By Dr. Jane Philpott
Great stories have always had the power to bind people together – to foster connections, education, understanding, and partnership. Compelling stories can help unify existing communities and forge new relationships.
Those goals are at the heart of the new digital collection of Cinq à Sept Research Talks from Queen’s Health Sciences. We have created an online home for the powerful, personal stories behind the health research taking place at Queen’s University – and we want to share them the health professionals and scientists around the country.
Each of our speakers offers a unique, intimate view into the passions and goals that drive their work. It is my hope that their stories inspire professional development and create new research opportunities that cross disciplines, institutions, and geography.
One of the guiding principles of Queen’s Health Sciences’ new strategic plan, Radical Collaboration for a Healthier World, is to be interprofessional and cross-disciplinary – “to instill a shared sense of purpose around solving the most pressing questions about human health.” When we were creating our plan, we talked about creating opportunities for “accidental collisions” – designing spaces and situations where silos break down – where historically isolated disciplines, people, and ideas might cross paths.
Our new Research Talks embody that vision. Cinq à Sept is inspired by the French tradition of gathering at the end of the workday. A reception, hosted near the university campus before and after each Research Talk, creates an organic space for networking, learning, and conversation.
Our digital collection aims to extend those discussions far and wide. We hope viewers enjoy our stories as much as we love telling them – that by showcasing research in this dynamic form we can foster growth opportunities, new ideas, and collaborative relationships throughout Canadian health systems.
Our debut Research Talks feature two universal and timely topics: Dr. Mary Ann McColl’s “The Ten Stories: Inter-generational Conversations” discusses the hidden meaning behind the repeated stories told by our older loved ones; Dr. Chris Booth’s “The Emperor Has No Clothes: Finding our way again in cancer care” reveals some big obstacles in cancer care and how to solve them. Not only does each speaker do fantastic research, but they are also superb storytellers.
That’s why it was important to us to capture their words in high-quality videos. We want their profound tales to resonate well beyond our campus in Kingston, Ontario. These are the kinds of research stories that people might never otherwise hear. Artfully blending the personal and the professional, they bring to life vital work and make it relevant to anyone and everyone.
In an era where health misinformation runs rampant online, Cinq à Sept is also an opportunity to demonstrate the impact of health research – to showcase new data, methods, and breakthroughs and their potential for changing lives.
Our Research Talks also align with another one of Queen’s Health Sciences new strategic principles: integrated health sciences education. Our goal is to be at the forefront of developing cross-program and interdisciplinary experiences that integrate schools, programs, and other learning environments. We know that team-based education will enhance learning, build competency, and develop practitioners and scientists who can work together anywhere.
With our future Research Talks, we will continue to share stories that amplify the important work Queen’s researchers do to improve health systems, patient care, public policy, and more.
American writer Joan Didion famously wrote: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” To that I might add: telling health research stories can help change the way we live.
Dr. Jane Philpott is the Dean of Queen’s Health Sciences and former Federal Minister of Health and Minister of Indigenous Services. Cinq à Sept Research Talks can be found at healthsci.queensu.ca/5a7