Kimberly Rondeau
Being a Public Scholar means committing to research that reaches beyond academia to serve communities and contribute to social change. It is a responsibility to make scholarship accessible, collaborative and grounded in the realities of people’s lives. As a researcher studying the intersection of homelessness, incarceration and health, I see public scholarship as both an ethical duty and an opportunity to bridge evidence with action.
Research description
What does being a Public Scholar mean?
To me, being a Public Scholar means committing to research that reaches beyond academia to serve communities and contribute to social change. It is a responsibility to make scholarship accessible, collaborative and grounded in the realities of people’s lives. As a researcher studying the intersection of homelessness, incarceration and health, I see public scholarship as both an ethical duty and an opportunity to bridge evidence with action.
In what ways do you think the PhD experience can be re-imagined with this Initiative?
The Public Scholars Initiative re-imagines the PhD experience by expanding what counts as scholarship and who it is for. Traditionally, doctoral research has been viewed as an individual, academic pursuit, often disconnected from the communities it could serve. PSI challenges that model by encouraging collaboration, creativity and engagement beyond the university, values that deeply resonate with me.
How do you envision connecting your PhD work with broader career possibilities?
My PhD examines the intersection of homelessness, incarceration and health, generating evidence to inform policy and improve outcomes for people caught in this cycle. I see this research as the foundation for a career that bridges research, policy and practice, particularly in correctional health, housing and social equity. Beyond academia, I aim to work in government or applied research settings where evidence can drive program design and systems-level change. Through the Public Scholars Initiative, I am developing the skills to engage with people with lived experience, translate findings for diverse audiences and communicate complex data in accessible, impactful ways. These experiences will prepare me for leadership roles that connect rigorous research with real-world solutions, ensuring my work continues to advance justice and health equity long after the PhD is complete.
How does your research engage with the larger community and social partners?
My research engages directly with community partners and people with lived experience of homelessness and incarceration to ensure that the findings are grounded in the real-world. Through the formation of an advisory board composed of individuals with lived experience, community advocates and professionals from health and correctional systems, I will co-create research questions and interpret results collaboratively.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I decided to pursue a graduate degree because I wanted to move beyond describing social inequities to actively addressing them through rigorous, data-driven research. After years working as a biostatistician, I saw how often policy decisions were made without fully understanding the lived realities behind the data. This realization motivated me to return to graduate studies to bridge that gap, to combine technical expertise with community-engaged, justice-oriented inquiry. My doctoral research allows me to bring together my experience in health data analysis with my commitment to social equity, focusing on how housing instability and incarceration intersect to shape health outcomes. Pursuing a PhD gives me the tools, mentorship, and scholarly foundation to contribute meaningful, evidence-based solutions to systemic issues in correctional health and homelessness, work that aligns with my long-term goal of advancing policy and practice for the public good.
Why did you choose to come to British Columbia and study at UBC?
I chose to study at UBC because it offers an environment where I could pursue interdisciplinary, community-engaged research that aligns with my focus on health equity, housing and incarceration. UBC’s commitment to socially responsive scholarship, embodied in initiatives like the Public Scholars Initiative, provides the ideal setting to bridge rigorous quantitative research with real-world impact.
