Being a Public Scholar means networking with and learning from a group of interdisciplinary doctoral scholars who are passionate about bringing public goods beyond conventional theses.
Research Description
My thesis project aims to understand the complex processes of the healthcare systems based on the experiences navigating the systems of people living with dementia from the Chinese community, to which I belong, and related policy documents to identify the gaps, racism and other oppressions in the systems to propose policy changes. My proposed PSI project aims to present the findings on the major operation processes of these complex healthcare systems in a process map (i.e., a graphic map presenting the major operation processes of complex systems) so that it will be easier to identify the gaps, racism and other oppressions in the systems, especially for non-academic audiences.
What does being a Public Scholar mean to you?
Being a Public Scholar means networking with and learning from a group of interdisciplinary doctoral scholars who are passionate about bringing public goods beyond conventional theses.
In what ways do you think the PhD experience can be re-imagined with the Public Scholars Initiative?
One gap between the academic world and society is that people outside academia sometimes find it challenging to understand academic work, including PhD theses, which may not be in accessible formats and languages. PSI allows me to “translate” my PhD thesis findings into a more accessible format and language by visualizing the findings in a graphic map.
How do you envision connecting your PhD work with broader career possibilities?
My PhD work, including the PSI project, gives me an opportunity to build the skills to translate the findings of my thesis from a conventional academic format and language into a format and language that is more accessible to the public. Such skills open my career possibilities beyond academic institutions.
How does your research engage with the larger community and social partners?
The graphic map, in an accessible format and language, will be presented to people living with dementia, their families and service providers for feedback so that their lived expertise can be incorporated into it.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I have been practising as a registered social worker in elder and dementia care. Through my clinical experience, I found people living with dementia, especially those from racial, cultural and language minorities, often have challenges navigating, accessing, and using healthcare and social services. I have been advocating with them and interdisciplinary healthcare providers and leadership for a long time and am gratefully acknowledged by different practice/clinical awards in social work, healthcare and aging for my work, including the Distinguished Services Award 2024 by the Canadian Association of Social Workers and Inspiring Social Worker of the Year Award 2021 by BC Association of Social Workers. However, I still found it hard to identify the embedded gaps and oppressions in the systems. Therefore, I decided to do my PhD to explore this topic further.
Why did you choose to come to British Columbia and study at UBC?
UBC School of Social Work has a reputation for integrating research, practice, policy, and teaching, which is what I believe in social work as a practitioner/clinician, researcher, policy advocate, and educator in social work. My supervisor, Prof. Deborah O’Connor, is internationally well-known for manifesting this value of integration in the field of aging and dementia. UBC has stature in promoting research that brings real-world impact. For example, UBC has established awards that promote and acknowledge academic work with real-world impact. I am honoured to be recognized by some of them, including the Impact BC Scholarship in Health Care Research and Development and the Liu Scholar Fellowship.
