When Katharine Jensen completed a Master’s in neuroscience, she centred her research on glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive primary brain tumour in adults. She received over $90,000 in scholarships for thousands of hours of work that targeted two oncogenic pathways to overcome cancer-cell resistance.
Jensen was proud of the work, and satisfied to pursue neurology. Then, she had the chance to work in pediatrics.
She visited a child who was experiencing end-stage cancer. “His dad had to carry him to the bathroom, and [the child] made a joke on his way back,” says Jensen. “It’s that positivity in unimaginable circumstances… I thought — these are my people.”
Once of Jensen’s favourite quotes is from Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can do until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” The quote mirrors her desire to improve pediatric outcomes through research as the inaugural Trainee Research in Pediatric resident (under Dr. Samina Ali) where she studies the association between low health literacy in caregivers and non-urgent visits to Canadian pediatric emergency departments. The team determines gaps in health literacy so it can recommend appropriate interventions and educational programs.
Jensen doesn’t hesitate when asked about one of her favourite days. Friday was good, she says. She walked into the out-patient clinic room to see a patient whose mom’s face lit up and said it was great to see her again.
“It’s nice to be a positive rather than a negative for these patients.”
This article appears in the Nov/Dec 2024 issue of Edify
