Department of Family Medicine

Faculty of Medicine

James Walker Wood, MD, Award in Medicine


Applications will be accepted until March 10, 2026.

Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine, in partnership with the Walker Wood Foundation, is proud to announce the third year of the James Walker Wood, MD, Award in Medicine—a transformative opportunity for graduating MD students dedicated to the family medicine specialty in rural communities.

About the Award

This award is available for two (2) medical students graduating from Dalhousie University who are entering a Family Medicine Residency training program at Dalhousie. The value of this award is $100,000 per recipient.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must:

  1. Be entering a Family Medicine Residency at Dalhousie University in a rural or remote location within the Maritime provinces.
  2. Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
  3. Have demonstrated financial need during their medical degree.

Preference will be given to applicants with extracurricular involvement, including but not limited to:

  • Medical research
  • Participation in rural family medicine interest groups
  • Community engagement
  • Leadership roles
  • Music, drama, or other creative pursuits
  • Note: Financial need is confirmed to us by Student Affairs, comments about financial need in your essay will not be considered or evaluated, please instead focus on the other criteria above. 

Submission Deadline

If you are interested in being considered for this award, please complete and submit an application form before Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

Inquiries

Please contact James Logan at fmawards@dal.ca if you have any questions or technical problems submitting an application.

Apply now

Dr. James Walker Wood - History / Background

Dr. James Walker Wood, MD was born in Aberdeen, Scotland on September 9th, 1889. He was one of nine children. His father was the harbour master of Aberdeen, a prestigious but poorly paid position. James excelled at school and was awarded a grant/scholarship from the Carnegie Foundation to attend medical school at the University of Aberdeen.

Following his graduation, MBCHB, in 1914, he joined the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders as a medical officer. He was promptly dispatched to the trenches on the Western Front during the First World War. He served at Ypres, the Somme and Flanders, where he quickly had to learn the skills required of an army physician.

On returning to England in 1918 he became a family practitioner in a poor working-class area in Leeds, Yorkshire. He opened a practice, which was attached to his family home, and provided 24-hour care for the local population 365 days of the year.

He spent the rest of his life diligently attending to his patients without complaint. In 1968, Dr. Wood was killed in a head-on car collision whilst visiting his brothers in South Africa.

To commemorate his life of dedication and service, his son and daughter-in-law, Neil and Susan Wood, established The Walker Wood Foundation in 2005. The main objective of the foundation is to provide financial aid and encouragement to worthy students throughout Canada.