SDG 3: Western in Action for Good Health Well-Being

Western is committed to collaborations with health institutions locally, nationally, and globally.

Local

• Centre for Quality, Innovation and Safety: CQUINS partners with London Health Sciences Centre and St Joseph's Health Care, providing mentorship & support, education, and research & innovation to improve patient health outcomes.
• Centre for Translational Cancer Research: Links researchers with academic clinicians to share findings with regional partners, including family physicians and community hospitals to ensure patients receive the highest quality of care regardless of where they live.
• Dental Health Clinic: In partnership with Oxford County Community Health Centre, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry provides dental services to under-served individuals without dental benefits. 
• Hub for NeuroDevelopment Research and Disorders at Mogenson Centre: Attracting companies focused on pediatric brain health and neurodiversity across all ages, the hub includes social workers, registered psychotherapists, grief counsellors, and others driving interdisciplinary innovation in mental health, wellness, and inclusive innovation.
• Land-Based Healing | Nature for Healing: In collaboration with the Indigenous Healing Center and the Children’s Hospital in London, this program aims to enhance patient and family healthcare experience through increased exposure to nature, both inside and outside.
• London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC): One of Canada’s largest research-intensive acute care teaching hospitals. It collaborates with a range of local and regional research and charitable organizations to advance the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and management of numerous diseases and health conditions.

REGIONAL

• Bluewater Health: In partnership with Bluewater Health, Lambton County physicians and Schulich Medicine, medical students will complete immersive training in Sarnia-Lambton for two full years of clinical training.
• Lawson Research Institute: One of Canada’s premier health research institutes, working with regional hospital networks to advance health research.
• Shelter Health Initiative: The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry collaborates with the City of Windsor, Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare, and the Canadian Mental Health Association — Windsor Essex Branch to provide same-day episodic medical care to the city’s homeless population. 
• Western Centre for Bioethics: Uniting academic researchers, regional hospitals, and public health units, the centre addresses complex modern healthcare challenges and drives collaborative research in public health ethics, clinical decision-making, and structural health equity.
• Western Research Hub for Physical Activity and Health: Created an online platform for individuals with chronic health conditions, supported by the Community Advisory Council, comprised of representatives from local organizations and patient partners who co-design and inform the project.

National

• Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing: The School partnered with universities across Canada to create iHeal, a free, bilingual app for women experiencing intimate partner violence, focusing on health and well-being. 
• Centre for School Mental Health: Engages in national research on child and youth development, school psychology, and mental health. Programs like Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups help immigrant or refugee children in Canada manage stress. 
• Exercise and Pregnancy Lab: Collaborates with universities across Canada to investigate the effects of exercise on pregnant women and their fetus. 
• National Centre for Audiology: The Centre is Canada’s largest research and teaching facility dedicated to hearing, advancing research in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing disorders, maintaining collaborative relationships with clinical and industrial partners in the hearing technology sector worldwide.  
• Newcomer Health Hub: This resource reduces healthcare disparities and supports Canadian healthcare providers with evidence-based guidelines for newcomer populations, raising awareness about the unique health and social challenges faced by these communities both locally and nationally.
• Robarts Research Institute: A national leader in biological, clinical, and imaging research, investigating diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer with collaborations between scientists, physicians, and industry partners.  

Global

• Achieving Equity and Global EDIDI Competence in the Canadian Health Sector Workforce: Partnering with universities in Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda, Kenya, Benin, Liberia, and Senegal, this program prepares health care professionals to work with and understand diverse populations.
• Brain and Mind Institute (Centre for Brain & Mind): This institute has exchange programs with the Geneva Neuroscience Center and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, as well as collaborations in 13 other countries. It promotes research and international collaborations in cognitive neuroscience. 
• Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping (CFMM): Supported by Brain Canada, Western’s CFMM provides national ultra-high field MRI infrastructure while collaborating with international universities to co-develop neurotechnology education, standardize open-source brain mapping tools, and accelerate global neurodegenerative disease research.
• Frugal Biomedical Innovations: This multi-disciplinary initiative co-designs, develops, and deploys innovative medical technologies in collaboration with eight African universities. It seeks to advance access to quality healthcare in remote and low-resource areas through innovative, culturally relevant, and contextually appropriate affordable medical device technologies. 
• IMMUNEQUITY Global Health Initiative: Stemming from Western's Frugal Biomedical Innovations program, this initiative pairs Western engineers, clinicians, and legal experts with the Joint Clinical Research Centre in Uganda to co-develop affordable gene-based HIV therapies and cheaper diagnostic monitoring tools designed for localized production and delivery in lower-resource settings.
• Maternal Newborn and Child Health in Rwanda: Western partners with the National University of Rwanda and Kigali Health Institute to strengthen midwifery and pediatric nursing education, build clinical capacity, and drive regional maternal health policy development.
• Physiology Diversified: A free and open-source Open Educational Resource accessible to the public, secondary schools, and global post-secondary institutions providing a database of customizable medical illustrations advancing diversity, equity, and clinical representation in healthcare education.
• SuperAging Research Initiative: This collaborative project focuses on identifying factors that contribute to healthy cognitive aging. Collected data will be used in analysis to identify behavioural, health, biologic, genetic, environmental, socioeconomic, psychosocial anatomic and neuropathologic factors associated with the SuperAging phenotype.
• TRIDENT Project: This multi-centre project collaborates with McGill University, UBC, University of Toronto, and several international partners including the UK Dementia Research Institute. Western’s Mouse Translational Research Accelerator Platform supports this initiative with advanced brain imaging equipment, leading the fight against neurodegenerative diseases. 

Health Outreach Programs

Western delivers outreach programs and projects in the local community to improve and promote health and wellbeing. These include but are not limited to hygiene, nutrition, family planning, sports, exercise, aging well, and other health and wellbeing related topics for local, disadvantaged, and refugee or immigrant communities.

Local Outreach

• Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging: Promotes physical activity and well-being for older adults through a combination of basic and applied research, education, and community-based exercise programs. The Centre works with the City of London to deliver community based exercise classes to people aged 55+.
• Certificate in Gender Based Violence Practice Skills: This program trains service-providers in the local community to recognize and respond to gender-based violence using trauma-informed, culturally responsive approaches. It equips participants to deliver health outreach in diverse communities, promoting well-being and preventing violence through education, intervention, and community engagement.
• Discovery Week: Medical students engage annually in immersive, community-based placements across Southwestern Ontario, delivering outreach programs that promote health and wellbeing in areas such as hygiene, nutrition, aging, and physical activity. The program is designed to foster empathy, cultural competence, and a deeper understanding of rural and regional healthcare, with many students returning to practice in the communities where they trained.
• FRESH: Food Resources and Education for Student Health is a peer nutrition education program created by and for university students, using multiple strategies designed to increase awareness, improve knowledge, build skills, and influence the campus food environment.
• Geriatric Medicine Refresher Day: Providers including physicians, nurses, therapists (OT, PT, SLP, RT), pharmacists, dietitians, psychologists, social workers, researchers, educators, discharge planners, as well as people serving primarily in administrative positions connect annually to broaden their knowledge base, refine specific skills, and meet with others who share their desire to improve the quality care for the older adult.
• Healthy Aging Fair: This free event connects older adults to research and community resources for physical, mental, and social wellness, featuring healthy food, a keynote speaker, a panel discussion, and vendor demonstrations.
• iHeal: iHEAL is a trauma-informed, nurse-led health promotion program developed by Western University to support women experiencing intimate partner violence. Delivered in community settings, it enhances safety, health, and well-being through personalized care. The iHEAL app further empowers women by offering accessible, private tools for safety planning and support.
• Rural Medicine Outreach Club: This club aims to increase the awareness and experience of rural medicine for students, working closely with stakeholders in local rural communities to increase the reach of the existing healthcare career exploration programs.
• Sarnia Clerkship Program: Directly embeds medical students full-time within regional care teams at Bluewater Health, expanding healthcare access and delivering direct medical service to help solve acute physician shortages in Southwestern Ontario.
• SPARQ: For all those passionate about advancing quality improvement in healthcare, this annual Quality Improvement Symposium exchanges ideas, showcases innovative projects, and explores the latest strategies for enhancing patient care and system performance through quality improvement.
• The Catalysts: Miniseries on the Science of Aging, produced by the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in association with the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine, features fascinating talks on aging, with top scientists and clinicians transforming the field.
• Western Serves Network: Connects local non-profit organizations with dedicated and talented students to support community initiatives; opportunities include working with children with serious illnesses.

Disadvantaged Outreach

• AI for Health and Social Justice: Bringing together Western researchers, diverse individual and organization experts from across a variety of communities, industries, governments and not-for-profits to share perspectives, find common ground, build connections, and explore opportunities for collaboration to advance social justice in public and population health.
• Black Youth Mental Health Community-Based Research Project: Engaging students in Grades 7, 8, 11, and 12 for their input, and partnering with two schools in Windsor, the project conducts focus groups, provides mental health workshops, and leads knowledge mobilization activities.
• Community Conversation on Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Healthcare: This event aims to amplify the voices of Black communities in healthcare, foster dialogue, and explore solutions for building a more equitable system and drive more inclusive policies and practices in local healthcare.
• Community Service Learning Program: CSL provides dental service through placements in community sites and low-cost primary clinics in Southwestern Ontario to address the high unmet acute dental treatment needs of equity-seeking community members including those living with HIV, high-risk youth with housing and addition crises, refugees and newcomers to Canada, Indigenous peoples, 2SLBGTQIA+ community members, etc.
• Health Education Media Library: Community-sourced open access repository of medical, dental, and health education media representative of a diverse population of both patients and healthcare providers and inclusive of stigmatized healthcare topics.
• Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic: This cost-neutral clinic psychological consultation, assessment, and treatment services for children and youth aged 3 to 18. Fees are based on a sliding scale, ensuring support is available to families in the community regardless of financial need.
• MedLINCs Summer Elective Program: Summer elective program through Schulich Medicine Distributed Education that places medical students with the Chippewas of Nawash community in the Grey-Bruce region followed by a summer clinical opportunity in the region.
• Mustangs Care and Community Outreach: Through initiatives like the Spark Symposium and partnerships with organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of London, Western student-athletes promote health and wellness in the community. Programs include mentorship, seminars, and volunteer activities focused on youth development, physical activity, and mental well-being.
• OServes: Each orientation week, our students collaborate with local non-for-profit organizations in the London community to immerse themselves in a day of volunteering and service.
• Speech and Language Camps: At the unique summer camps in Elborn College, Western speech-language pathology and occupational therapy students provide one-on-one and small group therapy to kids four to 10 years old. The week-long camps help children who have challenges with speech, language or literacy. 

Refugee and Immigrant Outreach

• Curriculum Framework: Created for Canadian doctors and nurses to give greater insight into trauma to better care for vulnerable newcomers, providing medical students evidence-based guidelines for treating refugees, as well as a grounding in trauma-informed care to maximize their well-being and integration into educational and working life.
• Equity in Settlement Report: Identifies barriers to equitable access in settlement services for racialized newcomers and refugees in small and mid-sized Ontario communities. It supports the development of inclusive outreach programs that promote health and wellbeing by addressing systemic discrimination and improving access to culturally responsive care and services.
• Life as a Refugee: Western partners with the London Cross-Cultural Learner Centre to host an annual event which features a series of activities aimed at raising awareness about the experiences of refugees. This event is free and open to the public.
• Newcomer Clinic Evaluation: Partners with London InterCommunity Health Centre and the Cross Cultural Learners Centre, highlights efforts to examine access to health care for government-assisted refugees in London. Through storytelling, interviews, and journey mapping, the evaluation captures newcomers’ experiences accessing culturally safe and trauma- and violence-informed health and settlement supports. This work is helping build and sustain more responsive, integrated care models for newcomers in the city.
• Newcomer Health Hub: This online platform provides culturally sensitive health information tailored for newcomers, including refugees. It addresses barriers such as language, digital fluency, and unfamiliarity with Canadian healthcare systems. The team also developed simplified guidelines for healthcare providers to treat, advocate for, and empower newcomers to Canada, including navigating the Interim Federal Health Program which covers refugee claimants.
• Pathways to Prosperity Partnership: An alliance of university, community and government partners dedicated to fostering welcoming communities and promoting the integration of immigrants and minorities across Canada, providing resources such as Access to Suitable Health Care.
• Yazidi Refugee Mental Health Peer Support Program: CRHESI received funding to develop, implement and evaluate a tailored and culturally integrated program. Refugees are at a higher risk for mental health issues, and less likely to reach out than their domestic peers. The largest Yazidi community in Canada have been settled in London, presenting a unique opportunity to support a young, growing, and vibrant community.
• YSMENA: The Youth Sexual Health Needs in Middle Eastern and North African Communities in Canada and Globally connects racialized and gender-diverse newcomer youth with clinical researchers to improve access to culturally responsive healthcare. Participants collaborate on projects generating peer-led mental health toolkits and equity resources alongside provincial immigrant networks.

Sports Facilities

Western University students who are currently enrolled in courses full-time are eligible for a Campus Recreation membership, which gives them access to the Western Student Recreation Centre. Students who have paid ancillary fees are eligible for a membership at no additional cost. Students have access to the fitness centre, drop-in recreational programs, and all facility amenities including an indoor walking/jogging track, gymnasium, and aquatics.  

The university offers a number of paid and free programs for children and youth.   

• Indigenous Track and Field Day is an annual event for elementary students across Southwestern Ontario.
• Learn to Swim offers the Lifesaving Society Swim for Life Program teaching children and adults in both group and private lessons.
• OFSAA Track & Field Championships, or the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations, welcomed high school student athletes from six regions in Ontario.
• Special Olympics Ontario Provincial School Championships, the largest multi-sport games for people with intellectual disabilities in Canada, featured athletes aged 14 to 21 participating in soccer, bocce, basketball, floorball and track and field events. Western provided the facilities, including athletic venues and overnight accommodation in residence buildings for the athletes, educators, and coaches.
• Sport Solution Clinic: Supports athletes by offering free legal guidance, promoting well-being and access to sport-related services.
• Sport Western day camps for March Break, and summer camps include archery, badminton, swimming, hockey, soccer, and more. 
• Unified Basketball Program: Western provides dedicated campus sports infrastructure, adaptive equipment, and structured access designed to integrate individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities into a league of pickup basketball with Western students.
• Wild Western Days is a school outreach program providing children and youth in the community access to the sports facilities on campus to play and watch sports and receive coaching and leadership skills.  

The university also hosts events for the general public:

• Bell Track & Field Trials serve as Canada’s official Olympic and Paralympic Trials for track and field, determining which athletes will represent the country at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Canadian Track & Field Championships will be coming to Alumni Stadium in partnership with the City of London. Athletes from all over Canada will showcase their talent on Western’s campus.
• Membership at the recreation centre for the general public is also available, as are day and guest passes.
• Mustangs Student Broadcasting: student broadcasters offer livestreams and radio commentary for over 1,000 sports competitors.
• Ontario Summer Games community event hosted 3,500 athletes and 6,000 spectators free and open to the public. 
• Open Practice Fields: Outdoor recreational field spaces on campus remain physically open for unstructured public use, drop-in soccer, or running when not reserved by varsity or intramural teams.
• Stem2Stern is an annual rowing event, co-hosted with the London Western Rowing Club to provide access to rowing and outdoor recreation to members of the London community.

Western Mustangs Facilities

Western University & the Western Mustangs have a vision of creating communities of belonging where all Western Mustangs thrive. They are home to several signature facilities including: 

• Alumni Field (118,00 sq ft, turf)
  Alumni Field is the home for the Mustangs men's and women's rugby teams and is one of only a handful of International Rugby Board certified fields in Canada, making it possible to host internationally sanctioned rugby contests as well as a wide variety of other sports. Equipped with lights and electronic scoreboard the field also features bleachers for 600 patrons. 
• Alumni Hall (1,200 capacity)
  Alumni Hall is a multi-purpose auditorium and gym, and is home to the Mustangs Basketball and Volleyball men's and women's teams.
• Mustang Field (112,000 sq ft, turf)
  Mustang Field serves as the home pitch for Western's varsity men's and women's soccer teams. In addition to full-field soccer, lacrosse, and other activities, Mustangs Field is also designed for 7-on-7 soccer with three mini field pitches available for use. The field is equipped with full lighting and an electronic scoreboard and features bleachers for 600 patrons. 
• Thompson Recreation and Athletic Centre (TRAC)
  TRAC contains an ice rink and  indoor track & field facilities. TRAC is the official home for the men's and  women's  hockey and track & field teams. 
• Western Alumni Stadium (8,200 capacity)
  Western Alumni Stadium holds a CFL regulation football field featuring an infill turf playing surface with a 2" rubberized e-layer. Bordering the field is an eight-lane, 400-metre track. 
• Western Student Recreation Centre (WSRC, 160,000 sq ft)
  WSRC facilities include: gymnasiums, fitness centre, swimming pool, cardio room, climbing room, as well as weight training, aerobic and cardio areas.  

Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

Western provides students with access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services free of charge.  

• Birth Control Information: Book an appointment to review information on types of birth control available and how to make an informed decision.
• Free the Dot: USC’s menstrual program for students at Western, to ensuring students have high quality, accessible, free products. 
• Gender-Based & Sexual Violence Services: We offer a range of services to help prevent harm, respond to reports, and support those who have experienced gender-based and sexual violence.
• Health & Wellness: This is an appointment-based medical clinic for all registered part-time and full-time students at Western and affiliated colleges.
• On-Campus HIV Testing: Members of the Western community can access anonymous HIV testing through monthly clinics. No appointment is necessary.
• Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing: Screen for all common sexually transmitted infections. STI testing is done with the utmost sensitivity and understanding. 
• Trans Care Team: It provides specialized psychological counselling and medical care to students in a 2SLGBTQIA+ affirmative environment. 
• Vaccines: Connect with our clinic for routine vaccines, pre-placement requirements, annual flu and COVID-19 clinics, and HPV (one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world). Most vaccines are free.

As physicians licenced to practice in Ontario, Western’s physicians are required to provide reproductive healthcare that is safe, inclusive, and respectful of patients’ rights and autonomy. The physician may make a conscientious objection but must refer to another provider who can offer the required care. Physicians must not discriminate against patients based on protected grounds such as sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion. This means they cannot refuse to provide reproductive healthcare based on these characteristics. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario conducts regular assessments to ensure that physicians are complying with standards of practice.  

Mental Health Support

Western actively promotes mental health and provides students and staff with access to free mental health supports.

Student Mental Health Support

• 2SLGBTQIA+ Supports: Mental Health Support has several counsellors with expertise in the provision of services to 2SLGBTQIA+ students to  support students with issues around coming out, family matters, isolation, dealing with queerphobia on campus, and other concerns.
• Black and Racialized Student Supports: Students experiencing race-related stress can request to speak with counsellors who are themselves persons of these communities with lived experience. 
• Crisis Mental Health Support: The Health and Wellness portal provides students with immediate 24/7 crisis intervention lines, peer wellness resources, and direct connection to local emergency psychiatric and urgent healthcare facilities.
• Engineering Student Wellness Counselling: Supports engineering students to resolve personal, social, and family difficulties that may affect their academic success. 
• Group Care and Workshops: These activities provide a supportive environment where students can explore new skills, enhance self-awareness, and share experiences with their peers. 
• Healthy Minds, Vibrant University: Western’s 2025–2030 student mental health strategy, co-developed via deep campus consultation, provides a holistic framework to enhance mental well-being, broaden preventative outreach, and remove systemic barriers to student success.
• I.M. WELL: The Society of Graduate Students' Health Plan includes a tele-virtual mental health support system available to members. 
• Individual Counselling: This is a safe space with professionally trained mental health counsellors.
• International Student Wellness: Western International offers a full range of programs and services to support international students during their stay at Western.  
• Mental Health and Wellness Resource Guide: A resource guide for undergraduate and graduate students detailing on-campus psychiatric care, faculty academic counseling, and local community health resources.
• Mental Health Support: Health & Wellness Services provides professional and confidential services, free of charge, to students needing assistance to meet their personal, social, and academic goals. Services include consultation, referral, groups, and workshops, as well as brief mental health counselling. 
• Move Your Mood: A free, inclusive, non‑clinical initiative supporting mental and physical well‑being through recreation-based events and programming that focus on movement, mindfulness, creativity, and community connection.
• PurpleCARE: Undergraduate students have mental healthcare included in their ancillary fees. Mental health and wellness support is available for all students.
• Residence Counselling: This service provides professional and confidential mental health and counselling services, free of charge, to students living in a Main Campus residence. 
• Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Counselling: Our experienced counselling staff is available for impartial and supportive personal counselling appointments. 
• The Harbour: Serving students with eating disorders, it is operated to provide appropriate clinical treatment and restorative support from a variety of healthcare disciplines. It is a place to make friends, get professional help and meet mentors with helpful lived experiences.
• Wellness Resource Guide: Western Engineering published a comprehensive resource guide outlining mental health counseling, specialized 2SLGBTQIA+ care, financial health plans, and immediate campus crisis support networks.
• Wellness Resources Library: An open-access digital library providing evidence-based articles, independent skill-building toolkits, and guided frameworks to help individuals manage distress, loneliness, and uncertainty.
• Western Law Mental Health and Wellness Services: These services address the complex experience of law school including impostor syndrome and perfectionism counselling.  

Staff Mental Health Support

• Employee Assistance Program: TELUS Health is confidential, voluntary, and free of charge. The resources are available to all employees and their immediate family members. 
• Employee Well-being: Provides assistance for various aspects of an individual’s life, such as assisting employees impacted by illness, injury, or disability, and wellness information and programs to help employees achieve balance and well-being in their work lives. 
• Health Benefits: The majority of our employee groups have mental health coverage included in their medical benefits coverage.
• Living Well @ Western: This service provides free wellness activities that span the seven domains of wellness, intended to maintain and improve employee well-being. 
• Mental Health Crisis Information: Connects university employees and their families to emergency mental health support 24/7 alongside information about municipal crisis networks.
• Mental Health Module on OWL: This module explores the signs of mental illness and outlines the steps you can take to support someone experiencing it. It is available to all Western students, faculty, and staff. 
• safeTalk & ASIST Training: Suicide prevention workshops are available to all students and staff, providing certifiable skills to recognize suicide warning signs, execute immediate first aid, and build immediate safety plans.
• Systems Innovation Challenge: A Canada-wide student challenge organized by Innovation North and powered by Ivey Business School and BMO Academy. This year’s Challenge focuses on mental health and wellness, particularly as it manifests in reduced well-being at work and within organizational settings.
• Therapy Dogs: Western hosts the St. John’s Ambulance therapy dog sessions regularly, amid De-Stress Fests, providing students and staff with on-campus stress relief and mental wellness resources.

Smoke-free Campus

Western has been a smoke-free campus since 2019, and has had policies regarding smoking on campus since 2003. POLICY 1.16 – Policy on Smoking, Vaping & Tobacco Use prohibits smoking, vaping, and tobacco use anywhere on campus. See here for resources about quitting smoking.