Tuum Est!
Fall Graduation 2020

After completing my undergraduate degree in Psychology, I held a few different research assistant positions for studies that were focused on populations experiencing mental health and substance use disorders. While carrying out this field work, I was immensely humbled by participants’ shared stories of the structural and relational challenges they faced while accessing health services.

This quickly transpired in a commitment to research that could improve the quality of services for such special populations. UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, and the School of Population and Public Health specifically, was the most fitting program. It offered an opportunity to gain additional competencies in public health, epidemiology, and health services research, while being able to continue working with my supervisor, Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes, and other leading researchers in this field.

There are more than a few favourite moments, but in reflecting back on my more than 6 years at UBC, I think fondly of my experiences as a Teaching Assistant to the ‘Public Health Approaches to Addictions’ course. This class provided numerous opportunities to discuss challenging and sensitive topics in a supportive space, to engage in a critical self-reflection, and to develop new ways of seeing a problem. I won’t forget this class or the students who made for such an incredible teaching and learning experience.

Your research field is important, but it does not need to define your whole academic experience. Where possible, consider exploring courses outside of your specialization to broaden your scope of inquiry, skills, and network.

One of the key learnings of COVID-19 is that our public health care system is capable of rapidly implementing innovative public health safety measures, education tools, pathways to care, and outbreak monitoring systems. I hope that these pivotal public health strategies will be mobilized to address other emergencies, such as the ongoing opioid overdose crisis that has been increasing dramatically since COVID-19 began.

As I make the first steps in my path towards independent research, I am working to gain more expertise in research activities that engage multiple stakeholders and that build further evidence on person-centered innovations to health services for special populations. The first opportunity I have undertaken in this effort is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship with Foundry, a provincial organization that is transforming the delivery of services for young people’s health and wellness.

As a young kid, I remember accompanying my parents and family members to doctor, lab, pharmacy and medical appointments as a “translator.” I saw how much all of these healthcare professionals were able to help my family members get better in a caring and compassionate way. It felt natural and rewarding for me to evolve into a career in this field.

I went back to school after graduating more than 20 years ago and many of the students were half my age! I had a good chuckle, felt “old,” but ultimately enjoyed learning, becoming colleagues and now good friends with many of these bright minds of the future!

Step out of your comfort zone, enjoy the experience and take the opportunity to network. The MHA program encompasses a dynamic array of topics and lectures -all of them so relevant to today’s health environment.

As an unintended consequence of COVID-19, the rapid adoption, acceptance, remote accessibility and convenience of virtual health technologies is a new tool to complement continuous care. I hope this continues to evolve and improve the quality of care for patients.

As for the elderly and vulnerable populations, the added stress of isolating from loved ones can be very stressful and lonely. The gap in equitable access to virtual technologies should be addressed to overcome some of these challenges.

Right now, I’m focusing some time to look after my aging parents. Long term, I hope to combine my clinical and newly refined leadership skills gained from the MHA program to seek new and challenging opportunities to improve healthcare outcomes for all British Columbians.

I had an affinity for hearing and balance subjects throughout my undergraduate studies. Before I learned about audiology, I was pursuing neuroscience research through an auditory brainstem lab. I loved the content but didn’t like the idea of working in a lab as a full-time career. When I found out about audiology in my third year, I switched gears and took as many hearing and linguistics-related courses to prepare for the audiology program. I love that the field of audiology has many career path options, as well as room for research in the future.

My favourite moment would have to be our conference trip to Halifax, N.S. It was a wonderful experience to be able to learn and share as a class. We were also able to travel around the East Coast as well – not many people get to say they’ve been coast to coast in Canada!

The audiology field is small and close knit so don’t be afraid to reach out to your classmates in and outside of class for help and support. Two years whizzes past you quickly, so take in every moment and try to enjoy it despite the stress.

I think COVID-19 has pushed us to further think about accessibility in our community. With various restrictions forcing people to stay at home, services have moved online to accommodate these restrictions. I hope to see telehealth and other virtual services become a common alternative for those unable to attend in person. I also hope current COVID-19 restrictions will prompt establishments to incorporate more permanent accommodations to their physical spaces. These changes not only benefit the lowering of COVID-19 transmission rates, but they will also help populations with accessibility needs long after the pandemic is resolved.

I have always been fascinated with linguistics because as social beings, humans use language to express ourselves and communicate with others. Growing up, I had difficulty communicating with others because I was a late talker and an English Language Learner. As a new clinician working with adults, I hope to help my patients rebuild their speech and language skills and connect with others again.

My favourite UBC moment was running across campus with good friends to order ”Pho Nachos” from Koerner’s Pub and rushing back to eat it in class. Some might think Pho is best in a bowl, but man those people couldn’t be more wrong. Put it on chips!

Please remember to practice self-care and devote some time each day to winding down. There are just going to be more readings tomorrow anyways so why not take a break? My favourite relaxer is a quick 30-minute to 8-hour session of Animal Crossing.

I think COVID-19 has shown us how important communication is in our day-to-day lives while also accentuating the challenges faced by many with speech and language difficulties. These individuals often rely on facial cues or volume to better understand others. I hope that everyone will become innovative and use supported communication strategies – gestures, visuals, or writing – to help improve understanding for those who need it.

I am currently working at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (UHNBC) in Prince George for approximately one year to cover a maternity leave!

I was attracted to science because I found it incredible that scientists could come up with experiments that can describe the functions of microscopic cells at a molecular level to understand how the human body functions. The ability to discover new knowledge, combined with the potential to apply this knowledge towards improving healthcare, makes for a fulfilling line of work.

Although it had to be held virtually, the day of my PhD defence was easily the single most memorable and celebratory day during my studies at UBC. The defence day is something you are really working towards the entire time, so there is a certain level of satisfaction from successfully defending your dissertation that can’t be topped.

Maintain an open mind to other fields of research. Attending seminars and meeting graduate students from other research fields will expose you to diverse scientific perspectives that can open your eyes to new angles of investigation for your own work.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly had a negative impact on the world in many ways, a positive change I have found is the normalization of interacting with others virtually, which has helped to rekindle many long-distance friendships that were previously limited to a rare text message. In this day and age many people are living far away from their friends and family, and I think this change is a positive one that should stick.

In the new year I will be moving to Stockholm to begin as a postdoctoral fellow at the Karolinska Institute. I will continue to conduct basic cell biology research with potential implications for cancer immunotherapy.

I have always been an active person, and with that have struggled with varying pains and injuries over the years. It wasn’t until I spent some time with a physiotherapist for chronic hip pain that I started to fully understand how interesting and rewarding the profession can be.

I was fascinated by how much they knew about the human body and how it functions. I was also intrigued by the wide spectrum of populations and injuries physiotherapists get to be involved with — they truly get to see people in all walks of life. I knew I wanted to work in a profession that involved people, and the more time I spent looking into physiotherapy, the more I knew it was the profession I wanted to pursue.

The people and faculty in the program are what makes the experience so unforgettable. With only 80 peers and a small and mighty faculty, you get to spend countless hours laughing, growing, and learning together. By spending so much time as a collective, the cohort truly starts to feel like family as you celebrate every milestone of the program together. One of the moments I will never forget is the 2020 flash mob to welcome the incoming cohort. It acts as an excellent ice breaker for the current class to connect and welcome the new incoming class. As it turns out, physiotherapy students have some excellent rhythm!

Enjoy every second because it goes by quickly. Professional programs, like the Master of Physical Therapy program, are academically demanding and it is easy to get caught up in studying and schoolwork. It is important to take time for yourself and to take time getting to know your peers and faculty. Go to socials, form study groups, and take time to be active! Everyone is going through the same experience, and though at times it can be stressful, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had to date.

I feel as though so much has already changed since COVID-19. One of the greatest things I have noticed is how much people are able to adapt, and how connected we are able to be even through virtual means. We live in an age where connectedness is such a huge factor of daily life, and COVID-19 has truly challenged how we maintain that connection while remaining apart.

I recently accepted a job at Accelerated Sport and Spine Physiotherapy in Prince George which will allow me to continue to grow and learn as a new graduate from the program. With this opportunity we are able to team up with the Master of Physical Therapy-North program, which allows us to work alongside students as they train to work with the University of Northern British Columbia varsity teams.