Sparking Conversation: Meet Postdoc Amanda van Beinum

Having previously completed a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and a Master’s in Epidemiology at the University of Ottawa,Dr.Amanda van Beinumreturned to the uOttawa campus in June 2022 as a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Fellow. As an interdisciplinary scholar who earned her PhD in Sociology from Carleton University, Dr. van Beinum’s research at the Faculty of Law, supervised by Professor Jennifer Chandler, focuses on the social and technological impacts of deep brain stimulation as an emerging therapy for the treatment of psychiatric illness.

Describing herself as curious, creative, and conscientious, Dr. van Beinum has made a conscious commitment to learn from different perspectives. Her work is strongly influenced by her experiences working across disciplines and in various applied settings. Recently Dr. van Beinum co-authored an article for The Conversation, alongside uOttawa Professor Sonny Dhanani that illustrates this coming together of disciplines. Entitled “When is ‘dead’ really dead? What happens after a person ‘flatlines’”, the article refers to a study – mentioned below – that explored the process of dying from a medical perspective, while also acknowledging the social implications for family members and the policy implications for organ donation systems.

Here she talks about her academic life while offering some helpful advice for PhD students.

Tell us about yourself and how you came to be a postdoctoral researcher at uOttawa.

I am an interdisciplinary scholar with interests in science, medicine, art, philosophy, and sociology. Throughout my PhD I continued to be involved in clinical research projects that I had joined during my MSc., including one large study on the process of determination of death using cardio-circulatory criteria; a project on physician experiences with difficult cases of determination of death using neurological criteria; and a project on family experiences of organ donation. Professor Jennifer Chandler was involved in several of these projects, and I worked with her on project management, data collection, and manuscript writing. Towards the end of my PhD, I learned that Professor Chandler was beginning a large, interdisciplinary project on brain stimulation and neuroprosthetic devices and was looking for someone to contribute from a social sciences perspective. The project was a great fit with my skills and interests in investigating issues surrounding health technologies and I applied for and received SSHRC funding to explore the experiences of users of neuromodulation for psychiatric conditions.

Tell us about your current research. What are you working on?

The current project I am working on explores the experiential and social aspects of brain stimulation and neuroprostheses – electronic medical devices which interface directly with the human brain and nervous system. This work is part of a larger study on the concept of a “hybrid mind” – a human brain that integrates components of artificial and machine intelligence. I am interested in learning more about what leads people with conditions such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, obesity, and addiction to choose brain stimulation treatments, as well as how undergoing the treatment potentially changes their sense of self, their relationships to others, and their understanding(s) of their medical condition.

What do you hope to accomplish during your fellowship at uOttawa?

I plan to contribute positively to the HYBRID-MINDS project (https://hybridminds.webflow.io/) through conducting participant interviews, drafting manuscripts, and assisting with knowledge translation activities at conferences. I am also planning to develop and teach a course on applied ethics in the medical humanities, as well as publish some of the research findings from my dissertation and from another ongoing project on family experiences with deceased organ donation.

What influences your work?

My experiences working in clinical research and collecting data at patients’ bedsides shaped how I incorporated theories from medical sociology into my dissertation. As I continue into my postdoctoral project, I remain drawn to theoretical perspectives such as feminist science and technology studies and critical disability studies, which emphasize the importance of learning from the lived realities of real people designing, using, and refusing health technologies.

Do you have any advice for those who are currently completing their PhDs?

I would offer the advice to keep pursuing the questions, methods, and ways of working that are most interesting to you, even if they are not the easiest and even if they seem unconventional. Try as much as possible to see challenges as opportunities for learning and growth. And most importantly, do not underestimate the value of taking time off to reset, recharge, and get inspired.

Do you have publications that you would like to share with our community?

van Beinum A, Hornby L, Scales N, et al (2022) “Autoresuscitation and clinical authority in death determination using circulatory criteria”. Soc Sci Med 114904. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114904
van Beinum A, Scales N, Hornby L, Dhanani S. “When is “dead” really dead? What happens after a person “flatlines””. The Conversation Canada [Internet]. 2021 Jan; Available from: https://theconversation.com/when-is-dead-really-dead-what-happens-after-a-person-flatlines-153542
van Beinum A, Healey A, Chandler J, et al (2020) “Requests for somatic support after neurologic death determination: Canadian physician experiences”. Can J Anesth 1–12 . doi: 10.1007/s12630-020-01852-9

What are you currently reading?

The Magic Mountain (1924)by Thomas Mann, Disability Theory (2008) by Tobin Siebers, and Cities (Issue #12) of The Nib (2022).