The CAnD3 Fellows and alumni are joining us in Montreal on June 3rd for our annual Keynote Address. We are immensely grateful to everyone who joined us for our annual capstone event and to celebrate a successful training year. As the 2023-2024 training year concludes with the Keynote Address, we present the final Fellows Feature of this academic year. Looking ahead, we are excited to welcome a new cohort of talented Fellows for the upcoming year, and we can't wait for you to meet them.
We caught up with two Fellows, Gwenaelle and Xinyao, to ask about their experiences with the CAnD3 program thus far. Read on to learn about their research and what they hope to achieve during the remainder of the program and beyond.
Feature image: Gwenaelle De Clifford-Faug猫re(left) and Xinyao Huang(right)
Gwenaelle De Clifford-Faug猫re (she, her, hers)
Gwenaelle is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Qu茅bec in Abitibi-T茅miscamingue, after obtaining her PhD in Nursing at the University of Montreal. She is a mother and a passionate researcher focused on alleviating pain, particularly in neonatal care. Her interest in this field stems from her previous experience as a pediatric nurse, where she witnessed firsthand the suffering of children, especially the pain associated with medical procedures. Working in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), she became acutely aware of the limitations in non-pharmacological interventions available to relieve pain in premature infants. Driven by this realization, Gwenaelle decided to further her education, pursuing a master's degree and subsequently a Ph.D. in nursing sciences.听听
During her doctoral studies, a personal experience deepened her understanding of the subject 鈥� her premature daughter underwent no fewer than 40 heel pricks for blood sampling in her first week of life. This profound experience allowed Gwenaelle to better comprehend the lived experiences of parents whose children undergo painful procedures and fueled her reflections on collaborating with parents during neonatal care.听
With her interest in data science, Gwenaelle鈥檚 research focuses on working with medico-administrative data for longitudinal health and prescription drug insurance claims. She aims to leverage socio-demographic determinants in order to identify distinct patterns and characteristics among various segments of the population. This targeted analysis holds the potential to inform decision-making processes and policy development within the healthcare domain.听
Joining the CanD3 training program, Gwenaelle hoped to enhance her quantitative skills, deepen her knowledge of population aging, and learn how population data science methods can inform decision-making and policy. She also views this as an opportunity for collaboration, multidisciplinary networking, and intersectoral engagement. 鈥淭he knowledge and skills I have acquired through CAnD3 enabled me to improve the graphics of my research papers and open up new possibilities for interdisciplinary research. I hope to use these new skills to develop new projects related to pain in neonatology.鈥�, Gwenaelle added.听
In her free time, Gwenaelle cherishes spending quality time with her children, introducing them to the world through various sports and cultural activities.听 She enjoys both mountain activities like skiing and hiking, as well as aquatic pursuits such as swimming and diving. Additionally, Gwenaelle has been practicing meditation for many years and finds joy in ballroom dancing with her family, including her partner, parents, and sister.听
Learn more and connect with Gwenaelle.
Xinyao Huang (she, her, hers)
Xinyao is a Master's student in Quantitative Methods at Columbia University. She has always been driven by a deep-seated passion for improving public health through innovative solutions. 鈥淢y research focuses on healthcare analysis and computational research, recognizing the immense potential the healthcare industry holds, especially in the wake of the pandemic,鈥� Xinyao shares. Xinyao's commitment to making a tangible impact in this field is evident in their dedication to advancing public health.听
Her professional journey is marked by a diverse background, encompassing consulting, medical device R&D, marketing, and data analysis. 鈥淭his varied experience has provided me with a broad perspective and a valuable skill set, which they now leverage to explore different industries and shape my future career path,鈥� said Xinyao.听听听
Eager to enhance her capabilities, Xinyao is currently participating in the CAnD3 training program. 鈥淚 am particularly focused on honing their data analysis skills, with a keen interest in mastering R programming. The Lunch and Learn seminar series offer an opportunity to learn about state-of-the-art research and methodologies, while connecting with researchers in the field provides valuable networking opportunities,鈥� she added. Xinyao sees this training as a fantastic approach to enhance her ability to conduct high-quality research and apply advanced analytical techniques to her studies and future career.听
In addition to her academic and professional pursuits, Xinyao finds her own interests in physical activity. She enjoys working out at the gym and cycling in Central Park, activities that offer a calming and rejuvenating experience. This balance between different intellectual and physical well-being activities reflects Xinyao pushing forward on both of her personal and professional growth.听
Learn more and connect with Xinyao.
About the training program
The听Population Analytics in an Aging Society Training Program听is a rigorous one-year fellowship hosted by the Consortium on Analytics for Data-Driven Decision-Making (CAnD3), funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and based at 平特五不中. The program upskills rising researchers in Master's, PhD, and postdoctoral programs in the areas of population data science and computational population social science from a multidisciplinary lens. It also connects Fellows to experiential learning opportunities, which include hands-on research projects and internships with government, not-for-profit, and private sector CAnD3 partners. Since the first year of the program in 2020, CAnD3 has trained 52 Fellows and welcomes 22 new Fellows for the 2023-24 Academic Year.
