Introducing Tasneem
Tasneem is a PhD Candidate in Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. Under the supervision of Dr. Martin Cooke, Tasneem’s PhD research focuses on identifying social and economic risks associated with poor mental health among immigrants, particularly immigrant women. Tasneem’s interest in social and health equity stemmed from her own experience of migrating to Canada at a young age, and through hearing stories of the struggles individuals faced post-migration. In addition to dedicating her journey to examining immigrant mental health, she has also conducted research on social, economic, and cultural factors that could negatively affect the mental health of South Asians and Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Tasneem has accomplished several achievements throughout her graduate studies: a chapter of her PhD study titled “Household, Neighborhood, and Community Contexts and the Mental Health of Immigrants in Canada” (joint work with Dr. Cooke) is being published as a book chapter with Technische Universität Berlin. Furthermore, she is the proud recipient of the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Queen Elizabeth-II Scholarship in STEM, President’s Graduate Scholarships, and a co-recipient of the Canadian Research Data Centre Network & Indigenous Services Canada’s Award.
Writing a PhD Dissertation
Tasneem approaches the challenging task of writing a PhD dissertation through careful organization, planning, and time management. According to Tasneem, creating an outline for her dissertation was key to discerning which chapters to include, and clarifying the content of each chapter. The volume of content that needs to be covered in a dissertation is certainly overwhelming as it involves covering literature to understand the topic as well as selecting key articles. Tasneem efficiently worked through journal articles through organizing them by theme and their relevance to her topic.
Moreover, Tasneem emphasizes the advantages of coming up with clear research questions early in the process, explaining that doing so “provides direction to the research.” She mentions that the chosen topic and research questions are also more effective if they contribute to the understanding of or attempt to solve a relevant issue in society. Also, the research methods selected should have the rigor to test the research questions. Furthermore, Tasneem notes the value of including at least one section in the dissertation that details the implications of the research for the public, society, and scientific community at large. Doing so broadens the uptake of research that a PhD student takes time and effort writing.
In addition to employing effective strategies to successfully complete her PhD dissertation, Tasneem has also used resources offered by the University. She found the online writing guidelines at the Writing and Communication Centre particularly helpful and specifically cites the role played by Mary McPherson, a senior communication and multimodal writing specialist. Mary’s continued support has greatly contributed to Tasneem’s academic success, such as her achievements in winning graduate scholarships and applying for the SSHRC doctoral award.
Advice to other graduate students
Tasneem encourages those joining a PhD program at the University of Waterloo to network and establish support systems, as the program is long and could become arduous. Consistent dedication and motivation are needed to achieve success, and finding peers who are on a similar path would be helpful in making that process easier, as well as mentors who can help foster growth and confidence.