The word “hoarding” often evokes an image of floor to ceiling piles of boxes, papers, and trinkets. Interestingly, the clutter in hoarding is only the physical manifestation of the problem.
Kate Kysow, a PhD student in UBC’s clinical psychology program, was recently named a UBC Public Scholar. She is being recognized for the collaborative research she is carrying out to address problem hoarding. Kysow works with the community to develop interventions and strategies to help individual residents and other stakeholders in a compassionate way.
UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies established the Public Scholars Initiative to support UBC doctoral students who wish to make purposeful contributions to the public good through collaborative, action-oriented, and/or creative forms of scholarship in their dissertation work.
“I am very grateful UBC understands the value of public scholarship and recognizes my community-based research as deserving of this award. I am excited to be a part of a like-minded cohort of students who are also conducting research a bit outside of the lines of their department. Thank you to my supervisor, Dr. Sheila Woody, for your mentorship and support.”
During her MA, Kysow joined Vancouver’s Hoarding Action Response Team with Dr. Sheila Woody, where she conducted community-engaged research on hoarding interventions to help communities develop a coordinated response to problem hoarding—and to outline what can be achieved through a community-based hoarding intervention model.
“Kate’s work embodies everything the Public Scholars Initiative was intended to recognize. She is passionate about conducting multidisciplinary research with public health significance. I think the results of her work will be highly influential for all stakeholders in hoarding cases - both clients and the community agencies that intervene to promote public health and safety. We are so proud of her receiving this recognition.”
For her PhD, she is continuing her research partnerships by sharing her knowledge with community providers in the Toronto Hoarding Support Services Network and Surrey Memorial Hospital. You can read more about her research in How can cities tackle hoarding? Examining an intervention program bringing together fire and health authorities in Vancouver.
Kate joined UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for a Q&A on her research, why she is pursuing a graduate degree at UBC, and her ideal career in public health as a clinical psychologist.
