What or who inspired you to join the Emily Stowe Scholars Program (ESSP)?
I found the program’s commitment to equity within the health sciences research space especially inspiring and made me want to join.
What was your first impression of Women’s College Hospital?
That stood out to me was the hospital’s inclusivity and warm environment. Everyone at WIHV was so friendly and open. Not all research or work environments have this sense of collegiality but WIHV and Women’s College Hospital have it in spades.
What interests you most about the area of research that you’re working in?
I have been working on a couple of projects this summer but the primary one is with the Canadian Network for Digital Health Evaluation (CNDHE). The long-term goal of the CNDHE is to collectively learn and share knowledge on a variety of digital health tools across all jurisdictions across Canada However, in order to do this, there needs to be an in-depth understanding of the various digital health stakeholders across Canada and establish mechanisms to bring them into our work at the CNDHE. So, over the course of the past month, I have been asked to complete two tasks which involve: (1) identifying key digital health experts from stakeholder groups such as clinicians, healthcare administrators and decision makers, policy makers, researchers and industry experts from across Canada and (2) performing extensive stakeholder mapping to identify and facilitate connections.
It has been really interesting to understand how digital health expertise and governance is distributed and structured within each province. The vision for the network is to have a nation-wide strategy for digital health evaluation that facilitates learning across regions. But in order to do this, there needs to be an understanding of how healthcare delivery and by extension, digital health delivery is handled within each province.
What do you think you will enjoy the most about being part of ESSP?
The connections I’ll get to form with other members. Being part of the program is an excellent opportunity to grow and learn from others’ experiences and I am really excited to learn about other people’s paths and career trajectories to Women’s College Hospital.
Personal or professional answers welcome: What is something that makes you smile?
I’ll go with a personal answer: Hanging out with my friends after a long work week. It’s always great to catch up and destress.