Research plenary shines a light on Faculty of Health Sciences

Elizabeth Orr is searching for clues on how blogging impacts women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The McMaster graduate student in the School of Nursing came across a blogging phenomenon in the IVF community, and decided to dig deeper. She is in the process of analyzing blogs which provide readers a rich experience of undergoing IVF.

Orr said using blogs as a primary data source is a unique concept, and she is also examining how to ethically collect data from blogs.

She’s one of many graduate students presenting their studies as part of the 2013 Faculty of Health Sciences’ research plenary, which runs Tuesday, May 14 through Thursday, May 16. The event celebrates the research achievements of graduate students in programs affiliated with FHS and FHS post-doctoral fellows. It’s currently underway in the Jan and Mien Heersink Reading Pavilion in the Health Sciences Library at McMaster.

Orr hopes her findings will help lead to improved care for women undergoing IVF. For example, she said, if women are seeking community, health-care providers can help them access that through their clinics and, if writing down their experiences helps alleviate stress, women could be encouraged to keep a journal.

“Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are integral to our research mission,” said Cathy Hayward, associate dean of graduate studies (Health Sciences). “The plenary is an opportunity to recognize and thank them for their wonderful contributions.”

For all presentation times and topics, click here.