈥淚 also wanted to learn about social determinants of health, issues surrounding mental health and substance use, and global health. I鈥檓 thrilled to have found an opportunity to have a broad impact on improving population health.鈥�

During his two years at FHS, Filart immersed himself in extracurricular health research alongside his undergraduate studies. He became a research assistant for Dr. Michelle Amri at the SFU School of Public Policy 鈥� an experience that led to an ongoing collaboration on various projects involving global health and equity. The culmination of this relationship saw Filart co-presenting a session with Amri on decolonizing global health at the 2024 Canadian Conference on Global Health. 鈥淚t [was] the first conference I ever attended, and it was very enriching to meet and learn from many other professionals and students in the field of global health.鈥�

Filart also took on a role as a research assistant at BC Cancer supporting projects in cancer prevention and survivorship. He gained practical experience in research administration activities such as participant recruitment, data collection, record keeping, and data analysis. To cap off his research experiences, Filart also enrolled in Directed Studies and Directed Research courses with FHS Associate Professor Jo茫o Luiz Bastos during the final two terms of his degree. 鈥淚 learned intensively about how discrimination and structural racism affects health, and how they can be quantitatively measured and operationalized. I felt that it was a truly special experience to directly learn from a passionate scholar and expert on the field.鈥�

When asked what advice he has for other Health Sciences students, Filart recommended establishing great relationships with professors: 鈥淎pproach them after class or attend office hours. Make them remember you!鈥� He would occasionally linger after the end of a class to speak with his instructors, asking more questions and diving more deeply into related topics. 鈥淸Doing] this really enriched my learning experience.鈥�

Filart reflected that when he taught undergraduates, he always remembered the students who were genuinely curious and made an effort to introduce themselves. 鈥淭his is also a great way to build your network within the community, and could lead to professional and further studies opportunities down the road.鈥�

The Faculty of Health Sciences Convocation ceremony will take place Friday, Oct 10, 2025 at 9:45 am.