Erin Fitzpatrick, Penelope Smith, Toya Ricci, Xavier Mills, and Khwanruethai Ngampromwongse
Pursuing a PhD requires intense focus, often resulting in isolation from social pursuits, employment, and many aspects of regular life.
Academic systems can exacerbate feelings of isolation and loneliness, through ruthless competition and emphasis on individual success.
While pursuing a PhD may foster a deep sense of personal accomplishment, the process often leads scholars to neglect connection and community. On graduation day, we walk alone. Our heartfelt gratitude to those who sustained and supported our journey is often limited to a few lines on a thesis acknowledgements page.
Siloed scholarship not only harms mental health, but also limits the richness and diversity of academic work.
Many PhD candidates may be too immersed in their research to notice that they are experiencing isolation.
It’s only through reflecting on their experiences and engaging with others that they realise how common their feelings are, and the importance of exchanging ideas to bridge theory and practice.
In July, we were grateful for the opportunity to host Croakey Health Media’s rotating Twitter account, @WePublicHealth. Inspired by @IndigenousX, individuals, groups, organisations or communities can pitch to host the account for a week.
Our week gave us a platform to connect, collaborate, and share insights from our PhD studies.
Five #PhDVoices
As public health scholars, our diverse backgrounds and experiences enrich our perspectives, and enable us to tackle public health challenges using a multifaceted, inclusive approach.
So, who are we?
Khwanruethai is a First Nations (Wiradjuri Wailwaan) and Southeast Asian Queer scholar, based on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples in Brisbane. Their PhD topic is on strengthening LGBTQISB+ First Nations peoples’ access to culturally safe sexuality and gender affirming cervical screening.
Toya is a black settler descended from enslaved peoples taken from various parts of Western Africa and brought to the US and Puerto Rico. She is currently based on the lands of the Wurundjeri-willam people of the Kulin Nation/Melbourne. Her research examines how colonial history and culture have influenced contemporary views on sexual pleasure.
Erin is a white settler-Australian based on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. Her PhD explores the relationship between place, social network, and social capital for emerging adults, with a focus on lived experience.
Xavier is a white settler-Australian based on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. His PhD looks at the institutional arrangements that govern the everyday lives of queer families, with an emerging focus on health care systems.
Penelope is Filipino-Australian based on on Bpangerang and Taungurung land in central Victoria. Intergenerational adoption creates confusion about her settler identity; who does she belong to? Penelope’s PhD learns from International Health Workers about their experience working in a single rural health service in Victoria.
Toya, Penelope, and Erin met at a Victoria University ethics seminar with visiting scholar Professor Puleng Segalo; Xavier and Penelope met through a shift swap at the ISA World Congress of Sociology; and Khwanruethai and Penelope met through the PHAA First Nations Collective Co-Design Project.
Recognising that peers can be hard to find, we have made a conscious effort (often with Penelope’s tenacity as a catalyst) to maintain and strengthen our connections after our initial meetings.
Mental health value of connection
Personal and professional isolation for PhD students increases the risk of burnout, decreases productivity, and stifles creativity. A connected PhD cohort, however, is protective of individual mental health, even for the most introverted.
A strong network provides:
- emotional support, reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness;
- a sense of camaraderie, regular interactions, and shared experiences;
- normalisation and destigmatisation of mental health and other help-seeking; and
- promotion of wellbeing, resilience, and self-care.
Academic value of connection
Community building among PhD candidates is not just a remedy for isolation – it’s critical for academic and professional development. Collaborative relationships allow ideas to be freely exchanged, challenged, and refined.
From our individual experiences and the #PhDVoices takeover, we’ve learned that collaboratively engaging in activities that support critical praxis – essentially, thinking and reflecting on how to do what we want to do – transforms our work and fosters academic camaraderie.
Free discourse and open knowledge sharing often leads to insightful, high-quality research which takes necessary risks and asks hard questions.
Free discourse may come from seminars and workshops, or alternative avenues such as social media and non-peer-reviewed publication collaborations. The benefits of a connected academy include:
- improved critical thinking and problem-solving due to a diversity of perspective and expertise;
- opportunities for mentorship and professional development; and
- supportive networks built on mutual guidance, feedback and encouragement.
The value of a connected public health workforce, within and beyond research
Public health professionals work at the intersection of various disciplines, including health education, policy development, and community health.
Collaborative networks enable rapid responses to emerging health threats, enhance the implementation of policies and programs, facilitate comprehensive health interventions, and support the translation of research findings into practice.
Community building must be an important part of studying for PhDs, not only to advance research but also to solve those wicked problems.
Public health work is necessarily collaborative, and the ability to work with others can significantly boost initiatives addressing diverse health needs.
Building strong, interconnected professional relationships amplifies knowledge and interventions, leading to healthier, more resilient communities.
Critical, collaborative, supported work is a priority for our collective, and we believe it should be a priority for PhD candidates in the public health sector and across academia.
For us, the time to begin building these connections is now.
Erin Fitzpatrick and Toya Ricci are PhD Candidates at Victoria University; Penelope Smith is a PhD Candidate at UTAS; Xavier Mills is a PhD Candidate at Swinburne University; Khwanruethai Ngampromwongse is a PhD Candidate at the University of Queensland.
This article was edited by Sreepurna Datta, PhD Candidate, UTAS, and the PHAA Communications Team.
Image: Bunurong land at sunrise, by Penelope Smith.
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