When I began my journey at Thompson Rivers University my academic goals were not reflective of what they are at the present time; at the onset of my academic career, I believed that I wanted to complete my Bachelor of Arts in psychology to continue to pursue my Juris Doctorate. While I have always intended to pursue graduate studies, I had never imagined that research would be such a fulsome, important part of my life. My interest in engaging in research was fostered by the mentorship and encouragement of both Dr. Jenny Shaw and Dr. Rochelle Stevenson; the passion and kindness that both Jenny and Rochelle embody in their teaching practice inspired me to pursue graduate studies to become a sociologist and professor. My passion for both sociology and social psychology is founded within my desire to enact social change through empirically based research. From this inspiration, I became drawn to qualitative, feminist research practices. Guided by my supervisors, I immersed myself in the works of various brilliant feminist scholars such as Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and many more.
My research praxis is entirely inspired and informed by feminist theory and practice; the areas of research that I am most interested in include medical sociology, health psychology, and family and kinship studies. I was able to explore research in the afore mentioned areas of scholarship by authoring numerous research papers and literature reviews—some of which are featured in the Evaluating Existing Research section on my portfolio website. Engaging with the work of other scholars has allowed me to embody a more nuanced understanding of the importance of research methodologies and ethical research practices.
After obtaining research credentials from applied research methods courses, I sought to conduct research of my own. My interest this endeavour led both Dr. Shaw and Dr. Stevenson to suggest that I apply for the Undergraduate Research Experience Award Program (UREAP) scholarship. I am grateful to have been awarded the scholarship and was able to conduct my own research study, wherein I sought to examine the effect of misogyny and feminized pain in patient encounters for endometriosis diagnosis. In brief, endometriosis is a debilitating oestrogen dependent inflammatory condition that affects all organs of the body which is commonly misdiagnosed and accompanied by extensive diagnostic delays.1,2 Throughout my study, I conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews, speaking to endometriosis patients across Canada about their experiences of endometriosis diagnosis within the Canadian healthcare system. My thematic analysis of the data unveiled that patients were routinely dismissed, discredited, and isolated throughout their diagnosis. Compiling the notable themes of my data analysis, I authored a 40-page research paper titled “A Feminist Analysis of Endometriosis Discourse: Experiences of Dismissal and Disempowerment and Moving Towards an Ethics of Care for Endometriosis Patients”—the complete research paper is featured within the Analyzing and Drawing Conclusions section of my portfolio website.
It is pertinent to note that the conduction of the present research has allowed me to develop my research abilities through various pathways. Notably, I strengthened my ability to effectively communicate my ideas and make proposals through my interactions with influential stakeholders in the sphere of endometriosis research. I requested that my invitation to participate in research be disseminated through The Endometriosis Network Canada (TENC) and the World Endometriosis Research Foundations (WERF); I was required to present my research and undergo secondary ethical analyses to facilitate this dissemination. Furthermore, I was a presenter at the Thompson Rivers University 2023 Undergraduate Research and Innovation Conference where I disseminated my research findings through a virtual presentation as well as an in-person event. Thus, conducting the present research has been of the utmost benefit to my academic career as I was required to communicate and engage with the community; these efforts have facilitated numerous connections which will allow me to further disseminate my research findings upon publication.
This research has been notably important within the academic community as the present body of qualitative literature surrounding patient experiences with endometriosis diagnosis and treatment is exceptionally small, especially in Canada; the Canadian healthcare institution has yet to implement the same standard of research and funding for endometriosis that countries such as Australia and Denmark have accomplished.3 Thus, the present research sought to fill a gap in the literature by not only asking patients about their experiences of diagnosis, but asking what meaningful, effective change in endometriosis care might be for Canadian endometriosis patients. In bringing the research to a close I sought to embody the feminist praxis that I believed so deeply in by acknowledging the hardship that the patients have faced, and questioning how we can improve? The larger dissemination of the calls to action of endometriosis patients is arguably the most critical attribute of the research.
In the conclusion of my research paper—which I hope will become my first publication—the final sentiment reads “[i]t is difficult to bring the present research to a conclusion. The notion of a conclusion suggests an ending, when really, it has only just begun”, this is true of the emerging body of qualitative literature on endometriosis and feminized pain, and it is also true of what I hope my contributions to this field will be. It is my utmost goal to conduct research and author theory that affects change through both discourse and policy in the areas of scholarship that I am most interested in. That is, it is my hope to conduct empirically based, accessible research which not only unveils societal problems, but provides a framework to overcome such ills. The research that I have conducted at Thompson Rivers University is not only important to my future career, rather, it is the beginning of my career; conducting the present research has facilitated my entry into academia. For this and for so much more, to those who have led me through my introduction to research, and to those who lovingly read all of the words that I write, grateful is truly too small a word. Looking ahead, I hope to continue to facilitate the conduction and dissemination of deliberate, meaningful qualitative research.