Careers in Communication and Knowledge Mobilization (Panel)

Are you interested in careers in the fields of communication, policy, and knowledge mobilization?

Join us for a panel featuring four past UBC postdocs and graduate students who have transitioned into diverse careers in these fields, spanning a variety of industries and sectors. Whether it be strategies or career advice, this panel is intended to be relevant to postdocs and grad students from all disciplines and academic levels. This panel aims to explore the following topics:

• The journey from graduate and postdoctoral work to industry careers
• Opportunities in the fields of communication and knowledge mobilization
• Strategies for a successful job search
• Ways to network and engage with these sectors

This panel is jointly hosted by UBC’s Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Centre for Student Involvement and Careers, and Simon Fraser University’s Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Panelists

Moderator: Parker Li, PhD Student in the UBC Department of Political Science

Dr. Dorothy Cucw-la7 Christian – Filmmaker and Associate Director, Indigenous Policy & Pedagogy, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Simon Fraser University

Dorothy Cucw-la7 Christian is Secwepemc and Syilx from the interior plateau regions of what is known as British Columbia.  She is happy to be a good relative to her Coast Salish cousins while she lives, works, and plays on their lands.  Her research centralizes land, story, cultural protocols and how Indigenous Knowledge informs and guides interrelationships with Canadian Settler society.  Her curiosity in how cultural knowledge influences Indigenous production practice started when she was working for the national broadcaster VisionTV to bring Indigenous stories to the national screen. This prompted her to enroll in graduate school.
Currently working as the Associate Director, Indigenous Policy & Pedagogy for Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies at Simon Fraser University, Dorothy strives towards making academic life less stressful for Indigenous MA and PhD students/candidates by collaborating with the Indigenous Student Services and other student-centered departments.

Dr. Clayon Hamilton – Knowledge Exchange Lead, BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services

Trained as a health services researcher, Dr. Hamilton takes an evidence-informed and partnership approach to leadership in healthcare. After obtaining a PhD at Western University, he completed postdoctoral training in health services and knowledge translation at the UBC. His experience with BC health system cut across work in knowledge translation, research, program evaluation, and quality improvement at the provincial and regional level. Currently, Dr. Hamilton is the Knowledge Exchange Lead at the BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, a program within Provincial Health Services Authority, serving the complex mental health and substance use sector. He holds adjunct faculty appointments from both UBC and Simon Fraser University and leads projects to support patient engagement in research and healthcare system decision-making. Dr. Hamilton’s work has contributed evidence-based tools to support the practice and evaluation of patient engagement, such as the validated Patient Engagement In Research Scale (PEIRS). In his spare time, he enjoys going for runs with his family.

Dr. Yanina-Yasmin Pesch – Associate Editor, Nature Metabolism

Dr. Yanina-Yasmin Pesch is an Associate Editor at Nature Metabolism, a Nature family journal that publishes work from across all fields of metabolism research. Yanina is based in Berlin and handles manuscripts on different topics including genetics, nutrient sensing and microbiome research. Prior to joining Nature Metabolism in March 2022, Yanina was a postdoctoral fellow at the Life Sciences Institute at the University of British Columbia where she worked on cell-cell communication in spermatogenesis.

Dr. Geraldine Walsh – Development Scientist, Canadian Blood Services

Geraldine Walsh, PhD, is an expert in blood platelets and transfusion science. She completed her doctorate at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, followed by postdoctoral studies at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Walsh’s passion for good science and clear communication has driven her career since she finished her postdoctoral work, initially leading her to a scientific writer role at Canadian Blood Services, and later into the field of knowledge mobilization. In her work as a Knowledge Broker for the Canadian Blood Services Centre for Innovation, her focus was on translating research findings and promoting their application to inform impactful change. Just recently, Dr. Walsh started a new role as a Development Scientist with Canadian Blood Services’ Product and Process Development group, where she looks forward to continuing to ensure good science and clear communication support beneficial changes for the blood system in Canada.