Lauren McCaffrey is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral fellow within the Health CASCADE network. She will use co-creation to address sedentary behaviour in the workplace; working alongside employers and employees. Her research will focus on the experience of co-creators; shed light on how people experience being involved in the process.
It has been a year since the Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral Fellows joined Health CASCADE. The time to date has been eventful; with our researchers moving countries, making new connections and settling into academic life. In this blog, Lauren reflects on the first year of her PhD, as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, and the lessons she’s learnt along the way.
A year completed of my PhD studies. Where did that time go?
What do you imagine when you think of the life of a PhD student? Or of a researcher? A scientist? An expert?
I can’t recall exactly what image I had in mind before I embarked on this journey. I know I didn’t have any of the typical stereotypes – the person dressed in a white lab coat, holding a pipette, or reading from a messy table full of papers stacked in unaligned columns, to name some that I’ve heard. Perhaps because I was primed by my studies in psychology, where I was taught to challenge such stereotypes. I was guided by mentors to create my own path, that there was no single path to get to where you aspire to be. Where did I want to be?
“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be”
Douglas adams
Here I am, in a highly prestigious position as a Maire Skłodowska-Curie research fellow, a PhD student, an early-stage researcher, based at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland. One of the requirements for the Maire Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, is to relocate (in my case, from Ireland). So not only have I a year of studies and professional development to reflect on, I also have a year of living abroad and personal growth to reflect on too. Research is increasingly a global pursuit, with international and transdisciplinary collaboration not just expected, but sometimes necessary. Being a part of Health CASCADE, a multidisciplinary and European-wide network, we can do just that.
We just clicked!
April 2022, the Health CASCADE consortium met in person for the first time after spending seven months working together, co-learning, and co-creating online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a joy to finally meet all the people I had spent so much time online with, in person, to share hugs and handshakes, to clink glasses and say cheers or sláinte! And in some ways, it didn’t really feel like it was our first-time meeting in person, we just clicked. We were gathered here to support, encourage, and to provide mutual criticism for the growth and development of our joint research endeavours. We are after all, pieces of a puzzle, working towards evidence-based co-creation for public health. We aren’t just networking; we are making friends and potentially lifelong connections.
Remember the WINS!
Never forget to reflect on your successes, your key milestones. The first of which, was receiving ethical approval and all the hard work that went into the application. Receiving the green light to proceed with your research is exciting, perhaps even exhilarating with the idea that no one can stop us now!
The next key milestone is recruiting people for our study, which is the stage we are at now (check out our recruitment website here!). Having thought outside the box, been receptive to new recruitment strategies and asking for help, the future of our study is looking bright. To be excited about your own research, is to spark enthusiasm and interest from others.
Concluding my first year of studies, means I also get to share my work to date, my research plans and study protocols. By the time this blog is released, I’ll have just presented a research poster at the first conference of my PhD. I’m excited about what we can achieve in the future!
Reflection is an integral part of professional development and personal growth, and for co-creation! I have so much appreciation for the people on the journey with me. Of course, these are only snippets and highlights of my reflections, there are many more. So, I recommend you take a moment to reflect on your activities over the past year.
Got your own story or reflection on your PhD journey? Share it with us!