About being a Vanier Scholar
What does receiving a Vanier Scholarship mean to you?
Health work, including research focused on the relationships between community members and health services, is personal work. It rightfully demands one’s wholehearted presence. The Vanier Scholarship will allow me to practice this presence and carefully attend to the complex yet beyond worthwhile terrain of MD/PhD training.
Tell us about your Vanier research.
Around the world, people navigate fragmented health systems, where poor coordination between the individuals and organizations involved in their care – rooted in structural barriers – hinders well-being. Forming networks of health organizations coordinating care for their designated populations is a promising approach for tackling fragmentation. Directly engaging people in service planning can help ensure that a network’s services are tailored to the needs of individuals and communities. However, it is unclear how people can be best engaged, since the strategies used must be context-appropriate, yet the guidance typically offered by research does not account for the diverse contexts in which engagement takes place.
Ontario recently introduced a major reform to its health system, prioritizing both coordinated care and community engagement through the creation of Ontario Health Teams. Ontario Health Teams face challenges engaging members of equity-deserving groups, potentially reinforcing health inequity. However, existing research has not identified the barriers to inclusive community representation in Ontario Health Team decision-making, the factors that can be leveraged to improve inclusion, or how communities facing marginalization relate to participatory service planning. My Vanier research will address these gaps to inform inclusive, context-appropriate community participation within and beyond Ontario. Ultimately, it can meaningfully contribute to enhancing the community-centredness of health systems.
About graduate student life
What inspired you to pursue a postgraduate degree?
My commitment to medicine stems from the early firsthand lesson that health is deeply intertwined with our social circumstances. At the same time, as a scholar and practitioner of community engagement, I have seen the scarcity of evidence-based guidance for meaningful community participation. This stems, in part, from the challenges of examining engagement, including the need for time, depth, and context sensitivity. An MD/PhD will equip me with the tools needed to both distill lessons from existing community-engaged initiatives and apply them in action around the social determinants of health.
Why did you choose to study at McMaster?
During my undergrad at McMaster, I had the great fortune of completing the Interdisciplinary Minor in Community Engagement. In the process, I met inspiring researchers committed to facilitating community engagement in inclusive ways. They continue to support me in grappling with the ethical complexities of community-partnered work, which are essential considerations in my research and future practice. Moreover, the McMaster Health Forum and Public and Patient Engagement Collaborative, in which my doctoral research is embedded, are key players in the Ontario Health Team learning and improvement process, offering excellent access to my area of study. In their commitments to harnessing evidence – including the wisdom of community members and subject matter experts – to strengthen health and social systems, these organizations are ongoing sources of learning and mentorship for me.
What do you love most about your graduate program?
The Health Policy PhD program at McMaster is interdisciplinary, challenging students to immerse in the fields of Political Studies, Health Systems & Society, and Health Economics, and giving us the tools we need to collaborate across areas of technical expertise. In the same vein, the diverse research foci within cohorts – informed by students’ personal and professional experiences – are a source of nuanced learning. I am also deeply grateful for the generous support of Health Policy faculty, who encourage our curiosities, welcome our challenges, and only ever leave us with more questions!
What is your favourite thing about McMaster and the broader Hamilton community?
I feel a powerful sense of community in Hamilton. Throughout my time here, I have been in awe of the vibrant foliage, neighbourhood walkability, and advocacy of local organizations. Not to mention the presence of small businesses and delicious food!
When you’re not busy being a graduate student, how do you like to spend your free time?
For over a decade now, prose writing has been a deeply important part of my life – it helps me make sense of my experiences. Cooking and baking, too, are therapeutic, especially when I get to experiment with unfamiliar ingredients. I find hope in reading the books that showcase others’ ways of knowing and am thrilled when I discover independent bookstores featuring stories from around the world!
Beyond Grad School
What do you see as the next step in your life journey?
I firmly believe that communities hold the power to transform health and social systems, cultivating a world in which everyone can thrive. As a future physician-scientist, I hope to support community participation at the service and system levels, the goals of Health for All and social justice being my guiding light. After graduate school, completing my medical training and initiating practice, while continuing research and advocacy, will be critical next steps!