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In Memoriam: Bessie Borwein, PhD'73
Office of the Dean
With sadness, we share the passing of Bessie Borwein, PhD’73, on June 9, 2026.
Bessie completed her PhD at Western University in 1973. Following her postdoctoral training, she became an instructor and lecturer and by 1984, she was an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. In 1987, she became Associate Dean of Research for the then Faculty of Medicine at Western.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Bessie studied botany and zoology at the University of Witwatersrand. She left South Africa with her husband, David, in 1948, living first in London, England, then St. Andrews, Scotland, before settling in London, Ontario in the early 1960s.
In her 40s, Bessie earned her PhD in anatomy from Western, specializing in retinal photoreceptors.
A passionate advocate for properly regulated biomedical research, Bessie founded Partners in Research, a national organization dedicated to public science education.
Her community involvement was vast. She helped establish the Block Parent program, and devoted her time to Pollution Probe, the Alzheimer’s Society, the Ontario Breast Screening Program, Madame Vanier Children’s Services and the Youth Science Foundation, among many others.
In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.
In 2015, Bessie was honoured with the Alumni of Distinction Community Service Award by Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
She will be remembered as a spirited communicator and national leader, as well as a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Read the obituary online via Logan-Evans.