When Camille Guillot joined the Canadian Lyme Disease Research Network (CLyDRN) as a doctoral student in veterinary medicine at the Université de Montréal, she gained research experience and a supportive community. Reflecting on the impacts of being involved with CLyDRN, Camille shared: “It really opened up doors for me. It helped me develop professionally and personally, because of the networking and the kind of tasks I was given as a student. I had to develop, to reach out to people and there was really good reception.”

Since becoming involved in 2019, Camille has established important connections within the network, including with other trainees who are mutually supportive of each other: “Now I know people I can reach out to and know that they’ll be able to support me. We’re also evolving together, so that’s really nice to see.” Since graduating from her doctoral studies, Camille has transitioned into a public health role and intends to stay connected to CLyDRN and foster relationships in support of ongoing and new research.

For Natasha Bowser, who recently completed her doctoral research, being involved with CLyDRN opened the door to new research approaches. Her doctoral research project, based at Université de Montréal, used qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how Canadians understand and respond to Lyme disease risks. Through this research, she was introduced to qualitative methods: “I had never done any qualitative research before,” Natasha says. “That was a real revelation for me because I came from a very quantitative background. I really appreciate the value of bringing the two approaches together.”

In addition to her doctoral research, Natasha is involved with CLyDRN as co-lead of the network’s Trainee Advancement Committee (TAC). Co-leading TAC gave her the opportunity to work on initiatives beyond her doctoral research: “I was actually happy to have an opportunity to get involved in something outside of my research projects. Once I was a co-lead, I became more aware of the inner workings of the network and the different stakeholders and people who are involved. Once you start getting involved in one thing, it’s easier to get involved in other things. You feel more confident.” By engaging in the network, trainees are strengthening their skills, expanding their connections, and gaining confidence that will prepare them for future endeavours.

For scientist network members like Katie Clow, an Assistant Professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, working alongside trainees is part of what makes CLyDRN a dynamic network. As co-chair of TAC, Katie shared: “I really enjoy trainee development. It’s something that I’m passionate about. We can learn from each other and sort of build better training for trainees from the resources within the network.”

By sharing their enthusiasm for research, new ideas, and an appreciation for collaboration, CLyDRN trainees are helping shape the future of tick-borne disease research in Canada. The network’s Scientific Director, Manisha Kulkarni, reflected on how trainee involvement has strengthened research capacity: “The network has really helped capacity building in the Canadian research landscape,” she says. “To see some of the trainees, who are now postdocs, leading their own projects in the network or are pillar leads themselves. It’s been great from a capacity building perspective.”

For a closer look at some of the contributions from our trainees, you can explore Natasha and Camille’s recent scientific publications here:

‘You adapt, and you try not to resent it’: a qualitative study exploring impacts of living with ticks and barriers to adopting preventive measures in Canada by Natasha Bowser and collaborators.

Spatial multi-criteria decision analysis for the selection of sentinel regions in tick-borne disease surveillance by Camille Guillot and collaborators.