Congratulations to Ellen Wang for being awarded the Best Trainee Abstract Award from AHPA! Find out more about Ellen’s award-winning research below and join us in congratulating Ellen on her stellar achievement!
Tell us a little bit about your lab! What type of research are you conducting?
I have the honour of training under Dr.Linda Li in the Arthritis and Knowledge Translation Lab that is based at Arthritis Research Canada. More broadly, our team aims to answer questions related to increasing physical activity though patient-engaged research methods. More recently, I have been drawn towards work in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in health care (e.g., understanding access to and benefit from health care services), and health research (tools, strategies and approaches for engaging diverse patients as partners).
What award did you win, and how will this help your research?
I was awarded Best Trainee Abstract from the Arthritis Health Professions Association (AHPA) at the CRA/AHPA Annual Scientific Conference for my work with Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE), a patient advocacy organization. I, alongside an indigenous scholar and team members from ACE, designed and conducted a national survey that reached over 1200 individuals living with inflammatory and noninflammatory arthritis. This work has helped me to better understand the structural and socioeconomic foundations that result in health inequities; as well as how they manifest in terms of access to, interactions with and benefit from health care for cultural and ethnic minority groups.
What do you like to do outside of academia?
I practice self-care through daily movement, nourishment and connection. More recently I have taken up indoor bouldering and have gotten back into meal prepping. I really cherish time with friends and family.