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Anchoring Stitches

5/21/2022

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We could talk about my grandmother as someone who lived a life of service and gave of herself regularly to the community - both as the wife of two ministers, and in her own right as she navigated space as a single person.
We could talk about my grandmother as a professional in the medical field. Touched early by rheumatic fever and living ever since with its consequences, she contemplated a study of the sciences. But, influenced by family duty and gender roles, she found a career in hospital administration and made her imprint on medicine by influencing system structure and function.
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You’re always fully dressed with a smile, and she rarely left the house without one.
With her recent passing, I’ve naturally thought so much of her, and how best to describe a long life well lived. What occurred to me is that, alongside the roles of wife, mother, parishioner, volunteer, and professional, one facet touched all the others: her love for, and expression through, fashion.

And because I can still hear her voice softly stating that she was not a “proper” artist, I’ve been exploring this idea that, somehow, art belongs only to professionals or particular domains.

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The Essential Creative Farmer

1/21/2022

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Being someone who is a creative person by nature, I like to think (perhaps like many others) that creativity is something I can dip into without fail - a Mary Poppins' carpet bag of ideas and inspiration. However, there are times that I brush against the bottom of the bag. 
The dreaded block. A resistance to the creative end that feels nonsensical and without cause.​ I've faced this a number of times in both writing and photography. What I've had to learn (and constantly remind myself) is that, in my creative pursuits, even a bottomless bag needs time to replenish. It's at this point that many look to farming for guidance; specifically, the need to let fields - be they carrots or creative pursuits - lie fallow and allow nutrients previously leached by crops to return to the soils. 
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How do you do that, though, when you're farming creativity? For me, a few practices have helped me move through these periods of creative rest.

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Our Terms of Engagement

1/9/2022

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Maybe it’s just me, but I find that staying informed of current research practice often feels like I’m trying to take a sip of water from a fire hose. Journal articles only scratch the surface, with vast more treasures lying in wait through social media postings.
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Boxing Day Books

12/26/2021

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For me, having the opportunity to be nestled in a chair, cozy and warm, with a book and hot drink, is the perfect winter activity when snowy winds are howling around your house.

If you find yourself today with gift cards that you want to spend on stories, but you need some suggestions, here’s a list of books that I’m either looking forward to reading, or have read and find inspirational or influential for science, health and research.
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Letters to Myself

12/17/2021

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It's odd to consider that specific birthdays are milestones, when every turn around the sun should be an occasion for celebration, especially in a time when much seems hopeless (hello, year 2 of a pandemic). However, our society does place particular emphasis on certain years; we're fixated on fives and tens.
​So when I look ahead to the coming week and the advent of a new decade for yours truly, I took some time to reflect and think about what I would say to earlier versions of myself.  ​
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Making a Connection

12/12/2021

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Arguably, the biggest challenge we face in sharing our science and having an impact in our communities is the lack of trust in credible sources. To tackle this problem, continuing to simple share evidence isn’t enough; we need to understand the root cause.

Why is it that some people are willing to accept misinformation over the evidence produced by experts?

As I was thinking back recently to my own path through university, a particular event stands out that highlights one possible cause.
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Branching Out: How to Take Your PhD Beyond Academia

12/5/2021

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I knew early in grad school that, although I loved the learning and writing associated with research, I wasn't all that interested in pursuing a traditional academic path.

At the time (2004-2005), it seemed there were few resources for seeking non-academic careers post-dissertation, or even reassurances that this was not, in fact, a Very Bad Idea
™.

​But I was willing to bet on myself, and so I did what made sense to me for building the eventual post-dissertation life. 
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So when someone reached out to me a month ago, also armed with a PhD and desire to shift to a non-academic role, I shared with them the following advice. ​

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Sticky Note Science: A Creative Way to Share Your Research

11/27/2021

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If there's one thing I can achieve through my posts, it's that you are aware of the many more ways to #ShareYourScience beyond journal articles or conference presentations. One unique way of doing this is the sticky note challenge, where you have to communicate your research topic using only one sticky note. Let's check out some examples I've found below the cut, and then I'll show you how I took my own thesis and made it a #PostItNotePhD.
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Seven Steps to Mindfully Live Tweet Your Next Conference

11/21/2021

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Soon after starting my work in health research seven years ago, I attended my first health research conference.

And, having recently moved my Twitter account from art promotion to sharing science and research, I thought it would be fun to "live tweet" the conference; 
I thought it was an engaging way to share the conference experience with those not attending, as well as make notes to myself for future reflection.
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It seemed so effortless, but when I tried to do it during that first conference, it was frantic - simultaneously sharing tidbits as I tried to listen and absorb new knowledge, take photos, look up speakers' usernames and relevant hashtags, and edit my final message to fit the available 140 characters (at the time). 

​Since then, I've live-tweeted a few more conferences, and have figured out a workflow to engage folks online without being glued to your phone and losing the value of the in-person presentation.


(Spoiler alert: It's all about the pre-conference prep!)

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Spin

1/13/2021

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The amount of information shared in the last ten months around COVID-19 and responses to pandemic management is incalculable. And, while it is an exciting time in science to realize that indeed we have the ability to rapidly develop, test and market vaccinations in the hopes of smothering the virus - what other diseases can we finally tackle with this vigour? - it has also laid bare the challenges that science has in the knowledge translation and implementation of its results.
Wensing, M., Sales, A., Armstrong, R. et al. Implementation science in times of Covid-19. Implementation Sci 15, 42 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-020-01006-x

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    Personal blog for Bryn Robinson, PhD. All opinions are my own.

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  • Home
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