Thirty incoming students, including eight from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), will form the fifth cohort of McCall MacBain Scholars at McGill. The scholarship is Canada’s largest leadership-based award for master’s and professional studies. In addition to receiving full funding for their McGill degree program, the newly named scholars will benefit from mentorship, coaching and a leadership program.
Members of this year’s cohort will enter programs across nine Faculties. Four academic departments and schools – Bioresource Engineering, Educational & Counselling Psychology, Sociology, and the School of Information Studies – will welcome scholars for the first time.
FMHS McCall MacBain Scholars 2025
Abeera Irfan, MSc, Public Health
Alador Bereketab, MSc, Family Medicine
Iffat Mahjabin, MSc, Public Health
Justin Goldberg, MSc, Neuroscience
Nafanta Fadiga, MSc, Family Medicine
Nancy Ren, MSc, Public Health
Richard K.S. Wu, MSc, Experimental Medicine
Yuvraj Agnihotri, MSc, Surgical and Interventional Sciences
And for the first time, the cohort includes students from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Italy, Ukraine, Singapore and South Sudan. See the full list of scholars.
The scholars were selected based on evidence of exceptional character, community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic strength and intellectual curiosity. They aspire to pursue careers in various fields, including AI, assistive technology, food security, health policy, refugee/migration issues and quantum computing.
“The McCall MacBain Scholarship is more than funding, it’s joining a community of passionate leaders who want to make a difference,” said Rachel Cluett, one of the new scholars. Cluett will pursue a Master of Arts in child psychology. “The interview process challenges you to reflect on your goals, values and impact, empowering you to grow personally and professionally. This opportunity has reinforced my drive to contribute to my community and pursue my psychology career.”
Thousands of students applied for the opportunity, and the top 279 candidates participated in the first round of interviews across Canada and online. Then, 88 finalists were invited to attend interviews in Montreal in March.
Ninety-five participants in the process earned entrance awards ranging from $5,000 to $20,000.
“These scholarships were created out of a belief that our world needs people who aspire to lead with purpose, empathy, integrity and courage,” said Marcy McCall MacBain, Chair of the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill. “We want to create opportunities for students to dream big, cultivate leadership and contribute to something greater than themselves.”