I envision my doctoral studies laying the foundation for my program of research, including the skills needed to become an independent researcher. I have a strong interest in creating space for ethical practice. Creating moral spaces requires an approach to health and personhood that extends beyond the boundaries of professional codes and principles, to include context and our social situatedness within the larger community. This lens has impacted my sensitivity towards power dynamics, inequalities and multiple ways of knowing.
Research Description
My research is focused on increasing the evidence-base of current psychedelic-assisted therapy practices and contexts to inform best practices for Canadian healthcare. The current mental health crisis is contributing to untold effects for Canadians. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PaT) is a promising treatment that is gaining increasing evidence of its effectiveness for patients with severe and refractory mental health concerns. As a therapy that requires patients to engage in intensive preparation, treatment and follow up, evidence-informed best practices for excellent and safe care prior, during and post intervention are urgently needed. As a result of the 2020 Health Canada landmark PaT exemptions for psilocybin for end-of-life distress and MDMA for PTSD in 2022, only limited psychedelic therapies are currently available outside the clinical trial setting. Importantly, a $3-million PaT research investment by the Government of Canada (2023) and call for immediate implementation of a PaT program of study by the Subcommittee of Veterans Affairs (2023) indicates the urgent need for skilled practice. As PaT approaches mainstream healthcare use, we are faced with vital practice considerations, most notably in developing a highly skilled PaT workforce. My doctoral research aims to understand the experiences and ways in which PaT is practiced today, healthcare workforce preparedness, and what constitutes knowledgeable, skilled, ethically informed psychedelic care in Canada. Grounded in a narrative inquiry methodology and relational theory lens that understands individuals as inherently social beings shaped by a complex web of relationships under specific historical, social and political circumstances, learnings from this study will be translated for the public in collaboration with my community partners through grassroots-led seminars. Further, an interdisciplinary best practice PaT guideline will be distributed to professional colleges and associations nationally for those associated with direct PaT care. This collaborative study will contribute to the growing body of evidence to provide an innovative, rigorous, ethically-informed starting point to guide psychedelic care for the wellbeing of Canadians who are in serious need of support.
What does being a Public Scholar mean to you?
My interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PaT) stems from a culmination of my experiences as a registered nurse in witnessing mental health distress related to the end-of-life, impacts of trauma for patients in the emergency department context and recognition of the commitment by healthcare providers to practice appropriate and ethical care to alleviate mental health concerns. Towards enacting genuine change with PaT practices, I have developed strong, collaborative relationships with two community partners. Within all elements of my partnerships and research, I try to weave in principles of public scholarship. With my community partners, I have sought opportunities that have broadened my understanding of contextualized, ethical psychedelic care and contribute to grassroots and public sector health care specific knowledge mobilization. In collaboration with members of the Public Scholars Initiative network, I aim to challenge the inverse law of care many PaT patients face, where the therapy becomes most inaccessible to individuals, groups, and communities with the greatest need.
In what ways do you think the PhD experience can be re-imagined with the Public Scholars Initiative?
Being a public scholar will help me reimagine and fulfill my knowledge translation goals of creating a much-needed, interdisciplinary best practice PaT guidelines in Canada. As nurses operate at the nexus of interdisciplinary work and scopes of practice overlap across many health professions, I take an interdisciplinary lens. I intend for the co-created knowledge from this study to inform an overarching view of skilled, ethical PaT practice that will be accessible to a broad audience of practitioners. Where traditional health research tends to be siloed within respective disciplines, this study intentionally examines PaT as a whole to identify key pieces of the patient trajectory that may be overlooked from a discipline-specific lens. As I intend for my research to shape healthcare practice, access to Public Scholars Initiative policy workshops, equity-focused engagements and collaborations with health educators will be invaluable. Through the Public Scholar Initiative, I can combine my ethical, equity and interdisciplinary lenses to develop a much-needed best practice resource for practitioners to support patients through excellent psychedelic care.
How do you envision connecting your PhD work with broader career possibilities?
My PhD research currently intertwines with the work I do with my community partners within the psychedelic space. I envision my doctoral studies laying the foundation for my program of research, including the skills needed to become an independent researcher. I have a strong interest in creating space for ethical practice, creating moral spaces requires an approach to health and personhood that extends beyond the boundaries of professional codes and principles to include context and our social situatedness within the larger community. This lens has impacted my sensitivity towards power dynamics, inequalities and multiple ways of knowing. I bring forward these learnings to guide my research and future practice in honouring dignity, building trust and demonstrating accountability to those I engage with as a nurse and within my current and future research positions. My PhD training offers skills I aim to apply more broadly within my areas of interest, including examining assumptions and the received view concerning mental health, associated treatments, and the implications of historical and social contexts.
How does your research engage with the larger community and social partners?
The gap in knowledge my study addresses for providing excellent psychedelic care was identified in concert with Vancouver Island University Naut sa Mawt Centre for Psychedelic Research in my role as a visiting researcher, the Psychedelic Association of Canada in my role as a member of the ethics advisory team and with psychedelic-related clinicians across Canada. Further, my methodology of narrative inquiry is innovative in the pool of psychedelic research as it directly examines PaT within the "real world" which yields highly applicable, context-based results. In weaving together my work with these community partners and my doctoral studies, I aim to support genuine local and national impact for diverse audiences pertaining to excellent psychedelic care.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
My clinical experiences as a bedside nurse in the emergency department, intensive care unit and with Medical Assistance in Dying directly impacted my decision to pursue a master’s degree which focused on moral distress experienced by pediatric intensive care nurses relating to the death and dying of their patients. In witnessing the experiences and stories of distress from my colleagues, patients, families and participants, I became inspired to examine novel ways of approaching mental health, particularly from a relational understanding. I view graduate education as a way to develop tangible research skills and challenge my ways of thinking to ultimately shape who I am becoming – and want to become – as a researcher.
Why did you choose to come to British Columbia and study at UBC?
I chose UBC because of its excellence in high quality education and research. From my first interactions with the School of Nursing staff and faculty, I felt a sincere sense of collegiality and welcomeness. The support from my supervisor, Dr. Vicky Bungay, has been incredible and monumental to my growth and development. Having experienced this level of mentorship, I would absolutely enroll in the PhD program again.
