Geza & Caroline Hetenyi Memorial Studentship for the Study of History of Medicine

Award Overview

Value of the award:
Minimum $6,000
Number of awards:
Variable
Award frequency:
Annual
Level or program of study:
Undergraduate
Application Type:
Online Scholarship and Bursaries portal, accessible via uoZone.
Application Deadline:
April 1
Renewable:
No

Purpose of this Award

The income of the fund will be used for a studentship to offer an opportunity for undergraduate students in the Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa to carry out studies in the History of Medicine and Biology or Health Sciences. It is expected that exposure to the field of research will stimulate and develop the student’s abilities to pursue further serious studies in the discipline.

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAM

The objective of the program is to cultivate the student’s interest in the field of History of Medicine and allied health sciences, and to provide learning opportunities and research experience for investigating historical research questions.

The studentship will be used to support a student or students each year for a term of three months during the summer recess. The student’s project should be original research that can reasonably be completed during a period of three months.

A supervisor will oversee the student’s work. Either the student or the supervisor may propose the topic of the project. The student should be encouraged to pursue topics of particular relevance to Canadian content but if his/ her interest is elsewhere this should not be forced upon the student.

At the end of the study the student should produce a comprehensive report which will be reviewed and approved by the supervisor. By the end of August, the student should forward his or her report to the office of the Student Affairs Office at the Faculty of Medicine. The student should be encouraged to submit the report for publication. If the student agrees, the report will be posted on the Faculty of Medicine scholarship website.

Eligibility Criteria

The candidate must:

  1. be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a person with the protected/refugee status or an international
  2. be registered as an undergraduate student at the Faculty of Medicine or the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Ottawa
  3. intend to conduct a research project during the summer on the History of one of the following subjects: Medicine, Biology or Health Sciences

How to Apply

Submitted in the Online Scholarship and Bursaries portal, accessible via uoZone, and must include:

  1. a copy of the applicant’s academic transcript
  2. the Curriculum Vitae on Online Scholarships and Bursaries
  3. a statement from the proposed supervisor confirming willingness to supervise the applicant’s project
  4. a letter (max. 2,000 words) from the applicant detailing their background and interest in History of Medicine (or Biology or Health Sciences), that should include:
a. reasons for applying to this studentship
b. the particular topic they are interested in and a brief outline of the plan for their intended research with a few sources of reference
c. the name and title of your supervisor
d. any other plans for the summer (second employment and/or vacation) as they are expected to stay in contact with their supervisor by meetings or by email contact

About this Award

The fund is established in the memory of Dr. Geza Hetenyi, Professor and Chair of Department of Physiology (1970-1979) and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (1979-1986) in recognition of his research, teaching and administrative contributions to his discipline and to the University of Ottawa. The studentship is also in the name of Dr. Caroline Hetenyi, who was the driving force behind this project and the major donor of this fund.

Following his retirement from the University of Ottawa, Dr. Hetenyi served as Science Advisor to the President of the Medical Research Council of Canada (1987-1992) and later as Director of Academic Affairs at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (1992-1994). He was actively involved in the affairs of the Canadian Diabetes Association as Chairman of the Grants Committee (1975-1979) and later as Member of the National Board of Directors and Chairman of the National Council of Research (1992-1994). In all these capacities, Dr. Hetenyi demonstrated great integrity, devotion and skill.

Dr. Hetenyi developed an interest in the History of Medicine in his student years. He continued reading and research and published several original articles in the field of History of Medicine.