by Tomoko McGaughey, MPH, MSc Student

In the fall of 2021 I was assigned as a Teaching Assistant for an undergraduate class where the students are building their skills in research, including the developing a research proposal as a group project. It has been amazing to see how much interest and knowledge these students carry in different areas of health, ranging from maternal health impacts on fetal development, air quality and lung health, or the gastrointestinal effects of ginger beer. To see this kind of work so early in their academic career has shown me that the next generation will go amazing places as their knowledge basis grows.

This experience has also highlighted the importance of teaching young academics about ethics early in their careers. It is not surprising that early undergraduates lack a comprehensive picture of research ethics and health equity – and it has prompted me to think about what training or guidance might be useful for students at this stage.

Students in Health Sciences are clearly interested in making the world better for individuals who are marginalized or underserved, and there they demonstrate a large appetite for learning. However, no matter how well meaning our research is, it doesn’t mean we can ignore that we are hoping to do research on fellow human beings who have thoughts, feeling and their own struggles they are experiencing daily. Further, that doesn’t mean we can remain ignorant of our own shortcomings when it comes to research ethics and engaging with people who are different than us.

Considerations for Research Ethics

According to (RN, PhD, Ryerson University), there are .

• First, is to protect human participants,
• Second is to ensure that research is conducted in a way that serves interests of individuals, groups and/or society as a whole, and
• Third is to examine specific research activities and projects for their ethical soundness (e.g. management of risk, protection of confidentiality, and process of informed consent).

Although some efforts have been made by students based on these three objectives, the route some students have chosen illustrates that they do not fully understand the impact their work may have on individuals and the groups they are trying to serve, and that they do not have insights from this community.

My concerns in how ethics is approached lie in the way we are looking at engaging with those whose lives we are studying. We require a sound, ethical process to engage with ANY community – let alone those who are often under or poorly served by the health system or seen as potentially vulnerable.

Questioning your own research

In line with teachings from early on in my academic career, and the objective presented by Dr. Walton, I ask myself three questions when considering the ethics of a research project, placing myself in the participants shoes:

1. Would I feel like this research project is causing not only myself but my community any harm (physical or emotional)?
2. Do I feel like I am being ostracised because of how I identify?
3. Am I respecting the autonomy of this community group and taking into consideration any historical vulnerabilities they may have experienced?

Patient engagement

In addition to the above, it is extremely important to consult with any communities before considering conducting research on them. This perspective is foundational in the shift to across the health sciences. At the outset, engagement could simply include a series of conversations and/or focus groups, including general community members and individuals who are identified to be leaders or informed on the topic you are researching, sampling their opinion on issues that should be addressed through research. Things like language to be used or avoided, references, important events or cultural considerations, and/or individuals that should be taken into consideration during the research process can be captured through the research process, when they may not have been identified otherwise.

Taken further, patient engagement could include the incorporation of individuals through the research process, either through study design planning, data collection, and data analysis so the community’s perspective is considered throughout the whole research process. This continued consultation and reiteration process can allow communities to have their voice heard in a way that is respectful to their boundaries and experiences. This engagement is essential when  communities, and I completely see why and the importance behind it. When systems consistently threaten your autonomy, silence your advocacy, or neglect and even threaten your health, we need to ensure our research does not replicate this same system.

Final thoughts

Since coming to ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, I have seen how the student, administrative, and teaching bodies of this university are extremely inclusive, supportive, accepting and understanding. This is something that drew me to ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ and I want to do my part to ensure that this inclusiveness extends to health research, and how students are learning about the ethics of what they are being trained for. I can see how our undergraduate students are very well-meaning, want to change the world for the better, and improve the quality of life of those in their local communities. However, I hope that while these young scholars are exploring their dreams, they will continue to consider the implications of their work on those around them.

At the end of the day, I’ve written this short post because I not only care about protecting those who are vulnerable when it comes to research, but also because I care about the futures of the students around me. You all have a bright future but let’s try to make our work more inclusive and understanding as we move forward in this already very scary world.

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As a PhD student with mental health challenges, I sometimes question whether my experience is the same as my peers. Did they look for a supervisor who understands mental health?  Do they see themselves reflected in resources about ‘caring for your mental health’ and ‘self-care for students’?

Don’t get me wrong, entering a PhD and being me has been remarkably rewarding. I have a supportive environment to explore my ideas, where my strange questions can lead to insightful conversations. I’ve met peers who not only accept and encourage me but challenge my conceptualization of the world and my approach to research. I have a supervisor who sees value in my perspectives and believes in me. When applying to ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, I was even exposed to . In essence, it feels like my potential in defining myself as an academic is limitless. While I’m still waiting for this to come crashing down (I’ve heard this happens in second year), I can’t help but think it’s the contrast between the supportive spaces I’ve found and the concessions I’ve had to make that makes my disappointment sting all the more.

At times, it can feel like the very institution of academia doesn’t accept me, and that even with acceptance, inclusion isn’t guaranteed and support is strictly rationed. For example, despite publishing an article on , ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s counselling services aren’t set up to provide long-term support – which automatically necessitates that I seek support off campus. In order to pay for therapy, I’ve had to label myself on provincial and school documentation as having a disability (regardless of whether I identify as that). While I’m grateful for the support that’s offered, the process of being forced into a label has sucked.

While writing this, the qualitative researcher in me couldn’t help but see the underlying theme in my experiences – the disconnect between the people and the system. My social and academic environments are ones of support and collaboration, where being me is a strength. How, then, have our institutional processes and policies not caught up?

These systemic barriers probably won’t change anytime soon (or maybe they will, and I’d be thrilled to be wrong here) but here are steps that prospective and current PhD students can take to protect or maintain their mental health based on my own experience:

Prospective students:

1. Include what you need (for your mental health) as a criterion in your search for the perfect supervisor or school.
2. Have open conversations with your potential supervisor about mental health. See if they are open to using different approaches to support you.
3. See if you can speak to a current graduate student about their experience. This can help you get a feel for the lab culture, and if it would be a supportive and inclusive environment.

New students:

1. Get registered with your university accessibility services as quickly as you can. Your disability coordinator can help you navigate OSAP and the NSLSC.
2. Think about moving your health information to Health Services on campus. This can be helpful for coordinating your services and setting up a comprehensive circle of care.
3. Pay attention to when bursaries open and close at your university. There are usually programs or bursaries that are specifically for helping people with disabilities.
4. See if you qualify for any of the awards .
5. Be open with your supervisor. It’s not all sunshine and daisies and sometimes they can suggest strategies to help you cope.
6. Establish your support network prior to entering the program. Your supervisor isn’t your therapist, and it can be easy to cross boundaries and over-share if you don’t have solid supports in place prior to starting the program. Further, I’ve found it hard to connect with peers if they don’t share similar life experiences and have relied on my friends more than ever.

The items in this list came from hours wading through blogs and Reddit treads (which, frankly, are often gloomy) and conversations with other folks who have been there, done that. As such, this isn’t a prescriptive list outlining the steps to success for PhD students with mental health concerns, but rather steps that have been helpful for me so far. I hope these lists might even slightly reduce the amount of labour necessary for our participation in academia. At the heart of it, I write this because, at the end of the day, we belong here.

Mel Edwards is a first year PhD Student in the Spatial Determinants of Health Lab. Her research interests include the use of e-mental health to support underserved populations in rural communities

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It has been an absolute pleasure to work as a part of the Spatial Determinants of Health lab over the past summer. Through the I-CUREUS award, I was able to work with Dr. Paul Peters and an MSc student, Maria Tovar Hidalgo, on a scoping review that examined oral health inequities within rural regions of Canada. The goal of this research was to assess how rurality can affect oral health experiences and outcomes in comparison to urban areas. The research also aims to contribute interventions which have improved poorer oral health outcomes within similar rural communities in countries like Australia, Sweden, and Norway. My work on this project primarily focused on conducting a literature search and extracting subsequent data which would be included in the scoping review.

Before this experience, I had only performed literature reviews for my health science courses and over the summer I was able to familiarize myself with research tools, such as , and gain a practical understanding of how policy research is composed. I quickly learned that every step within the process of synthesizing data is thorough, and that collaboration is key when it comes to being successful within health research.

I was fortunate to have joined a lab in which I was able to not only collaborate with Maria as often as I had but one in which we could discuss our research within lab meetings and troubleshoot any issues or challenges that might have come up within all of our various research projects. Dr. Paul Peters also maintained a lab environment that prioritized the success and wellbeing of all researchers. I was overwhelmed with the number of resources available at the beginning of the summer that would help me navigate health research and the tools he supplied to encourage better mental health management. I am grateful to have had such a supportive lab and mentor as part of my first research experience.

Some interesting things that I learned within my lab were how to adjust and calibrate a search string so that the resulting literature would become increasingly relevant to what I was searching for. As well, I learned about a multitude of comorbidities within oral health, a field that I was not very familiar with before this project, and about the innovative ways in which oral health could be improved, down to the fluoridation of drinking water. I went into this lab with some understanding about how rurality and access to care can affect health outcomes, however, I was challenged to learn about an entirely different field of public health than what I was exposed to within my classes. Through my participation in this research, I familiarized myself with the scope of oral health within the context of effective health policy development.

This experience allowed me to develop my critical thinking, organization, and time management skills. I was also exposed to a variety of research questions when going through published articles which I am inspired to pursue within my later career. I hope to apply these skills within my future in healthcare and to find many more opportunities as enriching as my time within this research lab.

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Academics with ADHD: Making the university workplace more accessible for neurodivergent people

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is now one of the most diagnosed neurological conditions in children and can have significant impacts on individuals throughout their lives. Symptoms were once thought to reduce with maturity, however it’s now recognised that symptoms persist throughout the lifecourse. This has resulted in many people not being diagnosed until later in life, and I am one of those people.

In early 2019 my partner was looking into explanations for some of the difficulties my son (now 11) was facing in school and completed a parent-report ADHD questionnaire, but it wasn’t just my son that scored high. I was at work when she texted and asked me to complete the adult questionnaire for myself – it was life-changing. I was diagnosed by a psychologist in 2019 and have been receiving ADHD-specific psychotherapy and taking stimulant medication for the last 2 years. I have embarked on a process of self-discovery, recognising that many of the challenges I’ve faced in my personal and professional life are related to this specific neurological impairment. In this talk I will talk about some of these challenges, how I’ve adapted and ‘masked’ in the past, and what workplace supports have helped now that I have a diagnosis.

Youtube Video:

(Talk begins at 3:21, Presentation at 7:23)

Presentation Slides: PDF version of my presentation

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Reflecting on an I-CUREUS Internship

by Mikayla Young, May 2020

The year 2019-2020 has brought with it many new experiences and challenges; however, one of the most notable opportunities I have received this year was being able to be part of a social sciences research team. This inter-disciplinary team led by Dr. Paul Peters is based in the Department of Health Sciences and combines social science research with data analysis, community engagement, and hypothesis-driven evidence evaluation. The project in which I am a part of, is exploring the evidence for recruitment and retention of mental health care practitioners in rural and remote communities.

Through the I-CUREUS ‘Free Range’ program, I was table to accompany my fellow student researchers and Dr. Paul Peters to Akureyri, a small town in Northern Iceland, in order to further explore rural health and well-being in a practical setting. This training-oriented trip gave us the opportunity to learn and hear firsthand about the lives and experiences of the individuals living remotely. Part of this program was to speak with a diversity of people. This included an opportunity to speak at length with the head mistress of the , which has won numerous awards for . The headmistress, Lára Stefánsdóttir, was also in charge of the local dispatch and organization of the search and rescue team. This was an invaluable experience, in which I gained so much knowledge and interesting learning opportunities. It was also a great chance to further my understanding of the research I am doing and allowed me to better my understanding of the context of rural and remote living.

Shortly after returning from Iceland, I traveled with fellow students and Professor Paul Peters to Golden Lake, Ontario. There, I was given the opportunity to work with the other students in running a day-long workshop regarding rural health. The day consisted of directed exercises and table discussions on different topics and sectors of rural health. During this time, the other students and myself led these discussions and took notes on the responses of the local participants at our tables.

The workshop was successful and had many willing and knowledgeable participants who were and are continuing to actively work in the pursuit to better their health care systems, and access to adequate and appropriate care rurally. This was a great experiential learning opportunity and worked well to provide myself with a contextual foundation for doing social research as well as rural health research.

Currently, working alongside graduate student Claudia Sendanyoye, I am conducting a title screening and structured scoping review on pre-existing research and literature written on this topic. A scoping review is meant to “examine the extent (that is, size), range (variety), and nature (characteristics) of the evidence on a topic or question; determine the value of undertaking a systematic review; summarize findings from a body of knowledge that is heterogeneous in methods or discipline; or identify gaps in the literature to aid the planning and commissioning of future research” (Tricco, A. 2028, p.467) The methods for scoping review differ depending on the topic being explored.

Scoping reviews require several different steps and methods to obtain the desired outcome of the research in which you are studying. Some of these different methods include: “focus on a specific topical area, a well-defined research question, rationale regarding inclusion and exclusion criteria, and clearly defined procedures and responsibilities for all researchers” (Peterson, J. 2016. p.13). As Claudia and I already have a well-defined research question outlined, we are now in the step of the methodology where we are in the process of discussing and outlining all rationale for inclusion, and exclusion.

Some of the challenges which we faced during this process, were narrowing down our search terms. Initially, we received a lot of literature from our searches that were not applicable to our research question. However, after changing small things, and taking away certain words that changed the outcome in our searches, we were able to greatly limit this and filter our results. Although, there were still many articles uncovered that did not pertain to our project. It was important for us to be specific regarding which articles could be applicable and which could not be. The blurred lines there often posed a challenge during this stage.

I am excited to continue moving forward in this project and to continue to grow and learn during the process. Claudia and I will now move forward in working on the next stages of our methodology, before identifying the key indicators, trends and patterns for recruitment and retention for mental health care practitioners, followed by charting and graphing the results.

References

Peterson, J., Pearce, P., Ferguson, L. & Langford C. (2016) Understanding Scoping Reviews: Definition, Purpose, and Process. Journal of The American Association of Nurse Practitioners. 12-16. doi:10.1002/2327-6924.12380

Tricco, A., Lillie E., Zarin W., O’Brien, K., Colquhoun, H., Levac, D., Moher D., Peters. M., Horsley, T., Weeks, L., Hempel, S., Chang, C., McGowan, J., Stewart, L. Hartling, L., Aldcroft, A., Wilson, M., Garritty, C., Lewin, S., …Straus, S. (2018) Research and Reporting Methods. Annals of Internal Medicine. 467-485. doi:10.7326/M18-0850

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Depending on how you feel about discussing your research and networking with professionals in your field, scientific conferences can be exciting or intimidating experiences. Personally, I enjoy conferences. They are always full of energy, opportunities for learning, and a good time to take account of everything I’ve accomplished in the previous months. But like everything else, you get out of a conference what you put into it. You can just go to present your work and get it over with, or you can prepare and make the conference an enriching experience. Here are five tips, or five things to do, to help you rock your first (or n^th) conference.

Before you go:

1 – Prepare your finances

Attending conferences can be expensive. Conference fees can figure into the hundreds of dollars. If the conference is outside of your city, you’ll have to plan for transportation, accommodations, meals and incidentals (I always forget my phone charger). Thankfully, there are a few ways to get help funding your travels. Most graduate student associations have funds or grants to support their students. It is good to apply for this funding as soon as you know you’ll need it since these grants are often distributed on a first-come first-served basis. Additionally, it can take a few weeks for the graduate student association to process your funding request. The ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Graduate Student Association travel grant information can be followed through the following link:

You can also discuss funding for scientific conferences with your program supervisor or departmental administrators. There may be additional funding opportunities at your university and your supervisor may have some funding available to support your travels. Experiencing a scientific conference is an important part of your professional and academic development after all!

2 – Prepare to introduce yourself

Conferences are exciting since they gather scientists and stakeholders from many different institutions into one location. At my first conference, this was the thing I found most intimidating. I was surrounded by legitimate professionals. I didn’t have a problem presenting my research, but I seized up when networking. This task became much easier after practicing my networking skills. There are tons of online resources for successful networking but the first thing to do is to prepare to introduce yourself… a lot.

You will be spending a few days with professionals in your field, some of which you planned to meet, and some others who have planned to meet you! First impressions are very important, so prepare how you will introduce yourself. Go beyond your name and job title. Try to add information about what it is you are good at, what it is you like, how you contributed to the project, and what you want to be remembered for. Make this information flow and feel natural and try to deliver it in 15-20 seconds. Being succinct will let you expand on these points in your conversations afterwards! Prepare a few different introductions, some for people you really want to meet, and some for people you will just speak to in passing. Once you have your introductions drafted, practice them with your colleagues or lab mates. They can give you some honest feedback or you can identify opportunities for improvement when you say them out loud to another human! Finally, consider making business cards with your phone, email, website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google Scholar, ORCID accounts. It may seem old school, but people ask me for business cards all the time – even when my info is plastered all over my presentation slides or poster.

3 – Prepare your conference itinerary

Presenting your work may seem like the “main event” of the conference, but there is so much more happening. It takes a plan to make sure you hit all the presentations or booths that are relevant to your work or other scientific interests. Look at the conference itinerary, abstracts, guest lists and workshops. Highlight the events you plan to attend, the rooms you will be visiting and the people you want to meet. Make sure to sign up for the workshops you plan to attend as well – signing up is often mandatory and can even require entry fees. You can often get all this information online or by contacting the conference coordinators. Planning ahead and making the most of your time can really make for a satisfying experience, especially if your networking leads to some breakthroughs in your research!

WHILE YOU’RE THERE

4 – Take lots of notes

The biggest lie I tell myself is “I’ll remember this later”. I tell myself “there is no way I’ll forget this!”. But sure enough, I forget the thing. All the time. You will too. So, take some notes! Take a lot of notes, about everything either in a stylish notebook or on your tablet or on your phone (although some people may give you looks if you’re taking notes on your phone when you’re talking to them). Note down what talks you attended, who delivered the talks and the take-home messages. Ask if you can take pictures of their posters or slides, too! Write down who you met and spoke with, note their coordinates, take their business cards, and note down one personal thing about the person you can bring up later. Keeping this detailed record of the conference will help you remember important information and people months later. It will help you process your experience and relay it back to your lab / colleagues. Written notes will also help you keep in touch with your connections and act on the information you’ve gathered in the following months.

ONCE YOU’RE BACK

5 – Revise your notes

Once the conference is done and your sleep schedule is back to normal (at least as normal as possible for a grad student), you may feel ready to revise your notes and revisit your conference experience. I like to keep a folder on my laptop for every conference I attend. I transcribe and organize my notes, pictures, and contact information for people I’ve met. Revisiting your notes and experiences after resting can give you a new perspective on the things you’ve experienced, as well as new ideas for work or collaborations. You may want to send some emails to keep up with your contacts, to keep your network active. Email these people and wish them well in their research or update them on your work every now and again (6-month intervals are usually a safe bet). I’ve made many conference buddies over the years. We talk rarely but we get excited to see each other’s work every year. Remember, the best way to make a friend is to be a friend!

Conclusion

Conferences are fun events where researchers celebrate their achievements, but they are also a lot of work. Preparing for a conference beforehand and acting on the information you’ve gathered will make the experience much more valuable to your work and to the work of the researchers in your network. These events are meant to get like-minded people together to discuss everything that’s been done recently and find news avenues of research. If every attendee walks away with at least one good new idea, imagine everything that can be accomplished for when the next conference comes around! Hopefully this information will help you prepare for your next scientific conference and really make the most of your time there.

By: Daniel Cousineau-Short

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By: Sajra Trto

As one of my electives for my undergraduate program in Health Sciences, I decided to take a social psychology class. One of the projects for this course included writing a paper on academic impostor syndrome. This term was new to me, increasing my interest for the project. Of course, to start off my paper I had to do some research on the topic. The more I researched, the more I realized that the term ‘academic impostor’ was a perfect fit to the way I was feeling as a student. Academic impostor syndrome is a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and are certain that they do not deserve the success that they have.

This all began once I started studying at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´. My parents immigrated to Canada at a very young age, thus I am the first person in my family to attend university. With this, I felt immense pressure as the idea of university level studies was scary and foreign to me. This, in addition to anxiety led to constant self-doubt. Starting off university is hard for every student, no matter the age or program. Everyone is learning and trying to adapt to the new life style, as it is very different from high school. The flexible schedule and independent lifestyle can take a little while to get used to. From my experience, the first and second year were the hardest in terms of maintaining good grades. When I received a lower mark than average, my confidence levels would take a hit. This all added to my feelings of being an ‘impostor’. I had imagined that the feelings would fade throughout my bachelor’s degree but it remained constant and the feelings grew even stronger near the end of my degree, as I had to make a decision about my future goals. I was always the type of person who was interested in many different topics, from psychology to physiology to anatomy and so on. So when the time had come to choose my next step, I had no clue what I was going to do with my degree. Then I found the ‘Health: Science, Technology and Policy’ program at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´. The interdisciplinary nature of the program interested me as I was able to study multiple subtopics of health sciences at once. I applied and got accepted but still felt like a fraud. Would I be able to face the challenges ahead?

Now fast forwarding to the end of my first year as a master’s student. The first year was a struggle, trying to adapt to the differences between bachelors and masters level courses. But one thing that first year had to offer was the flexible design of the research project associated with the program. The research project had allowed for me to study a subtopic of my choice. So I decided to focus on mental health. I had been researching mental health for a while now, and focusing my studies on what I knew best, helped minimize my feelings of self-doubt. The doubt was still there from time to time but I was able to see how far I had come in my education and I could see myself going even further now that I had found my niche.

Not everyone overcomes their thoughts of being an academic impostor this way. No matter how smart or accomplished they are, some people constantly have a feeling that they are ‘faking it’ through their careers, whether academic or in the workplace. There is also no age limit to this as people who are reaching retirement may still have this feeling as well. With this, academic impostor syndrome is no easy feeling to get rid of, but my takeaway from my experience as a masters level student is to take a step back once in a while and recognize how far you have come, due to the hard work that has been put in.

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By: Sajra Trto

Health research in rural communities has grown over the past few decades. It is of no surprise that in this health research, there are differences found in healthcare provision, retention and usage between rural and urban areas. One main area that has been a focus for many researchers around the world is mental health care. Mental health has become less of a stigma as more and more people are getting on board with movements such as ‘Bell #Let’sTalk’ and ‘here for you’, but is this enough to break the barrier of accessing adequate mental health care services, while living in remote communities? After researching this topic, relevant papers were found and it is safe to say, Australia and Canada have been busy trying different approaches to minimize this recurrent health problem.

Australia and Canada have similar rural-urban ratios, which is why I thought comparing their strategies and findings would be beneficial, as their rural mental health issues possess the same patterns. Most papers found during my research were based in Australia, as they are moving at a faster pace than Canada, trying to find a suitable solution to the lack of mental health care access in rural areas. This led to my research idea of exploring Australian approaches and determining how applicable they are to Canada. Can Australian methods for adequate mental health care access in rural areas be implemented in Canada? That is what my research is all about.

What I found during my research were some major common themes, which included mental health care inequalities in indigenous populations, individuals affected by farming/droughts, individuals throughout the life course (youth and aging), as well as additional topics such as suicide, care givers perspective, and addiction/substance use. Decades of research has proven there needs to be an updated mental health policy for all of these sub-populations in rural areas.

The national mental health strategy was implemented in Australia in 1992 in order to reinforce the need for improvement on this topic. The plan had three goals:

1. Promote mental health and prevent the development of mental health disorders
2. Reduce the impact of mental health disorders on individuals, as well as their families and the community
3. Assure the rights of people with mental health disorders

Now almost 30 years later, we have moved past this general goal (while still using it as a core basis for pilot projects) and we are moving into more specific approaches, as we begin to realize different rural communities have different demands. The goal is to develop a program that can be implemented to different communities as well as different countries, catering to their needs. This is one of the biggest issues Australia is facing in the development of a new policy/program.

Australia has piloted a few projects over the years. Some of these have proven to be successful, although this success runs no further than the community in which the research had taken place in. An example of this, is the ‘GP clinic’approach, which was established in 2007. The clinic works by providing patients with monthly appointments with general practitioners, managed by the community mental health team. Mental health nurses as well as psychologists attend the appointment and together try to help the patient. This gives the patient a comprehensive team to work with, while at the same time helping the general practitioner learn how to manage patients with a mental health disorder. Unfortunately, it is stated in the research paper that implementation of the pilot project to other communities has been proven difficult. One thing the study did prove is that what is needed, is a system that implements a basic model that can be reconstructed by locally-driven methods. This approach will be much more feasible than a top-down approach that provides a generic solution to all communities.

It will take a bit more time until Australia comes up with an approach that works nation-wide, let alone something that will be able to be implemented in a different country. Despite this, a lot of progress has been made over the years, and with that, my hopes remain high that a suitable approach will come about in the near future.

Additional Reading:

Fitzpatrick, S.J., et al. Coordinating Mental and Physical Health Care in Rural Australia: An Integrated Model for Primary Care Settings. International Journal of Integrated Care, 2018; 18(2):19, 1-9. DOI:

The post The same, but a little different: The importance of analyzing the specific mental health care needs of different rural communities appeared first on Determinants.

By: Monica Sourial

As we start getting into the summer, I have some time to reflect on where I was exactly 1 year ago. I had just finished my undergrad degree at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, and I had no idea what I was going to do next. I had always thought that I would end up in medical school since I always had my mind set on becoming a doctor. I hadn’t applied to any other programs so when I didn’t get accepted I felt a complete lack of direction. As soon as graduation rolled around, I quickly started to feel the pressure of everyone around me asking; what next? And my answer to that question was always ‘I don’t know’.

Kakabeka Falls, Thunder Bay

While experiencing these adversities, it brought me back to how I felt when I first moved to Canada at the age of 12. Although I had my parents with me, it was definitely challenging to adapt to a new way of living. As an introvert one of the most difficult things I encountered was making friends. It took me some time to adjust and get connected but once I did I started to enjoy life. I started to keep busy through volunteering and one of the places where I still volunteer lets me explore the country going from one province to the next. The reason I tell you this story is to say that I have been through hardship before and I was able to find my way through it. But to me it felt like this situation was putting me under through immense pressure.

Greenwich Dunes National Park, PEI

At the time, all I knew was that I wanted to stay in the healthcare field, so I started to think about some of the courses that I had taken which I really enjoyed. One of those courses was Regulatory Issues and Human Health, in this course I was introduced to the process of policy making and how healthcare functions. It was the first time that I was exposed to a completely different side of healthcare. And I was immediately intrigued and wanted to learn more about how policies are made, what steps are taken into consideration before coming to a decision. I took some time to think about what my next step would be, so I started to research graduate programs relating to policy.

At this point, it was already nearing the end of June and many of the programs I was inquiring about had already closed their application process. So I was looking at programs that would be starting in the winter or spring of 2019 and once again I felt like I was going nowhere as I wanted to start graduate school right away. Luckily for me, I was able to submit a late application to the Health, Science, Technology and Policy (HSTP) Program at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ with the help of a few professors. Since starting the HSTP program, things started to fall into place. I joined Dr. Peter’s lab – the Spatial Determinants of Health lab to focus my research on rural health. I have also just started a summer position at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) where I get to learn more about the different topics and issues we discuss in class and apply my knowledge through the work I do. And I can’t wait to see where this road will take me next.

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When starting your university career, you quickly learn that time management is an essential skill that can mean the difference between academic life or death. The student life can be very stressful. The sheer volume of information you have to absorb can be dizzying, especially while accumulating more work and adult-life responsibilities. With what feels like million things to do, students at every level will often ask themselves if they should keep up the fight or just give up and let the fires of scholarly stress consume them.

With many competing priorities, it can become difficult to focus on what is important. This article is for students who feel like their schedules are just a little too cluttered. This is a quick guide to the 3 hobbies you NEED to keep to help you get through university. Consider giving the rest the “Kondo treatment”.

Hobby 1: The Fitness Hobby

This is the hobby that gets you moving and keeps you active through your studies. Physical activity and exercise have so many benefits. It helps you maintain healthy body composition, reduces your risk of developing the entire roster of chronic diseases, boosts your mood, boosts your energy levels, helps you sleep regularly, helps keep you focused and helps memory.

The key here is to find something you truly enjoy doing and that will keep you exercising regularly. Don’t try to drag your body out of bed for a 6am spin class when you would rather hit the yoga studio in the evening. You’ll drop that spin class faster than a barefoot jack rabbit on a hot greasy griddle in the middle of August. Personally, I enjoy powerlifting since the goals are simple, there are plenty of resources to help me train, my gym has a good powerlifting community, and I can train with my partner, Heidi.

If you haven’t yet found your fitness hobby, I would recommend sampling a few classes. Your university fitness center will have many available fitness classes you can sign up for, and often free of charge. ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Athletics hosts over 40 classes:

Finally, I strongly recommend planning time for this hobby in your schedule. Plan the time and stick to it. The fit hobby is often the first one to get cut out when the demands of student life get tough. Then one missed fitness session quickly snowballs into weeks away from the gym, studio or classroom. Stress just seems to compound then as the mood, attention and sleep benefits of exercise fade. Keep up with your exercise as best you can. And hey, if you miss a week in the gym, don’t sweat it. The first few sessions back to the gym may feel a little tougher but it really takes about a month of inactivity before you really start to lose any gains.

Hobby 2: The Social Hobby

Do you feel lonely? The chances are you do, and you are not alone. Although communications technology is developing faster than ethical and regulatory oversight, people feel cut off from each other, now more than ever. This has even been named the loneliness epidemic.

Loneliness can leave you feeling a little down in the dumpy-dumps, sure, but it can also affect your sleep, creativity, memory, motivation and satisfaction with your studies. Moreover, loneliness can directly impact your health by increasing you risk of developing mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, and increase your risk of developing chronic health problems such as cardiovascular disease and dementia.

This hobby is a constructive activity that gets you out and gets you real face time real-life people. This can be tricky to get right. Maybe you’re studying in a new city, maybe your friends only gather for some good ol’ binge drinking. It can be daunting to find a new activity that you have to do with strangers and integrate into a new social network. Thankfully, there is always lots going on in your campus and it just take a quick search to find something that interests you.

Consider getting involved in your student associations, check to see if your student associations are hosting any social events, look for regular social events at campus social hubs, look for meet-ups in your city, consider volunteering. Whatever you choose, make it a regular thing, make sure it’s something you can be proud of. It’s also an opportunity to network with other students, make connections with people in your area and make some new friends.

Hobby 3: The Hobby that Helps you Master your Craft

This last hobby is something you can do which helps you sharpen your skills that can be applied in your field of study. This can be a skill you learned in class or a skill essential to your career of choice that you don’t otherwise have a chance to practice. It can take a bit of creative thinking to find this hobby, so I suggest you do the following: think of the skill you would like to improve, then think of what you can do to practice that skill, finally think of projects you can do that would apply the skillset to produce an end-product.

For example, if you want to develop your research skills, consider conducting scoping reviews of topics you find interesting and writing blog posts about what you’ve found. If you enjoy working with data, consider downloading open source or publicly accessible databases and learning to analyse them with a statistical package (your university usually offers licences to these programs, otherwise R is free!). If you enjoy knowledge translation, consider making and sharing infographics.

Pick a skill, do something you find interesting, share your products. This hobby helps you learn and develop marketable skills that can be added to your CV, and helps you become a stronger student in your field of study. As with the above hobbies, plan to make this a regular thing, make time for it in your schedule.

Closing Remarks

University studies are challenging for many different reasons. Personally, I found it really difficult to organize my personal and social life when I started my studies. I still find it difficult to focus on what’s important when life gets noisy. I hope this quick guide will help you, new or seasoned student, pick the activities you spend your limited time on. Try to keep to that keeps you fit, social, sharp but more importantly healthy and motivated.

By: Daniel Cousineau-Short

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