Almuni Awards & Recognition

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The School of Health Studies Alumni of Distinction Award

Recognizes an alum who demonstrates significant impact in one or more of the following areas:

  • Professional achievement and clinical care
    • The recipient is dedicated to their chosen profession and goes above and beyond in their line of work or in clinical care; they are a role model in their profession and this impact reaches groups, individuals, and/or their larger chosen profession
  • Significant contributions to research and/or education
    • The recipient stands out in the field of research as having made compelling and impactful progress towards the advancement of their discipline, and is committed to continuing their learning and education either through everyday practice or higher education
  • Commitment to community and leadership
    • The recipient is a leader who is committed to bettering their community or the Western community, successfully enriching the lives of others through community service and exemplary leadership

Current Winner

2024 Alumni of Distiction Award Recipient

Katie Shillington, PhD'23, BHSc’19, MSc’20

Katie ShillingtonKatie Shillington (she/her) is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University and a Post-Doctoral Scholar within the Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health at the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion at the University of California San Diego. She completed her PhD in 2023 and was one of three recipients of the Governor General’s Gold Medal at Western University. Dr. Shillington’s program of research focuses on resilience-promoting behaviours toward positive mental health, including kindness, prosocial behaviours, compassion, and self-affirmation. She is passionate about using a strengths-based approach to explore how such positive psychology interventions can be leveraged to improve the mental health and wellbeing of equity deserving populations.