Western Spring Convocation 2024

Convocation Speaker Ken Kirkwood Friday, June 14, 2024, 10:00 a.m.

writings and public speaking appearances on ethical issues around performance-enhancing drug use in sports. These works have landed him on such media outlets as ESPN, CBC, CTV , and TSN , among others. Ken is a passionate teacher of Western students. Winner of various teaching awards and the Faculty of Health Sciences and Western University levels, Ken firmly believes that teaching is the most important part of his job. His greatest accomplishment during his time in London is meeting his wife Susanne, and fathering two daughters, Solange and Simone, whose existence was supposedly impossible due to the cancer surgery.

Ken Kirkwood has taught at Western University for 20 years (2004-2024). After graduating from Queen’s University with his MA in 1999, he came to Western in 2000 to begin his doctoral studies and never left. Born in Kingston, Ontario, Ken dreamed of attending his hometown Queen’s University and playing football for the Queen’s Golden Gaels, which he accomplished by playing from 1990 to 1993, and again in 1995. His football career saw him winning the National Championship in 1992, being named a conference all-star and named a Captain of the 1995 Golden Gaels squad. His undergraduate studies were interrupted in 1994 by a cancer diagnosis, surgery, and a long series of medical treatments for five years afterward. October 28, 2024 will represent his 30th anniversary of remission. Academically, Ken has written on a host of topics related to historical and ethical issues in health and sport. Among the 65 articles and one book he has written, his most notable contributions are his

323 rd Convocation 25

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