John R. Scarfo Wellness Bursary

About the bursary

This bursary has been made available through an endowment established by Dr. John R. Scarfo for students who have demonstrated financial need and are committed to a healthy lifestyle. Successful applicants will demonstrate a commitment to good health and wellbeing, such as precluding the use of tobacco and illicit drugs.

Dr. Scarfo came from a family with twelve children and would not have been able to receive his MD at UBC without the generosity of Dean Walter Gage. Having been the recipient of the generosity of others, Dr. Scarfo wishes to support UBC students and honour those who had supported him. These bursaries are adjudicated by Enrolment Services.

Eligibility requirements

  • You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident,
  • You must be considered a full-time student,
  • You must meet the terms for awards eligibility set out in UBC's Regulations Governing University Awards,
  • You must demonstrate unmet financial need,
  • You must meet the eligibility requirements and submit an application to the UBC Bursary Program by September 15, 2021, and
  • Demonstrate a commitment to health and wellness in your daily life. This may include, but is not limited to:
    • Leading a balanced and healthy lifestyle and articulating a clear vision for what this means,
    • Demonstrating one or more of the multiple dimensions of healthy living: social, environmental, mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual,
    • Identifying the damaging effects of the use of tobacco or illicit drugs on an individual’s or the general public’s health and wellbeing, or
    • Modelling healthy living and providing leadership in wellbeing promotion

How to apply

Application period

  • Application opens: August 16, 2021
  • Application closes: September 15, 2021 (11:59 pm PST)

Before you apply

Make sure you know what information and documents you'll need to submit. You'll find detailed instructions on the application form as well but before you apply make sure you:

  1. Meet all eligibility criteria the for John R. Scarfo Wellness Bursary.
  2. Demonstrate an assessed unmet financial need based on UBC's Common Assessment Mechanism.

  3. Prepare a Personal Statement (max 500 words) to upload as a Word document or PDF.

  4. Meet the eligibility requirements and submitting an application to the UBC Bursary Program by September 15, 2021.

Personal Statement (max 500 words)

An important part of this application is being able to communicate your personal commitment to health and wellness to the selection committee.

Your Personal Statement should define what health and wellness means to you and how you strive to lead a healthy lifestyle as it relates to your social, environmental, emotional, physical, or spiritual wellbeing. Your statement can include personal commitments, leadership roles, promotion activities, clubs, academic projects and/or research, sports/active engagement, volunteer and/or work experiences, as well as your goals for the future.

Your statement should articulate how you work towards integrating your belief system in your own life and the lives of others.

 Apply for the bursary

If you have questions

If you're an undergraduate student, please contact your Enrolment Services Advisor directly. To find your advisor’s contact information, log into your Student Services Centre (SSC) and select “UBC Contacts” under Personal Info.  

Graduate, postgraduate, and all other students can contact an Enrolment Services Advisor by calling 604 822 9836 or submit your question through the online form.

skip to content

On this page

Back to top