Tell us about yourself in a paragraph or two: What is your name, and what are you studying? Where are you from? What was your dream job as a kid? What’s your favourite thing to do outside of school/work?
My name is Shawna Hopper, and I am a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University. Currently, I am living in Vancouver but I grew up in Ontario and spent time living in Quebec and Alberta throughout university. I have a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of Guelph in adult development, and a Master of Science degree from Brock University in applied health sciences. As a child, I dreamt of being an Olympic swimmer. When I realized I wasn’t a phenomenal swimmer, I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to take, but I knew I wanted to be in a helping profession.
Outside of school and work, I spend a lot of time being active. I try to balance the time I spend doing research with taking my puppy for walks along the seawall, backcountry camping in the mountains, attending fitness classes, and practicing yoga.
What interested you about the CLSA?
My interest in the CLSA stemmed from the breadth of data available. I have always been interested in a lot of different topics and the CLSA provides the opportunity to analyze so many different areas that make up older Canadians’ quality of life.
What type of research are you doing with CLSA data? Have you published? If so, what are the findings (in lay terms)?
My master’s work, completed under the supervision of Dr. Arne Stinchcombe, is published in Gerontology, and used CLSA data to determine the associations between biopsychosocial variables and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and SCD-related worry. Briefly, my findings showed that SCD and SCD-related worry was more strongly associated with psychosocial variables (i.e., personality and depression) than with common correlates of cognitive decline. The results from this study emphasize the importance of considering psychological and social factors when conceptualizing SCD and its risk factors.
I have also been fortunate to have collaborated on various other papers using different aspects of the CLSA dataset. For example, I have published papers examining topics such as driving avoidance, and satisfaction with life. I also currently have two papers under review. One examines the executive function and the role of social determinants of health, and the other examines mental-health resilience.
My future PhD work, funded by a SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship, aims to look at the impact of social isolation on older adults’ mental health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is the most interesting or surprising thing you’ve learned from your work with the CLSA? How do you think the CLSA will help you grow as a student or in your future?
My first experience conducting data analyses was with CLSA data. Despite the challenges I was faced with, working with the CLSA provided me competence and confidence to continue producing high-quality quantitative research. Additionally, I was surprised and excited by the number of collaborations that occur within the CLSA. I am thankful to be able to collaborate with various academics at universities across Canada.
With more waves of data becoming available, the CLSA is going to push my understanding of longitudinal data analysis. I hope to continue working with CLSA data and collaborating with other researchers. Further, the skillset I have accumulated from working with the CLSA will help me with future quantitative projects.
How do you think the findings using CLSA data will be useful to you, or others, in the future?
With the current demographic shift to an older Canadian population, having such an in-depth longitudinal study of middle-aged and older Canadians is beneficial for so many reasons. Personally, I am looking forward to analyzing future waves of CLSA data to be able to better understand longitudinal predictors of health and well-being. With the talented team of researchers working with CLSA data I am confident that the findings from CLSA data will make a big impact in the quality of life of Canadians by informing policy, program implementation, and education systems.
Do you have any idea about what kind of job you’d like to do when you finish school?
When I finish my PhD, my goal is to find a postdoctoral position that fits my interest area and skill-set, and eventually work as a tenure-track professor at a Canadian university. Throughout the next few years of my PhD, I hope to learn more statistical techniques and gain interdisciplinary experience that will help me in future roles.
What is a non-career related thing that you are grateful for because of your work with the CLSA?
During the summer of 2021 I was chosen to attend the CIHR Summer Program in Aging, which focused on the CLSA. During the program, I was introduced to new longitudinal techniques and gained a better understanding of the CLSA dataset. I was also able to network with academics from around the world, make friends, and find great mentors. This opportunity shaped my graduate school experience and the trajectory of my academic career.
