Transforming Care Network Spring School
Academy PhD Student Lauren Gillespie offers up her reflections on a recent conference experience.
As a PhD student within the ACRC Academy, I was fortunate enough to attend the Transforming Care Network’s Spring School at the Polytechnic of Milan, Italy at the start of June this year.
The theme this year was ‘Researching Care and Care Policy in Europe: challenges for care resilience in turbulent times’, and the presentations over the three days were predominantly from other PhD students and early-stage researchers. There was a wide variety of projects, each endeavouring to explore an element of care in a unique and original way. The topics ranged from transportation of children to state funding of nursing homes, but I was struck by how many projects held a distinctly feminist lens. Many researchers were specifically interested in exploring if and how care practices and policies disproportionately impact women, and there was a palpable energy for addressing this gender gap where possible.
As well as a range of research questions, there was a good mix of qualitative and quantitative methodologies being utilised. I enjoyed hearing about their different methods, and I was particularly grateful for the presenters who simplified their quantitative analysis into language I could follow! The qualitative projects in particular gave me excellent food for thought as I design my own data collection methods.
While the presenters were each inspiring, some of my favourite parts happened while meeting and learning from the other attendees. I was fortunate to make connections with budding researchers from Scotland, Italy, and the Nethe
rlands, all offering different insights into ‘care’ and relevant research approaches. But perhaps the most memorable meeting was over lunch one day, when I began chatting to another PhD student based in London. He shared with me that his research was on the health behaviours of caregivers, and that he had been unexpectedly impacted by his own topic when he became the full-time caregiver for his mother shortly after he started his PhD. His story really resonated with me, as my own PhD journey was interrupted by a shocking terminal cancer diagnosis for my husband, leading to my role as his main carer until his death about eight months later.
My new friend and I were able to bond over our shared experience of caregiving, taking an extended absence from our PhD projects, and trying to return to our studies while still grieving. This connection gave me reassurance that my own struggles were normal, and I gained some helpful advice about strategies that he had used to get back on track following his bereavement. In addition, his research was relevant to my experience as a carer, and we were able to discuss his findings in comparison with my own health behaviours while caring - truly putting research into real world application!
Overall, my time at the TCN’s Spring School was both informative and invigorating as an early-stage researcher. I gained valuable knowledge, new professional connections, and a few new pals as well. On top of all that, I would be remiss to not mention the amazing setting of Milan! I thoroughly enjoyed the seemingly endless sunshine, pasta, and Aperol Spritzes during my time there, and I won’t deny that the city itself was a huge highlight of my trip.
I’m very grateful I was given the support of my supervisors and the ACRC Academy to attend the Spring School, and will be recommending it to other students in the years to come.