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Announcement: Kelly Anderson, PhD, appointed Chair, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Office of the Dean
I am pleased to announce that Kelly Anderson, PhD, has been appointed as Chair, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2031.
Dr. Anderson is a Canada Research Chair in Public Mental Health Research, as well as an Associate Professor and Graduate Chair in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. She received her PhD in Epidemiology from McGill University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Dr. Anderson is a Senior Adjunct Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Services (ICES), as well as an Associate Scientist at the Children’s Health Research Institute and the Lawson Research Institute. She is currently a Western Faculty Scholar (2025-2027) and has previously held an Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Science (2018) and a New Investigator Fellowship from the Ontario Mental Health Foundation (2015).
Dr. Anderson leads a research program in public mental health and her research interests lie at the intersection of population health and health services research. She is interested in the risk, course and outcome of mental illness for different population groups, as well as in the social determinants of health service access and utilization. She has a particular interest in the mental health of adolescents and young adults. Her research to date has typically focused on first-episode psychosis and early intervention services. Dr. Anderson’s research is internationally recognized for its methodological rigor and real-world impact, particularly for the use of population-based health administrative data to inform policy and practice, including the development of provincial standards of care for early psychosis intervention programs.
We thank Dr. Saverio Stranges for his time and dedication in his two five-year terms as Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics since 2016.
As the incoming Chair, Dr. Anderson’s vision is to continue the excellence and evolution of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, emphasizing the support of faculty success across research, teaching and service; strengthening interdisciplinary and cross-departmental collaborations; advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in meaningful and measurable ways; and fostering an environment where trainees, staff and faculty feel valued, heard and empowered to contribute. She looks forward to serving as Chair and to working collaboratively with students, staff, faculty and institutional leadership – both across Schulich Medicine and Dentistry and Western at large – to advance the Department’s mission in research, education and public impact.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Anderson on her appointment.
John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University