Postdoc makes it personal when talking about their research

Emily Scherzinger’s passion for research and storytelling started with a school trip cut short by a broken wrist.

The class went to a skating rink where nine-year-old Emily was determined to outrace the boys. Emily tripped and fell hard on the ice. By the time Emily got home, their left wrist had swollen to the size of a grapefruit

The afterschool trip to the ER was the first of many. Over the next 16 years, Emily would have 27 fractured bones not counting fingers and toes. There’s been three broken wrists, two broken ankles, a broken foot and shoulder, along with serious sprains and dislocations.

Emily says they were seen as the “adorable, resilient and temporarily disabled kid” – eventually the bones healed, casts came off and life returned to normal until the next trip to the ER. Emily was 12 years old when they learned to write with either hand. They could pop wheelchair wheelies down hospital hallways and X-ray techs knew Emily by name.

“Looking back, I feel sad for little me. I was injured all the time and missed out on a lot.” Those temporary injuries masked an invisible disability that went undetected and put up barriers to learning.

A painful childhood spent in and out of hospital drives Emily’s research – as a postdoc, they’re using disability studies to reimagine lifelong learning. “The individualization of education – with its discounting of collective dependence and collaborative efforts – disadvantages disabled people. Our schools, colleges and universities need to do better.”

Emily remains a medical mystery and marvel after all these years. An initial diagnosis in their early 20s of Hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome – dubbed bendy body disease – has since been ruled out. A definitive diagnosis of their connective tissue disorder remains elusive.

It’s a disorder didn’t stop Emily from joining the League of Lady Wrestlers while doing their undergrad – they were making up for a lost childhood. Performances were highly choreographed with coaching from circus actors so Emily – aka Gravestoner – left the Thunderdome without a single broken bone.

Emily never passes up the chance to talk to anyone and everyone about their life story and research. While oversharing’s always a worry, Emily says audiences appreciate the honesty, frankness and personal storytelling.

The McCall MacBain Postdoctoral Fellows Teaching and Leadership Program offered up two unique opportunities for Emily to tell her story to new audiences.

The made-at-Mac program launched by the Faculty of Science helps postdocs hone their teaching, communication and leadership skills – Emily is one of 114 postdocs to have completed the program over the past six years.

First up was a 10-minute online talk – Broken, Bendy, Invisible Bodies – on Appetizers for Mind, an annual research showcase featuring postdocs in the program.

Next up was a 45-minute conversation on This Could Change Everything – a new five-episode podcast recorded in the Lyons New Media podcast studio and available on Simplecast, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Emily was surprised and thrilled to get an invite to the show – “I’m a Humanities grad and assumed the podcast would skew to science researchers.” Along with addressing the barriers to lifelong learning, Emily’s on a mission to end the polarization of STEM and Humanities. “We need both – there are some problems that can’t be solved with science alone.”

The podcast’s hosted by Joe Kim, the faculty advisor for the McCall MacBain McCall MacBain Postdoctoral Fellows Teaching and Leadership Program and an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behavior.

“Joe and I played well off each other while I was in the program and that carried over to the podcast. I was in very good hands.”

The podcast was the first time Emily had ever been interviewed – they were usually the one asking the questions. As an undergrad at the University of Toronto, Emily took journalism electives, wrote for The Varsity student paper and was editor-in-chief of Demo, a Hart House music magazine.

That journalism background helps make Emily a standout communicator, says Katie George, the manager and research coordinator for the McCall MacBain program.

“Emily’s ability to convey their research as a story, through personal connection and a lens of resilience, resonates with anyone who hears her speak. Whether the audience is a room full of academics, industry leaders or children, Emily has a way of connecting with them all.”

The postdoc credits their communication and storytelling skills to growing up in an interdisciplinary family – mom’s an artist while dad’s an engineer. “My parents see the world in very different ways. I learned from them how to communicate in – and bridge between – those worlds.”

Emily’s outreach work also keeps them on their game as a communicator. As a postdoctoral fellow with the McMaster Children & Youth University, Emily’s constantly connecting with kids – an audience that’s not shy at letting grown-ups know when they’ve stopped making sense.

Kids are also surprised that Emily’s already graduated from university and has a doctorate – maybe it’s the tattoos, dyed bangs and the extracurriculars – they’re a drummer, avid gamer and retired wrestler.

As part of their postdoctoral work, Emily teamed up with students at Bernie Custis Secondary to build an exact replica of the East Hamilton school in Minecraft. The plan is to have Grade 8 students explore the virtual school before showing up for their first day at Bernie Custis – it’s one more way to remove barriers and make education accessible to all.

And that’s a topic that Emily says they’ll continue to research and talk about with anyone and everyone at any time.

“Sharing personal stories is how we connect with each other and drive change.”