Maike van Niekerk

Maike van Niekerk is a Canadian activist, author, entrepreneur, research scientist and resident doctor. She was born in Windhoek, Namibia, but raised in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Following her mother's death, van Niekerk began volunteering for the Canadian Cancer Society. In 2015, she ran seven marathons on seven consecutive days for a fundraiser. By September 2018, the charity had raised over $170,000.

Education Van Niekerk completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Dalhousie University, having won a Schulich Leader Scholarship. At Dalhousie University, she received the Silver Governor General's Academic Medal in 2017 for obtaining the highest academic standing amongst all baccalaureate graduates. In the same year, van Niekerk was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, which allowed her to start a three-year PhD in Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, graduating in 2020. She graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 2025 and is currently completing her residency at Harvard University as part of the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program.

Awards Van Niekerk has been awarded a Meritorious Service Decoration. In 2015, van Niekerk was one of Plan Canada's Top 20 Under 20. In 2017, van Niekerk was one of 100 people on the Women's Executive Network list of Canada's Most Powerful Women. In 2018, van Niekerk was one of ten honourees in the L'Oréal Paris Canadian Women of Worth Grant Award Program.