PhD Student Rinni Mamman Receives Public Scholar Initiative Award

Join us in congratulating RHSC PhD student Rinni Mamman on receiving a Public Scholars Initiative Award!

The Public Scholars Initiative Award is part of the UBC Public Scholars Initiative (PSI) which intends to build connections, community, and capacity for doctoral students who are interested in explicitly linking their doctoral work to an arena of public benefit and integrating broader and more career-relevant forms of scholarship into their doctoral education process. Each year funding is available for up to approximately 30 new students from all faculties at UBC and UBCO. Scholars selected for the cohort will be eligible for a renewal funding a second year. The PSI also introduced a Health Equity Stream for 2023/24, open for 6-8 students in health-oriented and equity-focused research.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your lab. What type of research are you conducting?

I am a PhD student in the CEDAR (Collaborative Evidence: Developing Awareness and Research) Brain Injury Lab based at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre and supervised by Dr Julia Schmidt. Our lab collaborates with people with brain injuries, community associations, healthcare providers, and policymakers to understand the experiences of people with brain injury. My current doctoral work focuses on exploring public perceptions about people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). To change the many existing misconceptions about TBI, I aim to first understand current public views, and then reshape these misconceptions through the implementation of innovative methods.

How does winning the PSI Award help your research?

With the Public Scholar Initiative (PSI) Award, I am provided with the remarkable opportunity to step outside the traditional outputs of a research degree. The PSI Award will help me in accessing the resources needed for my research and gain input from a multidisciplinary scholar network. By being part of this renowned program, I am equipped with the tools to conduct research that will not only positively impact researchers and key stakeholders, but the wider public.

And what do you like to do outside of academia?

I love to travel, read, chill with my cats, and explore the activities Vancouver has to offer!

Want to learn more?