Applications Deadline: UNAVAILABLE THIS YEAR

Award Value: $25,000 per year, renewable

This new award was offered for the first time in 2006. One new Enid Walker award will be available each year to a full-time PhD student from any Graduate Department at the University of Toronto engaged in study relevant to women's health and supervised by a Faculty of Medicine member affiliated with the Women’s College Research Institute at the Women’s College Hospital. Enid Walker Graduate Student Awards will be renewable for a period of up to four years and may thus be used to support a student throughout their doctoral work. First preference for scholarship is given to students whose supervisor holds her/his primary appointment at Women's College Hospital. Second preference will be given to students whose supervisor holds a graduate appointment at the University of Toronto, School of Graduate Studies. Applicants for the Enid Walker Award are assessed based on financial need and on the academic record of the candidate and the women's health relevance of their planned area of study. Because the capacity to work across disciplines will be a vital component of any women's health research career, the student's commitment to an interdisciplinary approach will also be considered.

Eligibility
An Enid Walker Graduate Student Award in Women's Health is an Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund (OSOTF) Award created with matching funds from the OSOTF II program. OSOTF awards are restricted to residents of Ontario who demonstrate financial need, according to the provincial government's guidelines.

To be eligible for an Enid Walker Award you must demonstrate financial need by completing a Needs Assessment form. If you have already been assessed for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) or the University of Toronto Advance Planning for Students (UTAPS), you will only need to complete a portion of the needs assessment form. Please read all of the forms carefully.

The candidate must be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant and a resident of Ontario defined as follows:

1. student has always resided in Ontario or;
   Ontario is the last province that the student has resided in for 12 consecutive months without being a full-time post-secondary student.
2. student who is considered married for OSAP purposes can be considered an Ontario resident if the student's partner has resided in Ontario for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before the last day of the month in which classes began for the student's most recent period of full-time post-secondary studies and during this time, the student's partner was not enrolled in full-time post secondary studies
3. a single dependent student can be considered an Ontario resident if the student's parent(s), step-parent(s), legal guardian(s), or official sponsor(s) has resided in Ontario for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before the last day of the month in which classes began for the student's most recent period of full-time post-secondary studies.

In keeping with the policies established by the School of Graduate Studies and other University of Toronto departments and faculties, only full-time students are eligible for this award.

An exception is made for graduate students living with a disability, as defined under the Human Rights Code, Chapter 53, Section 9(1)(b). To be eligible, a student must provide a letter from the University's director of special services to persons with a disability confirming that part-time study is, in effect, full-time study for that student.

Application Process
The application package should include:

• Completed application form for the Enid Walker Graduate Student Awards in Women's Health Research
• Financial Needs Assessment
• Undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• An up-to-date curriculum vitae
• A 1-2 page description of the candidate's research, including details of the relevance of the proposed doctoral work to women's health research, highlighting the interdisciplinary aspects of the research, if any;
• Two letters of support, including one from the candidate's primary supervisor

Applications for Renewal of this Award must submit:

• Fill out the completed application form if any of the contact information has changed since the previous year.
• Complete the Financial Needs Assessment again
• Provide an up-to-date curriculum vitae
• A 1-2 page description of the progress that you have achieved with your research, including details of the relevance of the proposed doctoral work to women's health research, highlighting the interdisciplinary aspects of the research, if any;
• Two letters of support, including one from the candidate's department head and one from the candidate's primary advisor, both confirming that the candidate's research is progressing on a timely basis and that the candidate is continuing to demonstrate excellence in pursuing the advancement of knowledge through research in women's health.

The completed RENEWAL APPLICATION package must be submitted by March 31, 2009 to:

Student Awards Committee
Women's College Research Institute
790 Bay Street
7th Floor
Toronto, ON M5G 1N8

Attention: Sabiha Merali Merchant

Inquiries may be directed to students@womensresearch.ca or (416) 351-3732, ext. 3755

Current Recipient
Two students are currently supported by these awards:

The 2007-2008 recipient of the Enid Walker Graduate Student Award in Women's Health Research is Ms. Sarah Guilcher.

The 2008-2009 recipient of the Enid Walker Graduate Student Award in Women's Health Research is Ms. Manuela Ferrari