Program
Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology
Research Supervisor
Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis
Hometown
Federal Way, Washington, USA
Awards
Mitacs Accelerate Internship
Pritchard Graduate Fellowship
Please describe your research
I am completing an interdisciplinary PhD investigating sedentary behaviour among people with spinal cord injury. The negative physiological effects of sedentary behaviour have received growing attention in science and media, where sitting has been called “the new smoking.” When people sit more throughout a day, this has been connected to increased cardiovascular disease, incidence of cancer, and poorer mental health. People with spinal cord injury (SCI) are among the least active population groups and sit for more time during a day than people without disabilities. Yet, there is very little research related to the effects of sitting and sedentary behaviour among people with spinal cord injury.
Almost 400,000 people in the U.S. and Canada are estimated to live with traumatic SCI. The SCI Action Canada Lab has investigated physical activity among people with SCI for more than 20 years, and my work explores sedentary behaviour in a natural extension to this body of work. The goal of my PhD is to 1) determine if sitting and sedentary behaviour negatively affects people with SCI, 2) determine if sedentary behaviour is an important topic to explore in people with SCI, and 3) identify potential interruption strategies for sedentary behaviour tailored for people with SCI.
For my Public Scholars Initiative project, I will be completing interviews with people with spinal cord injury who do not regularly walk. Our interviews will explore how people with spinal cord injury experience and perceive sedentary behaviour, as well as their knowledge of both scientific and media literature related to sitting. The analysis will show us how people with spinal cord injury feel about sitting, as well as the language related to sitting that is used by scientists and non-scientific publications. This analysis will be applied to a media guide which will recommend language to use when discussing sedentary behaviour that is more inclusive than phrases such as “sitting is the new smoking.” Ideally, this guide results in sitting articles that are more inclusive, which improves how people with spinal cord injury engage with and learn from publications related to sedentary behaviour.
What does being a Public Scholar mean to you?
My work will extend beyond traditional academic spaces because I am a Public Scholar. We work within a community engaged lab and it is our goal to promote physical activity among people with spinal cord injury. Engaging our community is important, yet we are not equipped to engage in every way. The Public Scholars Initiative prides itself on partnering students with the resources necessary to extend translation. The connections afforded to digital media creators will improve the reach of this work. Being a Public Scholar means greater knowledge, and greater health outcomes, which has informed my research trajectory and goals as a scientist.
In what ways do you think the PhD experience can be re-imagined with the Public Scholars Initiative?
The Public Scholars Initiative uniquely enables students to completely rework the traditional dissertation format. Traditional academic circles are expanding to include more non-traditional ways of knowing, and the Public Scholars Initiative acknowledges that and allows students to engage in displaying their process of learning uniquely.
For my work, we will develop non-traditional research products including a media guide. A traditional PhD might produce a paper from my study, which would suggest that language be changed related to sedentary behaviour and people with SCI. As a Public Scholar, I am allowed to go one step further with a product that would not be possible otherwise. The connections, social support, and funding of the Public Scholars Initiative allow deeper possibilities from scholarly graduate work.
How do you envision connecting your PhD work with broader career possibilities?
My career possibilities are broad due to work I have engaged with at UBC Okanagan and will expand as a result of the Public Scholars Initiative. I have worked in the commercial research space as an intern, seen possibilities in policy and government jobs, and my project will introduce me to the communications and media realms. As the population of people with PhDs grows, jobs are expanding to accommodate a highly trained workforce in more non-traditional ways. Developing skills and fostering connections that set me apart from other students will make me more competitive and comfortable seeking out opportunities outside of traditional academic roles.
How does your research engage with the larger community and social partners?
Our research is community-engaged from the start. Our lab values include integrity, collaboration, and excellence with the overall goal of making a difference. Our research project has two primary community partners; a person with lived experience with spinal cord injury is on the research team, and we are partnering with SCI British Columbia. Our lived experience partner has provided feedback from the beginning of the research project including informing the research question, acceptability of the methods, as well as developing our interview guide. Our community partner will help at the end of the project, informing our development of a sedentary behaviour language media guide. As a lab, we have a long partnership with SCI BC and they are well equipped to support production of these resources.
How do you hope your work can make a contribution to the public good?
I am most directly attempting to contribute to the public good by determining and disseminating the most appropriate language for discussing sedentary behaviour that is inclusive of people with spinal cord injury. “Sitting is the new smoking” is very limiting to a person who sits as a result of a spinal cord injury, especially when interruption of sedentary behaviour through pushing a wheelchair could negate the negative effects of “sitting.” More inclusive language could possibly increase how people with spinal cord injury engage with information on sedentary behaviour, and increased awareness and knowledge is one way to positively change behaviour.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I decided to pursue graduate degrees because I grew to appreciate the research process, specifically working with people with spinal cord injury and wheelchair basketball athletes. My first research experiences were in smaller roles where I assisted with data collection, but I enjoyed interacting with parasport athletes. Since I also enjoyed data collection, I sought out opportunities to conduct human participant research, which led me to complete a master’s degree studying sedentary behaviour. The most recent choice to pursue a PhD at UBC Okanagan allowed me to combine my two lines of previous research, exploring sedentary behaviour among people with SCI.
Why did you choose to come to UBC Okanagan and study?
I chose to come to UBC Okanagan to work with the world-leading experts in my field. I have been reading the work of my advisors and committee members since I was an undergraduate student, and the choice to move internationally to Kelowna was easy when the opportunity was offered to combine my previous experiences into a PhD. For studying physical activity among people with spinal cord injury, there is not a better place in the world for me to be than at UBC Okanagan and connected to the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD).
Nathan Adams is a UBC Okanagan Public Scholar. Learn more about the Public Scholars Initiative (PSI).
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