Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)



Meet Mary Aderayo Bamimore, PhD candidate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

“The graduate student community in the department of epidemiology serves as a very conducive environment for career success.”

Supervisor: Sisira Sarma

Why did you come to Western for your graduate degree?
I chose to pursue my PhD at Western University because my research interest was a great fit with my supervisor’s research area - economics of primary care in Ontario. Additionally, the city of London is a great place to pursue doctoral studies. The cost of living in London is much more affordable compared to other cities in Ontario such as Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.

Where’s your favourite place on campus to?
I like to work in my office. If I want a change of study environment, I will study at one of the many libraries at Western University, such as The D.B. Weldon Library or the Allyn & Betty Taylor Library.

What is your “dream” career?
I have learned that the PhD program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics here at Western University prepares its students for a career in both academic and non-academic fields. The department has a very good record of helping students find employment within the field of epidemiology. For me, a dream career is to be involved in primary health care and health services research of cardiovascular diseases locally and internationally. My supervisor and the doctoral program and are preparing me for that.

What would you like to share with the Western graduate community?
I must comment that the graduate environment at Western University prepares students particularly well for leadership. Once you become a graduate student here at Western, you are privileged to attend many events and talks given by successful people within academia and outside of academia.

What’s the best advice you could give to someone considering applying to your graduate program?
The best advice I would give any student considering the doctoral program here is: Identify the area of research you want to pursue as a lifetime career; so it can help guide the research interest you would pursue for doctoral studies. Then identify a faculty member in the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics whose research interest is congruent with yours.

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):

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