In Memoriam -Dr. Megan Davey

The family of the late Megan Davey, Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry has requested that those wishing to memorialize Megan make donations to support the Maud L. Menten Memorial Lectures program, which she championed. Davey passed away August 10, 2012 at University Hospital.

Davey's interment will be private and at a later date, there will be a celebration of her life. The Department of Biochemistry is also planning to have a tree planted on Western's campus in her memory. Details for these events will be provided once they become available. Davey's obituary can be found here.

Davey completed a BSc in Biology at York University before pursuing PhD training in the Molecular and Medical Genetics Graduate Program at the University of Toronto. Following completion of her PhD in 1997, Davey moved to Rockefeller University to pursue postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Mike O'Donnell, a world leader in the field of DNA replication.

Following her recruitment to Western in 2004, Davey established a research program focused on elucidation of mechanisms that control DNA replication supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. She was the recipient of prestigious salary awards from national funding agencies including a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research which she declined in favour of a Research Scientist Award from the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC). As the top-ranked candidate in the NCIC competition, Davey was awarded the Harold Johns Award.

She has also made important contributions to the education and training of graduate and undergraduate students. Since its inception, Davey has been the coordinator for the Maud L. Menten Memorial Lecture Series that has attracted international leaders to our community. And it was based on that passion for science that her family wished for memorial donations to go to the lectures program.

"We have lost a greatly valued colleague, friend and mentor. At this time, our thoughts are with Megan's family and friends," says David Litchfield, Professor & Chair of the Department of Biochemistry.