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Discovering the importance of mindful cancer care

Cancer is a complicated topic involving different scopes – Dr. Linda Carlson knows that well. As a researcher, she focuses on all aspects of cancer care. This goes beyond traditional approaches, but also psychological aspects and using mind wellness as cancer care. Her findings are vital for a more holistic understanding of patient care.

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Education and Academia Stuart McNish Education and Academia Stuart McNish

Being written off by others and proving them wrong

“I suffered as a child,” David Chalk says. That is why his work is all about helping others get through life, specifically related to education and learning. He is very blunt – being told that he is “stupid” throughout his life is what drives him to come up with new ways to improve and help others improve as well. He doesn’t believe in writing people off; after all, he was written off by others during his youth and committed to prove people wrong.

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The importance of figuring out where you’re headed

Aubrey Kelly knows there are so many things that you can’t control – but you can set the direction that you’re heading. That is the philosophy he has used for his role as CEO of UBC Properties Trust, which handles real estate portfolios of the University of British Columbia. You don’t have to be an expert – you simply have to figure out where you’re headed and have others around you buy into your plan.

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Becoming one of Canada’s burn and wound experts

Dr. Aziz Ghaharya’s business is in research – and it really is like running a business, from idea development to funding to reaching the finish line. And the competition is tough. He didn’t start out as a burn unit researcher; by using other studies as stepping stones, he was able to become a full professor and one of Canada’s foremost experts in burn and wound health.

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Education and Academia Stuart McNish Education and Academia Stuart McNish

Carving a new path: Turning challenges into a university career

As a lecturer at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, Adam Pankratz’s job is to communicate the challenges of business to his students, which range from undergraduates to masters-level students – and make it interesting. This was nowhere near what he envisioned for his career when he graduated with a linguistics degree and worked in the hotel industry. As with all careers, it is never a straight line. But his difficulties with finding a job that matched his skills led him to the world of business and an entirely new path.

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Education and Academia Stuart McNish Education and Academia Stuart McNish

Studying what it means to be human in a complex world

Nick Bostrom’s job is to think about humanity – after all, as a philosopher in a complex world that has the rise of artificial intelligence, there is a lot to think about. When he started out in his career, academia was the only field where he could do that kind of work. But in today’s world, his work at the Future of Humanity Institute has gained importance as society starts to question how humans work with technology and artificial intelligence, and what that means to being human.

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Education and Academia Stuart McNish Education and Academia Stuart McNish

Discovering a passion for analyzing public policy and politics

For Roger Pielke, the best part of his job is having ears on the ground for public policy. His role as a professor was not surprising, coming from a family of academics. But his passion wasn’t discovered until a chance trip to Washington, DC, where he discovered how politics and policy can turn on a dime and require trust in order to function.

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Social change, Education and Academia Stuart McNish Social change, Education and Academia Stuart McNish

Cultivating a career in prevention education

Cathy Peters is an advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. But she would describe her role as being in prevention education, cultivating her passion for the vulnerable. Her work in preventing child trafficking taps into that passion. This is a path that is almost custom-made for her, as an avid storyteller and absorbing others’ stories by learning and listening. “If I sound a little bit passionate,” she says, “I am.”

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Education and Academia Stuart McNish Education and Academia Stuart McNish

Juggling the many demands of a university science department

If you ask Angela Brooks-Wilson whether she is an administrator or scientist, she will say, “Both.” As the dean of a science department of Simon Fraser University, it is always a challenge to keep up with what is going on at the time and what the goals of the faculty are. She doesn’t do it alone, thanks to a solid team that handles staff, students, and infrastructure to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

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Education and Academia Stuart McNish Education and Academia Stuart McNish

Balancing the duties of a college president

Diana Chapman Walsh was the president of Wellesley College until 2007, but what does that mean? In a way, it is a role with big responsibilities but without getting “into the weeds” – bringing donors, alumni, and campus personnel together. The trick, according to Walsh, is to be selective with the power and presence of the college president, to get initiatives going when things get stuck. And, of course, fundraising – a crucial part of any post-secondary institution.

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Education and Academia Stuart McNish Education and Academia Stuart McNish

How to say yes to new opportunities

If you ask Wade Davis, there is a contentious relationship between the meanings of “job” and “work” and the assumption that a work journey in life is linear. To him, every decision leads to a different path in life and those who regret their paths are the ones who decide based on pressures imposed upon them. As a result, he has embarked on a philosophy to say “yes” to new opportunities.

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Education and Academia, Science and Research Stuart McNish Education and Academia, Science and Research Stuart McNish

Becoming a plastics expert thanks to great teachers

When a large company needs a revolutionary new plastic and can’t figure out what to do, they come to Chris DeArmitt. He got into it when a fellow scientist told him that the demand for plastic knowledge is more than the supply of plastic itself, inspiring him to start his journey. And being taught to “use your own brain” growing up and surrounded by great teachers, this career’s pathway seemed to be tailor-made for him.

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Becoming a diet researcher by not being afraid to fail

Dr. David Harper’s specialty is in diet, but he emphasizes that he is a PhD in life sciences, not a medical doctor. His true love is education and teaching, which he has done for more than 40 years, something he sees as an example of giving back to the field that gave him his purpose. He sees himself as an advocate for healthy diet who goes beyond the commercial interests of the industry. To him, the key to success is having a vision, being authentic, being accountable for your own actions, not being afraid to be vulnerable, being empathetic, and having courage to be all of the above. ”Don’t worry about failure,” he says, “but fail fast and fail forward.”

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Education and Academia Stuart McNish Education and Academia Stuart McNish

Writing as a creative process: Preparation is key

John Rapley is not a person who will sit still. Starting out in academia, he has bounced around various roles, even starting his own think tank at one point. But he keeps coming back to one thing – writing. It is not as simple as sitting down and writing. According to John, 90% of what is written is unseen, hidden in research and preparation. Most of what the public sees is like a small slice of the iceberg.

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Education and Academia, Health and Athletics Stuart McNish Education and Academia, Health and Athletics Stuart McNish

Becoming the second most powerful foodie in the world

Dr. Marion Nestle’s journey to becoming the number-two most powerful foodie in the world (according to Forbes) started as an undergraduate who was interested in food, only to find that the only choices are agriculture and dietetics – two fields she was less than enthralled with. Instead, she found her way through the world of science, ranging from studying bacteria and molecular biology. After entering academia, she was handed a nutrition class to teach – and that transformed her world and catapulted her into the spotlight.

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From Wall Street to the university: Professing what you love and know

Eli Joseph wears many hats – he is a university instructor at three institutions (Columbia, NYU, and UCLA), public speaker, and author. Even though teaching takes up the bulk of his time, he sees each speech as a unique challenge and each book as his “down time.”

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