New opportunity for doctoral students conducting research to improve health equity

UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, in collaboration with UBC Health, is pleased to offer a new opportunity for doctoral students working in the area of health equity.

The Public Scholars Initiative (PSI) was launched in 2015 to support UBC doctoral students whose research extended beyond the academy, and beyond traditional disciplinary approaches, to have a tangible impact for the public good through collaborative, action-oriented, and/or creative forms of scholarship in their dissertation work. With more than 303 Public Scholars accepted into the program over the last eight years, the program has worked with more than 150 different partners in all societal sectors in more than 40 countries.

In 2022, the program was expanded to include doctoral students from the Okanagan campus, adding seven UBCO scholars. And for 2023, with the support of UBC Health, the PSI program has created a health equity stream for doctoral students.

The Health Equity Stream will facilitate the development of a community of PhD students working to address the complex questions and challenges of our world through collaborations, with a particular focus on those conducting research that improves health equity within local, national, and global health systems. In addition to the PSI program, scholars in the health equity stream will have the opportunity to engage in learning and networking focused on building interdisciplinary connections and a community of doctoral students working to improve health equity.

Health-oriented and equity-focused research exists in surprising and unexpected places across every faculty, school, and department at UBC. Doctoral students from across UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan undertaking innovative health equity-oriented research are encouraged to apply when the call for PSI scholars opens in March.

Doctoral students and supervisors who are interested in the health equity stream can learn more about programming, eligibility criteria, and the application process during an information session.