Doctoral students committed to health equity part of new UBC Health program

How can a PhD student change the world for the better? Doctoral students undertaking innovative health equity-oriented research in surprising and unexpected places across the university are part of a new UBC Health-funded research program, launched in partnership with the Public Scholars Initiative (PSI).

UBC Health has welcomed nine doctoral students from UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan into the inaugural cohort of the Health Equity Stream of PSI. PSI supports doctoral students whose research extends beyond the academy and traditional disciplinary approaches to impact the public good through collaborative, action-oriented, and creative forms of scholarship in their dissertation work. Through the Health Equity Stream, doctoral students have the opportunity to engage in tailored learning and networking focused on building an interdisciplinary community of scholars who are working to address complex questions and challenges of our world through research that improves health equity.

UBC Health is excited to have these doctoral students be part of our first cohort... They are truly championing innovative health research and health equity.

The Health Equity Public Scholars are based in a range of disciplines, with research projects on diverse topics that address systemic inequities in health, such as access to HIV prevention education, access to genetic counselling services, mother and child separation in prison settings, youth suicide prevention, social impacts of the criminalized drug supply, quality of life for residents in long-term care, and health and safety of sex workers. The cohort demonstrates a dedication to advancing community engagement, integrated knowledge translation, and fostering meaningful partnerships and collaborations with the communities they serve.

“UBC Health is excited to have these doctoral students be part of our first cohort,” says Dr. Christie Newton, Associate Vice-President, pro tem. “Their interdisciplinary research projects have the potential to impact and help improve the health of individuals and communities in British Columbia and beyond. They are truly championing innovative health research and health equity.”

Learn more about the scholars below.

Health Equity Public Scholars 2023/24

	Lauren Airth Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Department: School of Nursing Faculty: Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan Project: A Tri-Partnership Model of Drug-Checking: Harnessing University Resources and Community Relationships to Address a Public Health Crisis I hope to see a better integration of university-community partnerships, that have the potential to address public health crises.
	Kennedy Borle Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies Department: Interdisciplinary Studies Faculty: Arts / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Project: Investigating the Unmet Need for Clinical Genetic Services in Canada and Identifying Strategies to Improve Equitable Access to Care Being part of the Health Equity Stream means building an interdisciplinary community of practice with other researchers who have similar values to me where I can develop my skills and knowledge as a health equity researcher. Health equity is a human right, and my goal is to orient all of the work that I do in equity and justice. Read more about Kennedy.
	Andrea Burrows Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Department: School of Nursing Faculty: Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan Project: Understanding Technology Use by Nurse-Parent Dyads in the Nurse-Family Partnership Program: Building on a Partnership Imagine a society where even the most marginalized and vulnerable voices are empowered to speak out and receive the health and social care they need and deserve. I enter into my research inquiry grounded in professional nursing expertise and committed to using that knowledge to bring about a reality of ‘health’ for people and communities. Specifically, my work aims to advance our understanding of how virtual care can be a tool for building relationships with new parents in remote communities in BC. By working in partnerships to amplify the voices of underrepresented groups like new parents, we can co-create knowledge that articulates what truly matters and shapes the reality we aspire to.
	Allison Campbell Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice Department: Institute of Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice Faculty: Arts Project: Parenting Behind Bars: Maternal-Child (Connection and) Separation in BC’s Prisons Designated for Women UBC Health defines health as “an attribute of individuals, communities, and societies.” Women's health needs in Canadian prison settings are not well-understood. Women's reproductive health, including the health implications of maternal-infant connection and separation in the prison context, are even less understood. My research into reproductive experiences is BC prisons designated for women will bring focus to a critical health equity issue in our society. Moreover, knowledge gained from this work has potential to not only reduce health inequities in prisons but also promote health equity for marginalized individuals in all of our communities. Strong community partnerships are essential to this work. Read more about Allison.
	Jonathan Easey Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies Department: Educational Studies Faculty: Education Project: Harnessing Queer Community- and Adult-Learning to Increase PrEP Access and Prevent HIV in Vancouver My research aims to make PrEP—an HIV prevention strategy—more readily available to Queer patients in Vancouver. My motivation comes from my experience volunteering for many years at a local Queer community clinic. At the clinic, I often hear patients say, ‘I had to come here because my doctor wouldn’t give me PrEP.’ I also know from first-hand experience that there’s a solid base of knowledge in the community about PrEP that is often not shared by healthcare providers. I’m motivated to do this work because I know that through it, I’ll create tools to help increase PrEP access. Read more about Jonathan.
	Katherine Hastings Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health Department: School of Population and Public Health Faculty: Medicine Project: Co-Designing a Youth Suicide Care Framework Using a Learning Health Systems Approach This work sets out to establish an inclusive and responsive suicide care framework within an integrated youth services network in BC. By engaging youth, families, and service providers, we will identify meaningful and tangible ways to enhance access, reduce stigma, and improve the quality of suicide care. Keen on youth-centered solutions, I’m hopeful that the scholarly output will be more accessible and useable across stakeholders/rightsholders groups (including policymakers), which I believe play a powerful role in systems change.
	Jennifer McDermid Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies Department: Interdisciplinary Studies Faculty: Arts / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Project: Exploring the Social and Structural Impacts of the Unpredictable and Criminalized Drug Supply Among Women and Gender Minorities in Vancouver, BC
	Jennie Pearson Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies Department: Interdisciplinary Studies Faculty: Arts / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Project: Building Digital “Communities of Care” under Sex Work Criminalization and Beyond: Exploring How Digital Community Mobilization Supports Health, Safety and Wellbeing Among Sex Workers in Vancouver, Canada By using a critical, imaginative approach, my work aims to explore beyond the current uncaring systems to identify the role of ongoing mutual aid on the pathway to building caring futures. Learning from abolitionists, my work extends definitions of health equity to consider ‘thriving’ as a collective goal, which includes joy, abundance, and rest. Using this definition, I will explore sex workers’ strategies, needs, and desires in building caring communities in which the ability to thrive is the central organizing component of our lives. Read more about Jennie.
	Sabina Staempfli Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Department: School of Nursing Faculty: Applied Science Project: Long-Term Care Reform in Action: A Realist Review and Evaluation of Care Delivery to Improve Quality of Life for Canadian Long-Term Care Residents My hope is that this research will be able to get into the hands of the families, residents, care staff, and leaders of long-term care homes who want to be the drivers of change. Research has been traditionally inaccessible to this population, and my aim is to produce something that can be used by people with various levels of abilities and education to make small incremental changes in their own long-term care home environments. By working closely with the people who will eventually be using the information we co-create, we will ensure this information is accessible and actionable and gives the right people the tools they need to start to address the persistent health inequities in the long-term care sector. Read more about Sabina.