Developmental Biology

Collaborative Specialization



Meet Amy Pietrantonio, PhD candidate in Developmental Biology

“Western does a great job of balancing academic and research success with community and social involvement.”

Supervisors: Drs. Katherine Willmore and Brian Allman

Why did you come to Western for your graduate degree?
The multidisciplinary nature of my master’s research project, the opportunity to collaborate closely with multiple professors, and especially the opportunity to specialize in developmental biology initially drew me to this program. For these same reasons, I decided to continue my PhD here.

What is it about your program that enables you to thrive and be successful??
The Developmental Biology program provides focused opportunities to explore my research interests more in-depth. The program offers a specialized developmental biology course, and because it is a collaborative program, it creates a community of students within the program separate from my home department.

Describe your research.
Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading preventable cause of birth defects. Fifty-seven percent of individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder experience hearing loss. Mounting evidence suggests that many women consume alcohol during early pregnancy, before they know they are pregnant. While most women stop alcohol consumption once they learn they are pregnant, they still already unknowingly exposed their fetus to alcohol during those first few weeks of pregnancy. In fact, my recent work has found that even a single binge-like dose of alcohol during early pregnancy (~ week 3 of human gestation) was sufficient to elicit hearing impairments in mice. Therefore, the objective of my thesis is to determine how prenatal alcohol exposure affects the peripheral auditory system. Specifically, I’ll be looking at the structures of the ear as well as the Shh signalling pathway as a putative mechanism underlying prenatal alcohol exposure-related hearing impairments.

Program Websites


Program Contact

Karen Burrell (kburrell@uwo.ca)
Administrative Assistant

t. (519) 685-8500, x55455

Participating Degrees

The purpose of the Collaborative Specialization in Developmental Biology is to create a community of graduate students with an interest in Developmental Biology and to provide specific courses to support and teach that community. Our aim is to train Developmental Biologists who will go on to make significant contributions to the field. Our program represents a wide range of interests within Developmental Biology. We have scientists working with embryos during their earliest stages of development as well as a strong group of researchers looking at the development of the late term fetus. Students can be studying the development of invertebrates, fish, amphibians or mammals within the specialization. This diversity will give students a broad and comprehensive experience in the study of how organisms are formed and how these early events can influence later life. The specialization is one of only two in Canada.

Program Length

  • Variable

Program Design

  • Full-time study
  • Thesis-based

Funding Information

  • The Collaborative Specialization does not provide additional funding beyond what the student receives through their home department.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fee schedules (per term) are posted on the Office of the Registrar's website at http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/student_finances/fees_refunds/fee_schedules.html

Use this helpful tool, although designed to reflect costs associated with in person programs, to estimate how much money you will need to pay for your tuition, fees, and other expenses for a 12-month (three term) academic year.

Admission Requirements

The Collaborative Program in Developmental Biology has members from both the Faculty of Science and the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. To enroll in the program, complete the following steps.

Step One

The student must be accepted into the graduate program of one of the specialization's host departments.

These are currently:

Faculty of Science


Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry


Step Two

Be working with a supervisor that is a member of the Program (see People).

Step Three

Submit a completed application form to the Director of the Collaborative Program outlining your interest in the Collaborative program and your interest in Developmental Biology. At this stage, we are really looking for a demonstrated interest in the discipline such as a course or research experience that has sparked your interest. Applications to the Developmental Biology program can be done at any time after acceptance into the home department graduate program and approval by the supervisor.

Applications should be sent to:

Dr. Katherine Willmore, Director
c/o Karen Burrell, Administrative Assistant
CHRI, LHSC-VH A5-107A
800 Commissioners Road East
London, ON N6C 2V5
karen.burrell@lhsc.on.ca