Jeff Renaud – MA in Interdisciplinary Studies

The more diverse we are, the more we can learn from one another. That’s one of the lessons alumnus Jeff Renaud took away from his experience as an Interdisciplinary Studies student at Royal Roads University.

“Regardless of your passion or area of expertise, the interdisciplinary program will definitely provide you with a more complete understanding of your niche by close examination of it through other disciplines,” says Renaud, who works in the field of gerontology. “I strongly believe that the biggest impact at Royal Roads came through connecting with other professionals engaged in study. We all came from unique backgrounds and this made many of the lessons learned very rich and valuable for me.”

Renaud is a certified professional consultant on aging with more than 20 years of formal training and practical experience in the field of health care, strategic planning and policy analysis. He and his wife, Michelle, run Synergy Healthcare Solutions, a Victoria-based consultancy that works with health-care agencies and families. Renaud says health care in Canada is often experienced as a complex system of policies, rules and regulations that provide a fractured and untimely service. Although there are many agencies providing tremendous support to a broad swath of health-care providers and end users, Renaud recognizes there are ongoing challenges in communication, system navigation and delivery. 

“As an individual passionate about senior populations and the current state of our health-care system, the impetus for completing a master’s degree resided in the personal desire to explore these current systems and gain a stronger understanding of how we can do more for less by working in partnerships,” Renaud says. “Royal Roads allowed me the opportunity to customize a master’s degree that fit my knowledge needs, natural curiosity and passion to make a difference as a working professional.”