Kaitlin Berris
A Public Scholar is someone who does not stick within the confines of their discipline/field but is open to collaboration between all members of the community, academic and non-academic, working towards a greater good. I envision myself as a Public Scholar who works with colleagues in medicine, in public health, with families and the patients themselves, and who weaves together these relationships and lived experiences into an improved health care system.
Research description
What does being a Public Scholar mean?
I believe my experience as a PhD student will take on a global lens with the Public Scholars Initiative, and global doesn’t necessarily mean outside Canada’s borders. Having a niche area of expertise in my clinical job, exposure to others engaged with public scholarship will allow my horizons to open to explore novel relationships with other scholars who are driven to produce meaningful change. A Public Scholar is someone who does not stick within the confines of their discipline/field but is open to collaboration between all members of the community, academic and non-academic, working towards a greater good. I envision myself as a Public Scholar who works with colleagues in medicine, in public health, with families and the patients themselves, and who weaves together these relationships and lived experiences into an improved health care system.
In what ways do you think the PhD experience can be re-imagined with this Initiative?
In my training to become an allied health professional, most of my schooling involved lectures and exams. As I stepped into the clinical world, my shortcomings were filled with real-life experiences leading to exponential personal and professional growth. I became more curious about what I had learnt and how I could improve the care I provided. It was along this path I discovered that the missing link was family and patient co-development of guidelines and care models. Essentially, as the clinical dietitian, I was expected to know what was “best” for the family, without actually being able to put myself in their shoes. Entering my doctoral degree opened my eyes to the potential of family involvement within a traditionally medical-heavy environment. Including family values within the care I provide is not only necessary but essential to ensure patients receive safe care. I expect classic academic learning to be challenged within the PSI, and for myself to continue to expand my understanding of and motivation for pushing the boundaries of what is deemed standard of care.
How do you envision connecting your PhD work with broader career possibilities?
I hope to continue to work within the health care sector, connecting my PhD work with more organizations and groups within the local and global community to bring family values to bedside. Being a PhD candidate and eventually graduating with a PhD will allow me to expand my impact by allowing me to sit at different tables. As allied health, our role tends to be of a narrow scope in hospital: bedside or leadership. By embedding my PhD work within my bedside role, I envision the opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of bringing the two together. By doing this, I have a stronger sense of the priorities of patients and staff which carries through my research work. This will allow me to have a better sense of the purpose, which I can then in turn share across different tables, bringing more partners into the projects we create.
How does your research engage with the larger community and social partners?
Involving families and an interdisciplinary team at the conception phase of my project allows end knowledge users to direct priorities. My research specific to the PSI engages with previous families of the pediatric ICU as well as bedside staff and leadership to help give feedback and reflection on nutrition care and how family values can be better integrated and supported through this intensive and stressful period of their lives. I expect my work to lead to changes throughout the pediatric hospital (locally and I hope on a larger scale too) when it comes to including and elevating family voices within food and nutrition practices.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
Gaining higher education allows me to have an edge in my career and brings validation to my research. Exiting my undergraduate degree, I quickly needed to ground myself in real-world experience. Having taken the time to work and learn the systems in health care, I am now pursuing a graduate degree to focus myself further and re-explore academic learning — which I am thoroughly enjoying!
Why did you choose to come to British Columbia and study at UBC?
I completed my undergraduate degree at UBC and know the calibre of education and student resources would support me well in my graduate degree. I also wanted to work with Dr. Elango who has a well-established research program at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital. Staying local was also important, as this is where I currently work, live and am raising my family. Keeping some consistency in my life was important as I enter this time of change and development. UBC provides me with consistency in both my personal and academic life, while providing great opportunities to push myself.
