Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)



Meet Steve Hun Lee, PhD candidate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

“The department is very tight-knit and everyone works together to help each other succeed from top to bottom.”

Describe your research.
My research investigates different ways that heterogeneity within mental health and mental health services research can be modelled using clustering methods.

Where’s your favourite place on campus to work?
The grad offices in the public health and family medicine building are probably my favourite. We’re lucky enough to have dedicated study space available for students in our department, and it’s a nice, quiet space to work.

Have you worked as a teaching or research assistant?
Yes! Both as a TA and RA. Being a TA has been a great experience getting practice teaching and with mentorship. As an RA, it gave me an opportunity to do research and learn methods that I would not otherwise have had a chance to learn.

What is it about your grad program that enables you to thrive?
Everyone in the whole department works tirelessly to help with each students’ success. In particular, the mentorship that the faculty provides has been invaluable to my success thus far.

Program Websites


Program Contact

Sarah Guerrero (epibio@uwo.ca)
Academic Programs Coordinator

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Western University
Kresge Building Rm 201
London, Ontario N6A 5C1

t. 519-661-2111 ext. 86263

We offer MSc and PhD degrees in Epidemiology & Biostatistics. Students are exposed to a full breadth of policy-relevant methodologies from the fields of epidemiology, biostatistics, health services research, health economics, genetic epidemiology, and program evaluation.


The Own Your Future doctoral professional development program will help you become a career-ready graduate with the skills necessary to excel in your studies and achieve your future goals. By participating in the program, you will assess your own strengths and opportunities for growth, choose what skills you want to enhance during your time at Western, and learn how to articulate the skills you gained in your degree to optimize your future career opportunities. To learn more, visit www.uwo.ca/ownyourfuture.

Program Length

  • 12 Terms (Full-time study)

Program Design

  • Full-time study and part-time study
  • Thesis-based

Funding Information

Applicants are encouraged to apply for the following scholarships (if eligible):

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

Admission Requirements

  • A two-year, thesis-based Master's degree.
  • A min. average of 80% for all graduate-level course work.
  • Strong performance in a recent statistics course. (Our graduate program requires students to have taken a recent course in statistics. If a great deal of time has elapsed since your last statistical course, we recommend that your application include concrete examples of how you use statistical methods in your regular role at work.)

English Language Proficiency

Applicants whose first language is not English must furnish evidence of their proficiency in the use of the English language:

  • The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum acceptable score is 580 (for paper-based test) or 237 (for computer-based test), or 90-92 overall with no individual score below 20 (for internet-based TOFEL) [Western's TOEFL ID is 0984].
  • The International English Language Testing Service (IELTS Academic). The minimum acceptable score is 6.5 out of 9 for each category, including overall score.
  • Western English Language Centre. The requirement is successful completion of the High-Advanced level.
Please note: Our program will not extend conditional offers based on the anticipated completion of the English Language Proficiency testing.

Application Deadline

  • October 15 - Applications open.
  • January 15 - Applications deadline.
Acceptance notification by end of June.

Fields of Research

  • Biostatistics
  • Epidemiology