Anatomical Sciences Alumna Says Program Offers Many Career Paths For Graduates

Students from the Queen’s Master of Science Program in Anatomical Sciences have many career paths to choose from after they graduate. Alumni have gone on to many types of careers such as university professors/lecturers, health services education coordinators, physicians, and other allied health professional programs

Alexandra Boasie, MSc’12, is now a leader within the programs of Integrated Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Assessment Programs at the Mississauga Halton Central West Regional Cancer Program.

She has some advice for Anatomical Science students at Queen’s – “learn from every experience” – here, she talks about her career experience and what she learned at Queen’s that helped prepare her for her current job.

Question: In what program and where did you get your undergrad degree?

Answer: Western University – Honours Double Major Medical Sciences and Biology.

Question: Tell us about your job and what you do.

Answer: I am a healthcare professional, working within a Regional Cancer Program – these provide oversight to the delivery of cancer care services across regional hospital partners and centres. More specifically, my team and I work to improve cancer screening performance and address barriers to cancer screening. I also manage Diagnostic Assessment Programs which are designed to expedite and streamline the diagnostic journey for patients with a suspicious breast, thoracic, or rectal cancer. In addition to managing a team of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals, I work closely with physician leads to educate the community and our peers about current cancer screening programming and best-practices to ensure quality care is provided to patients in our region.

Question: Tell us about your career journey. How did you get to where you are today?

Answer: I have always had a keen passion and interest for cancer care. I applied for a coordinator position, which was focused on educating the public on cancer screening guidelines through various promotional tactics. This position was a great fit for me as I just completed my M.Sc. in the Anatomical Sciences Program – this program taught me the fundamentals to teaching, and various teaching principles which I applied, daily, in that role. Over the past four years, my portfolio has grown, however, I am still using the skills I developed in my M.Sc. program at Queen’s.

Question: Why did you enroll in Queen’s Master of Anatomical Sciences program?

Answer: Passion and interest in anatomy. Queen’s offered a very unique post-graduate experience which attracted me to the program – I could be completing research, lecturing, learning educational principles, and dissecting cadavers all in one program. The skills you walk away from Anatomical Sciences at Queen’s are vast and applicable to various career paths.

Question: What did you learn at Queen’s to help prepare you for your current job at Mississauga Halton Central West Regional Cancer Program?

Answer: Self-directed learning and problem solving tasks were rooted in the program, which helped me develop critical thinking skills in addition to the ability to work well independently and in a team. Courses in “University Teaching and Learning” from the Centre for Teaching and Learning, and courses in “Principles in Teaching and Learning in Health Sciences” from the Department of Biomedical Sciences helped me develop more specific professional skills including teaching at the university level and efficient health promotion. Furthermore, conducting thesis research and anatomical dissection alongside fellow lab mates helped to foster good team-work.

Question: Any advice for anyone entering the Queen’s Master of Anatomical Sciences program at Queen’s?

Answer: Learn from every experience and build strong, meaningful relationships along the way. For those more specifically in the Anatomical Sciences, definitely join the Anatomical Sciences Alumni Group on Facebook and on LinkedIn to broaden your professional network.​