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Meet Our Students: Celebrating Success Stories – Merita Limani

By Diana Corredor
In our Meet Our Students: Celebrating Success Stories series, we highlight students whose academic journeys reflect purpose, passion, and a deep commitment to social impact. This edition features Merita Limani, a fourth-year PhD candidate in Sociology whose research bridges global policy experience with an academic focus on aging, health, and gender inequality.

Before joining Western University, Limani spent over 16 years working with international development organizations in Kosovo, including the Council of Europe, USAID, and the Swiss Development Agency. Her work in gender equality, social justice, and protection from gender-based violence laid a powerful foundation for the questions she explores today as a researcher.

Limani’s doctoral research examines how structural and gendered inequalities shape aging and health outcomes. “My work builds on what I’ve experienced in the field, but it also pushes me to think critically and methodologically about how we study these issues,” she explains. With guidance from her supervisor, Dr. Anna Zajacova, Limani has contributed to collaborative research on pain, health disparities, and opioid use among marginalized populations. Her work challenges narrow definitions of “successful aging” and calls for inclusive, equity-driven approaches to aging in Canada and beyond.

Courses on health inequalities and demography deepened her understanding of the social determinants of health, reinforcing her interdisciplinary lens. “The Sociology Department offered the perfect environment to connect my background in policy and gender studies with research on aging and population health,” she notes.

Beyond her research, Limani has been an active member of the Western community—supporting student learning as a Teaching Assistant across a range of courses and serving as the sociology graduate student representative on the Department’s Graduate Committee. Through these roles, she has mentored students, contributed to departmental initiatives, and helped foster a strong academic community.

Limani’s academic achievements include being selected as a fellow in the Population Analytics in an Aging Society program (CAnD3), where she collaborated with the Canadian Institute for Health Information on global health benchmarking. She has presented at leading conferences in Canada and the US, and in April 2024, she was invited to give a public lecture at Harvard University on gender, policy, and social change—an experience she describes as deeply meaningful.

Reflecting on her journey, Limani emphasizes the importance of remaining open to evolving interests: “Have a clear goal, but stay curious. Engage with new perspectives and always connect your research to broader societal conversations.”

Celebrate Merita Limani’s inspiring story with us, and discover how the Sociology program at Western empowers students to turn lived experience and academic insight into research that informs policy and supports communities. Stay tuned for more stories from our exceptional students, and follow us on social media for updates.

If you want to share your own story or know someone who should be featured, please reach out to us!