KIRSTEN MARCHAND

IMH Marshall Fellow
Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Meet Dr. Kirsten Marchand, an IMH Marshall Fellow dedicated to improving youths’ access to substance use services. In partnership with Foundry BC, her work combines data and community insights to develop youth-centred care models. Dr. Marchand’s passion for collaborating with patient partners, service providers, and decision-makers helps her tackle complex health system challenges.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

In my professional life, I am currently a post-doctoral research fellow at UBC in the Faculty of Medicine and Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. I have a PhD in Population and Public Health and conduct health services and population health research in the focused area of youth substance use. My research is conducted in close partnership with a provincial organization in British Columbia that delivers integrated youth services, called Foundry.  In my personal life, I am a mom to two young kids, an avid reader and cook, and love to be in the forest and on the water whenever possible!

Can you describe what kind of research you are involved in?

I work closely with youth, families/caregivers, service providers and decision-makers to improve youths’ access to services for substance use. To do this, I ask these groups about what matters most to them when they access or deliver services and the best way that researchers can study this. I then use their recommendations to help me ask the right questions about how services are meeting youths’ goals and needs. I use different kinds of data. Sometimes I am asking people to share their ideas and experiences and other times I am looking at numbers. Whenever possible, I try to put both types of data together to get the most complete picture of youths’ access to services for substance use and how services can be optimized.

Can you tell us about an interesting project or initiative you are working on?

In one of my current projects, I am integrating different data sources to generate recommendations on a youth-centred model of care for opioid agonist treatment. This project has many phases, including a recently published scoping review, expert interviews, and population-level administrative health data analyses. The knowledge generated from these data sources will then be compiled to inform the key attributes of the youth-centred model of care, which will then be validated by youth, families/caregivers, service providers and decision-makers, and hopefully implemented by our study partners. This project is exemplary of the multi-phase and multi-methods research that I hope to continue contributing to – i.e., research that moves data to knowledge and practice in a coordinated and systematic way.

What aspect of your work do you enjoy the most, or find most exciting?

The most exciting and enjoyable parts of my work are the collaborations and partnerships. As I conduct research on complex health system challenges and I do not have a clinical background (e.g., nursing, medicine, social work), I get excited when I have opportunities to collaborate with patient partners, service providers, and decision-makers. This helps me ensure that my research is grounded in the local service delivery context and asks the right questions to the right people. Beyond improving the quality of my research, it also makes the research more enjoyable and meaningful.

What is the best piece of advice you can share with colleagues new to your Department or UBC?

UBC is an incredibly enriching institution for research focused on mental and substance use health. There are world renowned experts and opportunities to partner with organizations spearheading innovative solutions to improve individual and population health. There is also so much inspiration to be found in the history and current context of the diverse people, organizations, and lands where we carry out this work. So, the best piece of advice I have for those who are new to UBC or the Department is to spend time actively learning about, and building relationships with the people, organizations, and lands to inspire your work.

If you are an IMH member and would like to share more about yourself and your research with the community, please contact Megan Rollerson, Manager, Communications and Partnerships, at megan.rollerson@ubc.ca.