Katelynn Kowalchuk
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
When I started my undergraduate degree in 2015, I wasn’t sure which path I wanted to take. My interests were varied and I found it difficult to commit myself to just one discipline, so I decided to wait until my second year to settle on my major field. My decision became clearer after taking my first political science course. The discipline offered me the opportunity to explore my interests in tandem, including archival research, health policy, and urban design. By the time I began the fourth year of my degree, I knew that I wanted to pursue a PhD and dedicate my career to the advancement and expansion of the field.
Why did you decide to study at UBC?
UBC’s dedication to innovation and transforming ideas into action is what originally drew me to the university. Before deciding to attend my hometown university for my undergraduate degree, I was interested in applying to UBC’s architecture and urbanism program. Though I ultimately didn’t pursue this degree, the idea of studying at UBC stayed with me. I felt that the university could offer the resources to thrive in my graduate studies and future career and provide a cohort of like-minded scholars engaging with new and emerging research areas.
What is it specifically, that your program offers, that attracted you?
My department has demonstrable strength in areas related to my interests. While my focus is on the development and politics of mental healthcare, I maintain a secondary interest in urban politics and intergovernmental relations, which is an area of focus for faculty members in a variety of capacities. I was also attracted to the program due to its collegiality. I completed my master’s degree at UBC and decided to stay for my PhD in part due to the departmental culture. I spend significant time engaging with researchers outside of my subfield, and these relationships have prompted me to think about my own research from new perspectives.
What was the best surprise about UBC or life in Vancouver?
The best surprise has been learning about the beach culture! I hadn’t visited Vancouver before moving here, and I wasn’t aware that there nine beaches in the city. My family would spend a lot of the summer at our cabin in Saskatchewan, but having the waterfront five minutes from my front door in Vancouver is hard to beat.
What aspects of your life or career before now have best prepared you for your UBC graduate program?
Much of my life has been dedicated to artistic pursuits. I was a competitive dancer for 18 years and played clarinet in the University of Regina’s wind ensemble. I was also privileged with the opportunity to perform with the Moscow Ballet in their annual Nutcracker performance while they toured through Saskatchewan. These experiences imbued me with steadfastness, perseverance, and an attention to detail that has served me well throughout my time in graduate school.
What do you like to do for fun or relaxation?
I spend a lot of time outdoors when the weather is nice (usually on the beach or wandering Pacific Spirit Park), and I also enjoy playing videogames and TTRPGs, knitting, and visiting my friends. We’ve had a weekly boardgame night for over a year – It’s a great way for us to wind down on Friday nights!
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
Being a first-generation student can be challenging in ways that are difficult to articulate. Surround yourself with people who support you, remember why you started graduate school in the first place, and make sure to take time to do the things you enjoy!
Learn more about Katelynn's research
Provincial mental healthcare governance varies between jurisdictions in terms of both policy frameworks and political institutions. The 1960s saw the latest major global shift in approaches to mental healthcare policy, moving away from institutions and asylum systems towards recovery-oriented, community-based care as the dominant model. Despite this shift, Canadian provinces appear divided on both their policies and institutional approaches to mental healthcare. There is limited research on why provinces diverge in their governance patterns respecting mental healthcare policy and institutions, and how these divergences reflect and influence interest group power, relationships with local public health, and policy outcomes. My dissertation will illuminate how the historical constellation of political institutions, interest group power, and patient advocacy movements shaped, and continue to shape, mental healthcare governance patterns across Canadian provinces, and the implications for individuals and communities. My research is further informed by three sub-questions. First, what are the key political dynamics that shape the creation and evolution of institutions that address mental health, including ideological commitments, intergovernmental necessities and community pressure? Second, how does interest group power—in particular from the medical and patient advocate communities—shape institutional design and policy development? Third, to what extent has COVID-19 represented an external shock to provincial mental healthcare governance that prompts reform and innovation? In sum, my research will explore how the historical development of mental healthcare across Canada resulted in divergent approaches to policy and political institutions between provinces, and aims to determine whether these differences influenced how governments adapted their approaches to mental healthcare in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.