Indigenous Hamilton man first in Canada to earn new doctorate in public health

A Hamilton resident has become the first Indigenous person within Canada to graduate with a prestigious new doctorate degree in public health.

Zachary Miller is the first person to defend his dissertation in the University of Toronto’s Doctor of Public Health program.

U of T is the only Canadian university to offer the program which teaches a more practical-based approach to public health professionals over more theory-based PhD programs.

Miller says he’s proud to be part of the inaugural cohort, starting his degree in 2021, and adds that he feels grateful to be able to give back to the Indigenous community.

“I think for me, individually, it just felt like a huge honour. It felt very honourable but a lot of weight too — being an Indigenous person in the program. Obviously with our various peoples’ histories within this country, all the challenges we’ve gone through and the struggles and the racism and all these different aspects,” said Miller.

“Dealing with colonialism and all that, it felt like a lot. It felt, like, historical for me in a way to be in that space. Be the first person in the program as an Indigenous person.”

Miller says his research focused on pandemics and epidemics, and how public health professionals can better handle outbreaks by looking to past experiences.

The new grad currently works with the Six Nations of the Grand River health unit and is hoping to continue working at the local level and teach people what he’s learned in his research.

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