Sarah Topps is a public health professional, business strategist, and published author with many years of experience across different industries. Sarah holds both a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Simon Fraser University, and an honours degree in International Development and Economics from McGill University. She wrote her thesis on why behaviour change was the key barrier to achieving worldwide clean drinking water and other global public health challenges, and has been passionate about using behavioural science to improve the lives of others ever since. Currently, Sarah holds a joint appointment with Mitacs and Innovate Calgary, to support innovation in the life sciences and social innovation sectors.
A deeply held belief in the importance of science-based decision making motivated her to lead thousands of people in the March for Science in Vancouver (2017). Sarah has worked extensively with government, private industry, non-profits, First Nations groups, universities, and young people. She is passionate about authentic leadership, and raising the profile of other leaders in healthcare through her role as Co-Chair of the Emerging Health Leaders (Calgary). Sarah is also an adjunct faculty member at Pacific Coast University, where she developed their core course on Workplace Wellness.
Of all her past projects, Sarah is most proud of her ongoing contribution to Healthy Child Uganda, a maternal and child health not-for-profit that has reached over a million people in rural Uganda. This role deeply moved her and inspires her leadership as Vice Chair for Maternity Today.