For years, Evan Foster had one goal in mind: medical school. “I’d thought about it since high school - that was Plan A,” he says.
After finishing his undergraduate degree, Foster took a research assistant position at Toronto Rehab, focusing on stroke and concussion rehabilitation. The work gave him an early education in how quality-of-life interventions - exercise programs, balance training - require not just medical knowledge but also strategies for implementation.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but those first years were really about knowledge translation. How do we get the great research we’re doing into actual practice?”
He later applied for medical school, but when that didn’t pan out, Foster began searching for a graduate program that could deepen his understanding of how to move healthcare innovations from the lab to the real world. That search led him to LMP’s Master of Health Science in Translational Research (TRP).
Unlike traditional research-based programs, the TRP offered a course-based, practical structure. “I didn’t want to do a thesis - I’d already spent three years doing clinical research. The TRP really fit the bill in terms of my interests, and it allowed me to keep working at the hospital while studying.”
Foster began the program in September 2020 - deep in the COVID-19 pandemic. With few distractions, he juggled part-time hospital work with the program’s coursework. “It was probably the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life, but it was a finite period, and I knew what I was working toward,” he says.
One of the turning points came when he realized his interest lay at the intersection of healthcare and business. Through various modules, Foster saw that translating research wasn’t only about clinical trials - it often involved determining if the product was needed as well as commercial pathways.
“There’s this whole part of translation where you’ve got an innovative product, therapy, or technology, and now you need to figure out how to practically bring it into the healthcare system. A lot of the time, that involves a business component.”
The TRP’s capstone project cemented his focus. Foster and his team conducted an environmental scan of barriers to innovation and commercialization in Canada’s healthcare and life sciences sectors. They interviewed startups, incubators, accelerators, investors, and industry leaders to understand why promising Canadian innovations often fail to take root domestically.
Two themes emerged: limited access to private capital in Canada compared to the U.S., and the difficulty of forming partnerships between public hospitals and industry. “In Canada, a lot of ideas come out of university or hospital research labs funded by government grants,” Foster explains. “But when those innovations need private investment to grow, companies often head south of the border. By the time they come back, the benefits have often gone first to American patients.”
The project left Foster determined to work on lowering those barriers. While still at the concussion clinic, he began seeking partnerships with startups to test and refine new technologies in a clinical setting. Some initiatives showed promise, while others naturally slowed. "It highlighted for me how essential sustained focus and resourcing are in keeping early-stage partnerships moving,” he says.
He realised he wanted more exposure to the intersection between business and healthcare so moved into his current role as a consultant at a healthcare data company. The firm gathers and analyzes information from pharmacies, wholesalers, and other sources to help clients understand markets, patient populations, and prescribing patterns before launching new medications.
“It’s been a big shift from being patient-facing in a hospital to supporting the pharmaceutical industry,” he says. “I’m learning a whole new world - and I’m here because of the passion for this intersection of business and healthcare that really grew out of my time in the TRP.”
Foster credits the program with sharpening his professional skills and expanding his network. “We did so many presentations, and the strict time limits taught me how to say something succinctly.” He remains close with TRP faculty members who have since become collaborators and friends and continues to work with his capstone teammates more than two years after graduation, exploring ways to apply their insights in consulting roles.
Looking back, Foster sees the TRP as instrumental in helping him redefine his career path after stepping away from the medical school goal. One mentor in the program encouraged him to clarify his “why” - the deeper purpose behind what he was trying to achieve. He realised that he had been fixated on becoming a medical doctor, but that was not the only path to making a difference in healthcare.
“For me, it’s about making a tangible impact on the healthcare system in Ontario and Canada. Doctors are a crucial part of that, but they’re not the only ones who shape the system. The TRP showed me there are so many other ways to make a difference.”
To students considering the program, he offers this advice: “If you want to work in healthcare but aren’t sure how to make an impact, the TRP will expose you to a lot of different paths. It’s not like a traditional master’s with one set outcome - people go into research, business, government. That openness can be a huge plus if you’re willing to take initiative.”
For Foster, the path forward is still evolving - but it’s firmly grounded in the space where business and healthcare meet. “I think when my career’s done, I’ll be proud if I can point to a few examples where I’ve helped improve our healthcare system. The TRP was a big step toward figuring out how to do that.”
