This month, we are delighted to feature Lanlan听Xin and Valeriia Yakushko, two CAnD3 Fellows whose research reflects a shared commitment to improving well-being across the life course. From examining workplace conditions and health among care workers, to exploring aging, migration, and the everyday challenges faced by older adults, their work highlights the human dimensions behind population-level data. Through hands-on training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and opportunities to strengthen research communication, both Fellows demonstrate how CAnD3鈥檚 community and skill-building environment can shape not only research questions, but also how evidence is translated into meaningful impact.
To begin, can you reflect on a key moment that helped shape your research trajectory, and share how CAnD3 has supported or reinforced that direction?
Lanlan:听A pivotal moment that profoundly shaped my research journey was the R for Data Visualization workshop organized by CanD3 in August 2025. Prior to this training, I felt constrained by the limitations of basic statistical software in communicating complex data. Learning to wield tools like ggplot2 fundamentally transformed my analytical approach, providing me with a powerful, reproducible method to visualize and interrogate data.
For my thesis on ethnic density in long-term care, this means I can now move beyond simple tests to create compelling visual narratives that reveal nuanced relationships within multi-level data. This skill has directly reinforced my research purpose by strengthening both the rigor of my analysis and my capacity to share findings clearly鈥攅nsuring that the stories within the data, and their implications for workforce well-being, can be understood and acted upon.
Valeriia:听My research journey has been primarily shaped by a long-standing interest in migration and forced migration. A pivotal moment came through my involvement with the CanD3 program, which encouraged me to broaden my research interests. Through CanD3, I developed a growing interest in population aging and the well-being of older adults, and I am now considering expanding my research agenda to examine immigrants鈥� aging in Canada.
CanD3 has also played an important role in strengthening my research communication skills. In particular, the PopAgingDataViz event was highly impactful, as it helped me think more strategically about presenting research findings in a clear, engaging, and appealing way. The training materials developed during this session have become a regular reference for me, and I now consistently use them when preparing research presentations.
Thinking about your recent work, is there a project or achievement you鈥檙e particularly proud of? What made this experience especially meaningful or challenging for you?
Lanlan:听I am proud of two recent achievements. First, I successfully maintained an A average across a demanding semester of three graduate-level courses. Second, and most exciting, was contributing to a research project titled 鈥淯nderstaffed and Overwhelmed? Work Environment and Health of Care Aides in Atlantic Canada.鈥�
Working under the guidance of Dr. Isaiah Hipel, Dr. Carole Estabrooks, and Dr. Janice Keefe, our team prepared and submitted the manuscript to JAMA Health Forum, where it is currently under peer review. The most challenging and rewarding aspect was synthesizing complex qualitative and quantitative data to build a compelling narrative about the critical link between workplace conditions and caregiver health.
Valeriia:听Recently, I collaborated with Dr. Kamila Kolpashnikova, a CanD3 Fellow and Assistant Professor at Western University, and Dr. , Associate Professor at York University, on a research project examining fear of falling among older adults.
According to the recent data, falls are one of the leading causes of injury and unintentional injury-related deaths among older adults worldwide. Beyond actual falls, many older individuals often experience fear of falling (FoF) - a psychological concern about falling and its potential consequences. Recent studies suggest that nearly 50% of older adults often experience FoF, which is strongly associated with adverse outcomes such as depressive symptoms, lower life satisfaction, and reduced physical activity.
Our project pursued two main objectives. First, we aimed to identify the most robust predictive models for detecting 鈥減otential fear of falling鈥� using indicators, such as gaze elevation and heart-rate data captured through wearable eye-tracking and wrist-based devices. Second, we aimed to explore the positive coping strategies that older adults develop and use in everyday life to manage and mitigate their fear of falling. Together, these studies provide important insights for awareness campaigns and the design of interventions focused on fall and fear of falling prevention. You can read about the study听.
Participating in this research was particularly meaningful to me, as my scholarly interests are aligned with population aging. One of the most rewarding aspects of this project was translating our findings into practice: based on the results on positive coping strategies, we organized a community event for seniors in London, where participants learned about practical strategies that can mitigate their fear of falling. This engagement offered a valuable opportunity for me to contribute to the well-being of older adults in my community.
Maintaining balance is an important part of academic life. What activities or interests outside of research help you recharge and reset?
Lanlan:听While data and research occupy much of my time, I make a conscious effort to nurture my other passions. Reading provides quiet depth, while singing and drumming offer emotional release. This year, I鈥檓 also joining a dance class as a way to physically engage with music, challenge myself to learn new patterns, and simply enjoy the freedom of movement.
Valeriia:听Outside the world of research and data, I鈥檝e recently discovered a new hobby - gardening. This summer, I started spending more time outdoors learning how to grow my own vegetables. It has become a refreshing break from Stata and R 馃槉 and a meaningful way to reconnect with nature. So far, I鈥檝e successfully grown yellow tomatoes and basil, both of which taste great with pasta.
Photos Left to right: Lanlan drumming, Valeriia's tomatoes
To wrap up on a lighter note, I asked each of you to choose one creative question to reflect on your research from a different angle.听Firstly, Lanlan,听if you could assemble a dream team of three fictional characters to assist in your research, who would they be and what roles would they play?
If I could assemble a dream team of three fictional characters to assist in my research, it would be:
- Sherlock Holmes as the Qualitative Insight Lead, decoding subtle, unspoken dynamics in care homes that surveys often miss.
- Lt. Commander Data from Star Trek as the Chief Quantitative Analyst, processing complex multi-level datasets with perfect precision and zero bias.
- Leslie Knope as the Director of Impact and Engagement, transforming findings into actionable plans and ensuring the research leads to real policy change and improved lives.
And Valeriia, if you were to describe your research as a food, what would it be and why?
If I were to describe my research as a food, it would be beef Wellington. This dish requires patience, precision, and attention to every layer - from perfectly cooking the meat, to preparing the mushroom duxelles, to wrapping it all in delicate puff pastry. One small misstep can affect the entire outcome. My research is very much the same. Each step from collecting and analyzing data to presenting and interpreting findings demands careful attention. Like assembling a Wellington, every layer matters, and the final insight only comes together when all the pieces are thoughtfully and precisely combined.
Together, Lanlan and Valeriia showcase the diversity of research interests and perspectives that make up the CAnD3 community, underscoring the value of shared learning and collaboration.
