Being a public scholar is about recognizing that academia, just like other sectors, has a responsibility to contribute to the betterment of communities and society more generally. As public scholars, this is through generating and co-creating knowledge. In my area of work, my contribution as a public scholar is to improving global health equity by generating knowledge on global health governance that is relevant and accessible beyond academia.
Research Description
Global health multi-stakeholder initiatives are common approaches to governing transnational health issues. Despite their prevalence in global health, there is an underrepresentation of empirical research on their governance dynamics at the international level (existing work is often theoretical). My dissertation contributes to the growing empirical literature on this topic by exploring the distribution and dynamics of decision-making power within global health multi-stakeholder initiatives, and the implications for advancing global health equity. It does so in two ways. First, understanding board governance to be a major source of institutional decision-making power for global health multi-stakeholder initiatives, I am constructing and analyzing a dataset of global health multi-stakeholder initiatives to assess the distribution of decision-making power among board members. This part of my dissertation is the area of focus for my PSI project. I will work with collaborators to create a website that visualizes and makes publicly available the multi-stakeholder initiative dataset and analyses that illustrate the distribution of decision-making power among stakeholders in global health multi-stakeholder initiatives. This will provide important context for the second part of my dissertation, which is a case study of the governing dynamics of the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator, the multi-stakeholder initiative that aimed to increase equitable access to Covid-19 medical technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
What does being a Public Scholar mean to you?
For me, being a public scholar is about recognizing that academia, just like other sectors, has a responsibility to contribute to the betterment of communities and society more generally. As public scholars, this is through generating and co-creating knowledge. In my area of work, my contribution as a public scholar is to improving global health equity by generating knowledge on global health governance that is relevant and accessible beyond academia.
In what ways do you think the PhD experience can be re-imagined with the Public Scholars Initiative?
The PSI re-imagines the PhD experience as an opportunity for students to think creatively about how to design, conduct, and share their research with different communities and stakeholders. For those of us who value translating knowledge beyond the academy, the PSI provides fantastic supports for doing so. The PSI also re-imagines the PhD experience by encouraging students to build relationships outside of academia as part of these knowledge creation and translation goals – and provides the support necessary for sustaining those relationships.
How do you envision connecting your PhD work with broader career possibilities?
I see my PhD research as preparing me for a career in global and public health, specifically teaching, researching, and advocating for global health governing practices that promote health equity. Through my PhD work, I am building substantive expertise on global health governance, methodological skills in network analysis and qualitative research, relationships within and outside of academia, and a clearly sense of my professional identity and values, all of which will be a valuable foundation for my career.
How does your research engage with the larger community and social partners?
Through my research, I have been able to and continue to engage in various knowledge translation activities and advocacy with the global health community involved in post-Covid-19 efforts to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response and global health governance more broadly. My dissertation research draws on interviews with various stakeholders involved in the global Covid-19 response through the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator and my PSI project is in collaboration with a global health advocacy organization and graphic designer.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I chose to pursue a graduate degree because my career interests are in global health governance and politics and to advocate for interventions that protect and promote health, in Canada and globally. I decided that a PhD in Political Science would be a great way to develop the skills and expertise necessary to pursue this career trajectory.
Why did you choose to come to British Columbia and study at UBC?
I decided to study at UBC for a number of reasons, but the main reason was because the faculty both within the Department of Political Science as well as in other departments have expertise in my research areas of interest. This made me reassured that it would be a great campus to learn and develop my academic interests.
What is it specifically, that your program offers, that attracted you?
The most important feature of the PhD Program at the Department of Political Science was that there are several faculty with expertise that can guide me in my research and who are invested in my academic development. My academic background and work experience is in public and global health, not political science, so it was also important that this program valued the contributions and insights I could bring from my disciplinary background as well as support me in exploring the intersections of political science and global health.
For you, what was the best surprise about graduate life, about UBC or life in Vancouver?
I'm not sure anything has really been a surprise - but I've moved around a lot so maybe I am just used to adjusting to different places! Being able to go to the ocean and hiking in the mountains has been a new and great experience.
What aspects of your life or career before now have best prepared you for your UBC graduate program?
I think what has been most helpful for me is that before beginning my graduate program I had a few years of experience working and conducting research in various places as well as on different topics. I think these experiences provided a good skillset for me to work from, helped shape my research interests that I am pursuing in grad school, and gave me plenty of opportunities to reflect on the kind of scholar I want to be. I think all of this means that I entered grad school with a good foundation to build on and clearer sense of direction.
What do you like to do for fun or relaxation?
Carving out time for fun and relaxation has become a priority for me. That means taking the time to go on walks around different Vancouver neighbourhoods and hiking areas, see friends and family, read (for fun), and play soccer in the park when I can.
Do you have any tips for students from your home country coming to Canada / to UBC Grad School?
I would recommend that new graduate students think early about academic and non-academic opportunities you would be interested in pursuing and how to prepare for them during your degree. And really take time to invest in building good relationships with your supervisors and classmates, that is what will make the experience enjoyable and fulfilling.
