Contributing to our Health -- A Series About StFX Research Making A Difference In Our Communities
StFX is a leader in health innovation and entrepreneurship in Nova Scotia. In this ongoing series, we proudly shine a spotlight on our health research leaders, research and community health partnerships and their impact. For more on the Contributing to our Health series, click the link below.
Contributing to our Health series
“These interviews allowed me to understand what the isolation experience is, how individuals come to decide to enrol, and how we can use such information to improve upon future trials,” StFX student Anna Mack
Anna Mack, a fourth year honours Rankin School of Nursing student from Halifax, NS, supervised by Dr. Donna Halperin, worked with the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology and the IWK during summer 2022 in conducting a qualitative study on the experiences of participants enrolled in controlled human infection model trials.
“I was able to engage in semi-structured interviews with participants who had volunteered to be infected with B. pertussis and live in isolation units for approximately two weeks. These interviews allowed me to understand what the isolation experience is, how individuals come to decide to enrol, and how we can use such information to improve upon future trials,” says Ms. Mack, who received a Scotia Scholar Undergraduate Research Award from Research Nova Scotia to help conduct this research.
She says the opportunity allowed her to meet and work with many talented researchers and develop her research skills. “I am grateful to have been able to contribute to such an important area of study. I was also given the opportunity to assist with additional research studies being conducted by the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology alongside my thesis work. This experience has helped prepare me for my future studies and hopefully a career in health research.”
Ms. Mack says she was also able to learn the intricacies of the research process in much more depth than provided in a classroom setting and that she was fortunate to work with a wonderful team who provided her with much support. She attended workshops and seminars about the research process and controlled human infection model trials that helped develop her skills and confidence.
