Student spotlight: Catherine Kim (Urban Health PhD)

The Urban Health PhD program welcomed its second cohort in Fall 2022. Unique in Canada, the program is responding to the urgent need for qualified professionals to untangle the impact of urbanization on people’s health and wellbeing.

Generating solutions may be difficult — demanding multidisciplinary expertise and critical evaluations. Meet one of the program’s students who’s up for the challenge: Catherine Kim. As an Asian woman herself, Kim is exploring addiction and recovery among her culture’s own immigrant population.

Tell us about yourself

I have lived in Toronto my whole life. I completed a double major in Psychology and Sociology for my bachelor’s Degree, and I subsequently completed a master’s in Library Science. I am currently employed part-time as a public Librarian. I decided to go back to school to pursue this PhD when I realized that I missed the challenges and joys of academia. 

I have two wonderful children who are the loves of my life. I love how curious they are, and how empathetic and concerned about social justice they are. I am reminded that there are injustices to be addressed, fought, and overturned. I hope to identify such challenges and learn the tools to shape a better world and future for my children and others. 

What area of research do you plan to pursue?

I am planning to study the experiences of addictions and recovery among Asian immigrant women in Canada, a topic that I have a deep personal interest in. Through critical ethnography, the research will include how common cultural values and beliefs shape lives, and how gender roles can account for this internalization of cultural beliefs. An intersectional framework will allow for deeper understanding of these phenomena through a multitude of influencing factors.

What do you hope to accomplish with your PhD?

It is important to study and disseminate knowledge on unjust or unsafe practices, and the PhD in Urban Health will provide an avenue of knowledge dissemination for reaching policy and decision-makers. Ideally I will continue to research important areas of urban health and share information that will provide benefits and improvements to others. I am particularly interested in studying the qualitative effects of addictions and the often lengthy and difficult process of recovery. Perhaps this research will be combined with teaching roles where I hope to inspire future students to engage in addressing such important issues.   

Do you have any advice for students considering the Urban Health PhD program?

Urban Health encompasses a broad range of topics from accessing healthcare to studies pertaining to ethnicity, gender, education, mental health, and more. The professors and staff are top notch in terms of teaching, intelligence, communication, and support. I would encourage anyone with questions to contact the department and consider applying to the program.

In case you missed it: Meet more students in the Urban Health PhD program.