Receiving the SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral (CGRS-D) to support my research is particularly meaningful because it recognizes the importance of the central theme that has connected my undergraduate and graduate studies: climate change is the biggest public health threat and opportunity of the 21st century.
My interest in environmental health and climate change is informed by my childhood experiences growing up in Hong Kong, where I developed environmental asthma and experienced severe respiratory symptoms that improved after moving to Canada. These experiences sparked an early awareness of how the environments in which we live can profoundly shape health and wellbeing. Later, living in a student residence without air conditioning during a high heat event further reinforced my interest in understanding how climate-related environmental exposures affect people's everyday lives. As such, my undergraduate honours thesis, Student Vulnerability to Heat Stress on Campus: Climate Change, Health and Wellbeing, examined student experiences of extreme heat in university residences and the implications for health and wellbeing in a warming climate.
Building on this foundation, I joined the GoHelP Lab for my graduate studies, which provided me with timely opportunities to contribute on projects related to climate change in Canada. Through the Waterloo Climate Institute, I contributed to disaster resilience tools for businesses in Canada, and the climate change and health vulnerability assessment and extreme heat adaptation best practices policy guide for Southwestern Public Health. These experiences have allowed me to work closely with practitioners and decision-makers to co-develop evidence, tools, and recommendations that support real-world adaptation planning and implementation. They have also reinforced the importance of bridging research and practice to ensure that academic work can meaningfully contribute to community wellbeing.
Now, my doctoral dissertation contributes to evidence-and-place-informed climate change adaptation through the development of a taxonomy of facilitators, barriers, equity considerations, and evaluation and monitoring options that can be used to inform climate change adaptation interventions across Canada. This work reflects my goal of contributing to climate adaptation strategies that are responsive to the priorities, needs, and capacities of local communities. Receiving the SSHRC CGRS-D to support this work affirms the growing importance of climate-health adaptation research, even in countries with comparatively lower vulnerability, as communities in Canada are increasingly experiencing the impacts of extreme heat, wildfires, vector-borne diseases, and other climate-related hazards.
I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Susan Elliott, whose mentorship has supported me through every major milestone of my academic journey — from my undergraduate honours thesis to my master's-to-PhD direct transfer, comprehensive examination, and numerous award and scholarship applications, including the SSHRC CGRS-D. More importantly, Dr. Elliott has cultivated a supportive and collaborative community within the GoHelP Lab that has been pivotal to my growth as a researcher and person.
Therefore, I would also like to thank my fellow GoHelP Lab members, past and present, who have supported me throughout this journey. Their encouragement kept me going during challenging moments, and their feedback, expertise, and community have contributed greatly to both my development and this achievement.
All that to say, I am honoured to receive a SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral in support of my PhD research. I look forward to continuing research that advances evidence-and-place-informed climate adaptation to help build healthier, more resilient communities across Canada.