Rachel Ramsden (she/her) is a PhD Candidate at the School of Population and Public Health at UBC and a Research Coordinator at the Play Outside UBC Lab. Rachel completed a Bachelor of Kinesiology (2013) and a Master of Public Health (2016) at UBC before pursuing her doctoral studies in 2019. Rachel’s PhD research examines the design of outdoor environments and how they support young children’s outdoor play. She is also a UBC Public Scholar and invested in ensuring children’s perspectives are sought in research through innovative methodologies. Rachel grew up in Richmond, BC, and enjoys regularly connecting with the outdoors by running on the local trails with her dog and playing on her community soccer team. Through her research, Rachel hopes to mobilize academic findings into policies and community planning standards that enhance children’s outdoor play opportunities across communities in BC.
What drew you to the Master of Public Health program at UBC?
I was initially drawn to the MPH program at UBC to learn more about health promotion and how it applies to my interests in child health and development. I was particularly interested in how societal systems and policies contribute to children’s early development, as well as their health outcomes into adulthood. The MPH program provided further education on the social determinants of health, health policy and epidemiology, while also allowing me to explore specific interest areas within the field of child health. I was also drawn to the MPH program because it offered a practicum placement opportunity and gave graduates a unique range of skills that are highly sought after by employers. I knew that this program would provided a positive foundation for future work in industry or academia, regardless of where my path took me.
What is your favorite memory from your time at UBC?
I’ve spent a lot of time at UBC, as an undergraduate and graduate student, and my fondest memories are those spent outdoors on campus. As an undergraduate student, I was a member of the women’s soccer team and spent most of my time between classes on the soccer field. It then became a practice of mine to seek out new outdoor spaces on campus to study or write my thesis during my graduate degrees. I’m grateful for the great outdoor spaces UBC has to offer and the opportunities to connect with nearby nature.
What has been your journey since graduating from UBC?
After graduating from the MPH program, I continued to work with the BC Injury Research Prevention Unit (BCIRPU), a research unit in the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, where I completed my practicum as a component of the MPH program. In this role, I investigated the determinants of childhood injury, and became interested in policy development and urban design as primary levers to influence child health outcomes. I then entered a career in community planning at the City of Richmond, where I worked on the planning, design and development of child care-related projects in the community. These opportunities lead me to pursue a PhD and combine my passion for early child development, healthy built environment and community planning towards a research graduate degree. Since commencing my PhD studies, I joined the Play Outside UBC Lab, where I am able to work on research projects that bridge outdoor play research, child care policy and outdoor space design to support my research and future career interests.
What do you find most interesting about a career in public health?
The thing that I find most interesting about a career in public health is the amount of unique career paths and job roles within this field. When I first entered the MPH program, I wasn’t sure where my path would lead me after graduation. However, the skills you learn through the program are highly applicable to a range of roles across multiple sectors, which open up opportunities that extend beyond the well-known health sector career paths. The field of public health also has many different interest areas and intersections with other fields of work, and there are always new and emerging roles created to support population health.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in the many amazing colleagues and mentors I have had through the course of my career to-date. Being a part of the public health community amidst the pandemic has also highlighted the important work that many individuals do on a daily basis to support healthy and safe communities. I’m continually inspired by the public health community and the many front-line health care workers who have supported our health care system during this time.
How has your identity affected your perspective on the field of public health and your future pursuits?
My identity has largely been shaped by experiences participating in competitive sport throughout childhood and into adulthood. This led me to complete an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology with the thought that I would enter into a sports medicine or physiotherapy career path. However, once introduced to the field of public health, I realized that an interest in physical activity and sport can extend into many other career opportunities. I continue to see physical activity as a key ingredient to support human health and well-being, but I also recognize that population-level systems and policies play an important role in influencing human behaviour and health outcomes.
What is one thing you hope to accomplish?
I would love to see an increased emphasis on outdoor play as a key component of healthy child development, as well as an overall increase in children regularly participating in outdoor play. While there are many individuals working towards these goals across the globe, I hope my research can contribute new academic knowledge to support these outcomes. Through my PhD research, I also hope to advance outdoor space planning and design so that children’s preferences for play are prioritized.
What does a healthy society mean to you?
A healthy society prioritizes and values equity in health care access and the determinants of health. It supports strong and healthy starts for our children, so they may grow to have positive and equitable health outcomes throughout their lifetime.
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