Ben Arhen was 30 minutes into a Zoom call when his next four years snapped into focus.
Arhen, who had been mulling over a return to university for a PhD for months, was talking with Jeremy Walsh, an assistant professor in McMaster’s Department of Kinesiology.
It was meant to be an informal, exploratory call about PhD options, but it quickly confirmed who Arhen wanted to work alongside for the next four years. “My decision was locked in. I didn’t even apply to any other grad schools or supervisors.”
The feeling was mutual. Walsh says he immediately recognized what Arhen could bring to the Brain Exercise Enhancement Lab. “We’re a self-driven, high-performing group. I knew Ben would add something to an already strong team – he has a track record of making the most out of every opportunity that comes his way and then putting in the work,” Walsh says.
“He has an infectious positivity with real substance behind it. Ben’s the real deal.”
Along with an invitation to join the lab, Walsh flagged an award that would prove to be a game-changer for Arhen.
The Brain Canada Foundation and Heart & Stroke Canada Personnel Award for Black Scholars aims to promote strategic growth in heart and brain health science with Black communities by supporting Black students pursuing postgraduate studies.
Applying for the award meant pulling together a comprehensive application package under a tight deadline. Arhen enlisted the help of mentors and his girlfriend’s family to give honest feedback on his personal statement, a key component of the application. “It takes a village to raise a child and apply for an award,” says Arhen.
Walsh came through again for Arhen, adding him to a major study that the team was working on with the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The waiting game ended while Arhen was riding the GO train after work. He read, “We are pleased to inform you” and then the tears started flowing for the rest of the ride home.
Dreaming of a PhD
The award provides a $120,000 stipend over three years. “That removes a huge stress. I don’t have to worry about money and can focus entirely on being the best researcher I can possibly be.”
Walsh says there was a spot on the team even if Arhen didn’t get the award. “Receiving that award was a real ‘I made it moment’ for Ben. It was positive feedback and a clear signal that he’s worth investing in as an early career researcher.”
Money was the reason Arhen left university after paying his own way through an undergraduate and then a master’s at Queen’s.
“I needed to start making some money and paying off student loans.”
In 2023, Arhen was hired as a research and evaluation coordinator with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment LaunchPad, a nonprofit that uses sports to help at-risk youth build healthy bodies and minds and get ready for school and work.
Near the end of 2024, Arhen started thinking about a return to academia. Earning his PhD would make his late grandfather proud. “He’d always dreamed of having a doctor in the family.”
A PhD would also put Arhen on the path on realizing his own dream of becoming a university professor. That seed had been planted years earlier by one of his mentors.
Jonathon Hood is the founder of Ahead of the Game, a mentorship-focused nonprofit that provides sidelined youth with the support, motivation and resources they need to succeed. Hood played in the Canadian Football League and then became an assistant professor of sport management at St. Francis Xavier University.
Ahead of the Game became Arhen’s afterschool refuge, with Hood as a role model. “Here was a Black man who’d succeeded at academics and football. Jonathan showed me what’s possible. He helped make me the man I am today.”
Football and exercise science
That inspiration came at a crucial time. Arhen had moved to Canada from Ghana when he was 11 years old. His parents and his oldest brother had immigrated earlier to get settled. Arhen and his three other brothers had stayed behind for three years with relatives. “That was the hardest three years of my life,” says Arhen.
His family reunited in a two-bedroom apartment in a low-income neighbourhood in Brampton. All five brothers slept in the bigger room, sharing two queen-sized beds.
“My parents had left behind a good life to give us a shot at a better one,” he says. “They were starting over with nothing, working all the time, trying to make ends meet. I didn’t fully understand or appreciate the sacrifices they were making. I do now.”
Arhen and all of his brothers stayed out of trouble. He credits coming from a tight-knit, spiritual family and being surrounded with mentors, teachers and coaches. “I had many people in my corner who weren’t going to let me fail.”
Arhen was a strong student, and science was a favourite subject. “It matched with my personality. I’m curious, analytical, intuitive and above all, resourceful. I got that from my parents.”
He was also a track star. The coach of the high school football team thought Arhen’s speed and athleticism would make him a standout wide receiver. Arhen started playing football in Grade 11 and proved that his coach was a good judge of talent.
Arhen then impressed Queen’s University coaches during a Team Ontario Football tryout. “We can teach anyone how to catch a football but you sure can’t teach that kind of speed,” coaching staff said.
Arhen joined the Queen’s Gaels and played all through undergrad. He set Queen’s all-time record for single season kickoff return yards on special teams.
To continue playing football, Arhen signed up for grad school. But then COVID-19 scrubbed the season, giving Arhen time to re-evaluate his priorities.
A shift in focus
Playing football had been his primary focus and it defined his identity as an undergrad. As a grad student, his focus shifted to coaching on the field and mentoring off of it, supporting other Black students.
He also became interested in research. Ejaz Causer, a friend and teammate who’d later earn a medical degree at McMaster, introduced Arhen to the field of exercise physiology.
“That’s why I’m so excited and grateful to come to McMaster. There are research juggernauts in the Kinesiology department — Dr. Maureen MacDonald, Dr. Martin Gibala, Dr. Stuart Phillips and so many others.”
“Jeremy was the lead author on the first research paper I read as a grad student so getting to work alongside him is surreal. If you want to drive advances in exercise science, this is the place to be.”
Arhen also looks forward to connecting with Black professors in the Faculty of Science and across McMaster. “Being in the company of faculty like Dr. Juliet Daniel was integral to my decision to come to Mac.”
Arhen joins a research group that’s exploring whether exercise and ketone supplements can improve brain health in people who are showing early signs of dementia.
Walsh believes the newest addition to the team has arrived at the perfect time. Arhen will play a key role in working with community members while helping advance the science back in the lab.
“Ben doesn’t just have the spark for this work, he’s bringing a roaring bonfire to the team.”