Why did you choose to explore research at McMaster University?

McMaster University is a world-renowned research institution, which has a track record for excellence in many areas of health research. I chose to conduct research here to gain exposure to high quality and innovative research in my areas of interest. 

What are your career aspirations or plans following completion of your current training?

After my doctoral training, I hope to pursue a successful post-doctoral fellowship in the fields of aging, chronic disease, exercise and/or population health. I am very interested in statistics and research methodology, and aim to learn more in my next stage of training. 

What excites you most about your research or what has been the most exciting moment in your (academic) career so far?

I live for the “Ah-Ha” moments. There have been several instances during my coursework that have provided me with information that made research significantly clearer. Specifically, Paul Stratford’s course on advanced statistical analysis gave me confidence in conducting complex analyses. The feeling of successfully learning a complicated topic is very exciting. 

Why do you think patient-oriented research is important in the research you are involved in?

From my perspective in exercise therapy, I think that working with community partners and patient-partners is important to understand how our interventions will or won’t work. People with lived experience provide rich insight into feasibility issues or real-world applications of our interventions, which are often times missed when only considering its effect. 

What experiences or advice would you like to share with prospective/new trainees?

Learn something new every day. You won’t be able to publish an article or win a scholarship every day, so find enjoyment in learning and building your toolkit, and success/opportunities will find you eventually. 

Tell me about someone who has influenced your decision to work in your specific area of research?

My supervisor, Dr. Ada Tang, is a world leader in stroke rehabilitation research. She inspires me to find gaps in the literature and to think of innovative solutions to problems that exist in our field. She has also inspired me to network and collaborate with diverse networks of people, which has helped me immensely as a trainee. 

What qualities do you consider important for success in your specific area of research?

I value working with a strong network of people who are kind and willing to collaborate fairly. Good collaborators get the research done, great collaborators make the research fun.