-Life as an Assistant Professor-
Introducing
Dr. Ingrid Handlovsky is an assistant professor within the School of Nursing at the University of Victoria. There she studies how social environments can affect people’s health.
Not only that she is involved with the advocating for recognition of interpersonal and structural discrimination as a determinant of health
Academic Background
Rewinding a bit, Dr. Handlovsky got interested in education and research while studying at McMaster University, where she completed an undergraduate thesis in psychomotor control.
She later completed a fast-track nursing program at the University of Toronto and worked briefly in oncology before moving to outreach community mental health and substance use in Vancouver’s downtown Eastside.
Mission Driven Work
While working as a nurse, Dr. Handlovsky became passionate about helping people who face disadvantages due to inherent social structures that are not positioned to truly assist.
This led her to complete a master’s and PhD in nursing at the University of British Columbia. Her research now looks at issues of health equity and how social environments, including historical and political factors, can impact people’s health outcomes.
Advocacy
Dr. Handlovsky’s work focuses on advocating for equity and social justice, and she works with LGBTQ2S+ individuals and groups to learn from their experiences of resiliency.
Her doctoral dissertation specifically focused on enhancing equity with gender and sexual identity, and was supported by several research fellowships.
Reasons to Listen
This will be a talk worth listening to for:
- those interested in knowing more about the finer details of scholarly work
- those curious about the rewards and challenges of participatory action research
- those who are looking for insights on whether a career within academia could be a fit for them
Listeners will come away with insights on:
- the day in the life of an academic scholar
- the distinctions between scholarly teaching and research responsibilities
- what Dr. Handlovsky’s finds both challenging and fulfilling in doing ‘participatory action research’
- some of the other inherent challenges and rewards of the work
- her pathway to becoming a scholar
- how her work within academia has altered and shifted Dr. Handlovsky’s world views within the spheres of life and living
- a look at her present day research initiatives and interests of study
- the type of academic work she does as far as the level of importance and impact it represents
- the issue of funding within academic research
- the importance of strong mentorship within this work
- the autonomous nature of scholarly work
- practical advice to those who are looking to institute change
- the impact of tech and AI on the scholarly space
- much more!
A Memorable Quote from the Episode:
“My mentor shared the perspective with me that our job is to come up with ideas. Often times we are not successful and that can be very devastating. At the end of the day, though, it’s about maintaining that curiosity and engaging the world and asking questions.”
-Dr. Ingrid Handlovsky
Check out the Video Conversation:
For those who desire to view highlights of the conversation, you can do so via Youtube:
Discover More
For those interested in learning more about Dr. Handlovsky and her work, be sure to check her out via the University of Victoria or simply follow her on the following platform:
Episode Note:
**Christopher incorrectly refers to Dr. Handlovsky as a professor during the conversation. However in actuality, her title is that of an Assistant Professor. LIFE AS A.. apologies for any confusion this may have caused.
Keep Listening!
I hope you enjoyed the episode. For more, check out additional episodes here!
