Name
Sharlene S. Lansiquot (Hasegawa)
Program
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
Research Supervisor
Dr. Carla Hilario
Hometown
Brooklyn, New York City, USA
Awards
- Joan L. Bottorff Graduate Scholarship in Nursing
- Dorothy Anna Proudfoot Memorial Scholarship in Nursing
- UBC Okanagan Graduate Research Scholarship
Please describe your research.
As a first-year PhD student, my research is ever-evolving, but right now it focuses on how nursing history can deepen our understanding of child mental health among Black children, especially Black girls whose emotional experiences have often been overlooked in both historical and present-day healthcare systems. I hope to explore how Black nurses historically responded to the mental health needs of children living within conditions shaped by racial segregation, systemic inequity, and intergenerational trauma.
Drawing on frameworks such as Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS) and studies done of racial identity and self-perception formation, including research informed by the 1940s “doll test” by Kenneth and Mamie Clark, my work considers how racial trauma influences Black child and youth mental wellness. For example, historical studies, such as the “doll test,” have attempted to show that children, regardless of racial background, have historically been more likely to perceive Black dolls as less beautiful, moral, and intelligent, potentially reflecting the early internalization of racial hierarchies and societal perception (Byrd et al., 2017).
Moreover, I am also interested in considering how trauma rooted in historical oppression continues to influence identity development, emotional wellbeing, and healthcare experiences across ongoing generations of Black children. In this regard, I draw inspiration from my previous Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholarly project implemented in the USA, entitled “Love Your Locks”, which centered the importance of respecting and understanding the unique hair care needs of racialized (broadly speaking), but especially Black children in an inpatient pediatric hospital setting. I am especially interested in how everyday nursing practices such as racially sensitive hair hygiene, grooming and relational caregiving may have functioned as forms of psychological protection and cultural restoration of mental health for Black children dealing with racial trauma, long before trauma-informed care became validated within healthcare.
Right now, my research interests are still relatively broad, but I continue to refine them and hone in on the focus of my dissertation as I explore the literature surrounding these topics.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
Life-Size (Rosman, 2000) was one of my favorite films growing up. It was about a Black Barbie doll who miraculously came to life. As an Afro-Caribbean-American woman, I recall receiving my very first life-size Black Barbie doll, which was given to me by my loving father figure, my Haitian uncle Élysée, during my Black girlhood years. My uncle tried his best to instill in me the importance of transforming representation and mirroring my beloved qualities back to me through dolls and other gifts that reflected my unique physical characteristics. In my mid-twenties, after graduating from nursing school, I took a brief sabbatical from pediatric psychiatric nursing to become a Global Ancient History teacher at a middle school in New York City. I wanted to expand my research horizons and learn more about the depth and breadth of Black children’s experiences throughout various historical periods and cultures.
My experiences as a pediatric nurse and a children’s educator within the field of history sparked my interest in the role that history plays in the health of Black girls, particularly mental health. This is when I became interested in pursuing a PhD in nursing. Within nursing, there is recognition of the implications of understanding racism as historical trauma (Joo-Castro & Emerson, 2021; Sule et al., 2017). There is emerging evidence on how history might be used as a tool to combat the daily psychological warfare that Black girls and other children of color face in their complex lives (Schwartz et al., 2021), and in turn, possibly improving their mental health.
Pursuing a graduate degree will hopefully allow me to examine the historical role of Black nurses in protecting the psychological and identity development of Black children, particularly Black girls, within systems built on intergenerational racial trauma and inequity. My graduate degree will allow me to work on bridging nursing history, child mental health, and Black girlhood studies to explore how nursing care practices conducted by Black nurses acted as “safe and brave spaces” for cultural and intergenerational healing.
Why did you choose to come to UBC Okanagan and study?
There are so many reasons why I chose to study at UBCO. To sum up my experiences, I am so excited to be a PhD student at UBCO. So far, I have had a very positive experience and my mentor, Dr. Carla Hilario is one of the best supervisors I have ever had, and that makes a tremendous difference. Dr. Hilario is extremely flexible and supportive, and I admire the work that she is doing through the Child and Youth Healthy Futures Lab. Moreover, the UBCO nursing community, including faculty, staff, and peers, are helpful, compassionate, and inquisitive.
Please share a little bit about yourself.
Beyond my academic role, I am a mom, wife, sister, friend, and an occasional writer of poetry. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, both in person and virtually with loved ones living in Canada and the United States. I especially find joy and peace in taking long walks near the Okanagan Lake. I am so blessed and grateful to be living in the picturesque British Columbia, which affords me the opportunity to find solace in the natural beauty that surrounds me each day. Finally, I am a woman of Christian faith, and finding and establishing spiritual grounding and community is very essential to my overall quality of life.