Department Scholarships

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics has two named departmental scholarships available to graduate students in our program.

Dr. Carol Buck Graduate Scholarship in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Awarded annually to a full-time graduate student in Epidemiology and Biostatistics after their first year, based on academic achievement and development of the thesis project. The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Scholarship Committee will select the recipient. The scholarship will be awarded in a ceremony following the annual Carol Buck Lecture, given by a distinguished academic from the field of Epidemiology. This scholarship was established with Foundation Western to honour Dr. Carol Buck, a former professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. 

There is no application for this award as potential recipients will be selected by the Scholarship Committee.

About Dr. Carol Buck

Dr. Carol Buck was a faculty member with the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics from 1952 to 2004. Throughout her career, Dr. Buck's work demonstrated a passionate commitment to advancing human health. Using rigorous methods of epidemiology to identify and correct the causes and determinants of ill-health, she became an international leader in the discipline. Carol's colleagues and former students respected her amazing clarity of thought and communication. She was a gifted teacher who had a significant impact on many graduate students, medical students and colleagues.


Winners of the Dr. Carol Buck Graduate Scholarship:

  • 2023-2024 Sandra Guga
  • 2022-2023 Emily Boyko
  • 2021-2022 Lux Li
  • 2020-2021 Isabella Aversa
  • 2019-2020 Emily Dawson
  • 2018-2019 Myanca Rodrigues
  • 2017-2018 Natalie Nightingale
  • 2016-2017 Siobhan Churchill
  • 2015-2016 Jacqueline Kueper
  • 2014-2015 Christoffer Dharma
  • 2013-2014 Rachel Man
  • 2012-2013 Samantha Davie
  • 2011-2012 Ayden Scheim
  • 2010-2011 Hilary Brown
  • 2009-2010 Matthew Meyer
  • 2008-2009 Michael Diamant
  • 2007-2008 Megan McKeown
  • 2006-2007 Meghan Vlasschaert
  • 2005-2006 Sarah Peacock
  • 2004-2005 Sean McIntyre

Dr. Jim Robertson Award in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Awarded annually to a full-time graduate student in a Masters or Doctoral program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics based on academic achievement and research merit. Applications are invited from graduate students whose thesis research focuses on Environmental or Occupational Epidemiology. The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics will send a call for applications to students each January. The Scholarship Committee in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics will select the recipient. This award has been established by the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, in memory of Dr. Jim Robertson.

For more information about applying for this award, please contact the Academic Programs Coordinator at epibio@uwo.ca.

About Dr. Jim Robertson

Dr. James (Jim) McDonald Robertson's career at Western spanned 43 years, beginning in 1971 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine. Jim was highly respected by graduate students, and made strong contributions to graduate education during his career. His research program was in the field of environmental and occupational epidemiology, with sustained contributions in the study of the health of workers in the carbon black industry. Jim's contributions to Western continued during his retirement and included many years of ongoing service on the Ethics Review Board for Health Sciences Research involving human subjects, an activity he continued as an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics from 2005 until his death in July 2013. 


Winners of the Dr. Jim Robertson Award:

  • 2023 Samira Idrees
  • 2021 Tresah Antaya
  • 2020 Bryan Tanner
  • 2019 Natalie Nightingale
  • 2018 Fatima Kudaeva
  • 2016 Rebecca McTavish