IWD2024 Interview with Dr Chloe Lau

A big ISSID welcome to Dr Chloe Lau, an early career researcher working as an adjunct research professor at Western University. Dr Lau was the recipient of the 2023 ISSID Early Career Research Award and joins us today to talk about her research and academic pursuits in advance of International Women’s Day 2024.

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Can you describe a typical day at your workplace and how you achieve the all-important work-life balance?Dr Lau: At present, I'm pursuing a research career while simultaneously pursuing full-time studies at the University of Toronto Medical School. I was fortunate to have a remarkable mentor who instilled in me the concept of "work-life satisfaction" over "work-life balance." This notion underscores that what brings satisfaction to one person may not necessarily do the same for another, and vice versa. For example, I am happy to answer emails at 11 pm some days (but not others!), but that may not work for another person. Therefore, it's crucial to identify what specifically works for us individually, recognizing that it may not align with traditional work-life balance models. It is also important that we do not push our own work-life balance philosophies onto others! My overarching strategy involves establishing specific work hours and adhering to them as closely as possible. I believe we're often bombarded with numerous distractions, such as email notifications and social media, and taking breaks from these can enhance productivity within those designated hours, thus allowing time for personal interests and relationships. Additionally, my medical school experience has highlighted the importance of not taking our health and well-being for granted. It's all too easy to overlook signs of declining health until it becomes a significant issue. Therefore, prioritizing self-care activities like regular exercise, nutritious eating, and sufficient sleep is just as crucial as maintaining productivity in our professional endeavors. After all, nourishing ourselves is fundamental to fueling our projects effectively.

Can you discuss a project or accomplishment you are particularly proud of within your organisation?Dr Lau: I enjoyed combining my passion for algorithm design and novel statistical methods to measure clinical symptoms and personality. My most rewarding research experience was the moment I recognized that I could combine my passion for statistics and understanding others to create impact in the healthcare infrastructure. I had the opportunity to design the interRAI Child and Youth Internalizing and Externalizing Mental Health Scales used to identify problem areas for children and families seeking mental health services. I led this project because I wanted to use advanced data science to provide the most accurate assessment of problems for patients to better understand them. To facilitate a bedside-to-bench approach, I collaborated with frontline clinicians to understand the emotional and behavioural problem areas they encountered when working with youth. I used the clinicians’ responses to inform algorithm development and my results showed these two algorithms were comparable to gold standard childhood emotional and behavioural assessment scales. The interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health Internalizing and Externalizing scales are currently automated in over 90 mental health agencies across Ontario as part of care planning, program evaluation, and research initiatives. Most importantly, I learned that I could combine my strengths in understanding others and statistical sciences to improve children and families’ quality of care, which every day reignites my commitment to science.

In what ways do you contribute to fostering diversity and inclusion within your research environment?Dr Lau: Encouraging research on diverse topics that address a wide range of societal issues and perspectives can help ensure that research outcomes are more inclusive and applicable to diverse populations. During my PhD, my research has been guided by patient experiences and an innate curiosity to better understand these. In the course of my research, an East Asian patient described her resilience as compliantly managing difficult people while a White patient defined her resilience as asserting herself with these same individuals. In response to these clinical observations, I led a study where I employed item response theory to model data I collected in Canada and China. Results showed Chinese, but not Canadian, participants perceived overcoming thirst and hunger quickly and learning from difficult people represented resilience. I am motivated to advocate for the incorporation of multifaceted cultural beliefs and values in Western psychosocial constructs using data science. This research is currently published in Personality and Individual Differences and received an Honourable Mention at the Association for Psychological Science.

What are some of the ethical considerations you need to take into account in your research?Dr Lau: Personality researchers should honor the variety among participants and ensure that their studies are welcoming and culturally aware. This involves acknowledging cultural distinctions in how personalities are expressed, steering clear of stereotypes, and confronting any possible biases in the research process.

In what ways has the landscape of your research field changed over the course of your career?Dr Lau: There has been a movement away from a predominantly American-centric perspective in exploring multicultural viewpoints within personality research. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute Canadian data to collaborate with Dr. Sonja Heintz in her examination of the psychometric characteristics of Benevolent and Corrective Humor across 25 countries. This study was particularly remarkable as it delved into aspects of humor that might be universally recognized among individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

What aspects of your research are you most passionate about?Dr Lau: The most fulfilling part of engaging in psychology research is the chance to team up with exceptionally skilled and outstanding individuals in the discipline to tackle challenges together. While psychometric research frequently depends on self-reported data, it is truly thrilling to discover corroborating evidence supporting these self-report measures! In a recent study collaborating with my mentors Professors Drs. Chiesi, Saklofske, and Ruch, we randomized participants to different expressive writing conditions, where they wrote about scenarios involving cheerful, serious, or negative moods. Ratings provided by independent judges and participants for the respective scenarios showed agreement ranging from .44 to .62. The retrospective states of cheerfulness, seriousness, and negative mood were linked with linguistic categories, such as emotional tone, clout, achievement, and insight, identified by the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software.

Can you share a significant challenge you've overcome in your career and how you did it?Dr Lau: One significant challenge I have overcome in my career was balancing a full-time research career while my mother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I have struggled with asking for help in the past, but this experience has enabled me to realize the importance of seeking support from family, friends, and colleagues. Their insights and encouragement provided invaluable reassurance and helped me stay focused and resilient during this difficult time. When I shared my story with friends and colleagues, I learned that many other friends and colleagues were going through similar struggles with their personal health or the challenges with caregiving. This experience taught me the power of supporting one another during difficult times, shaping me into a stronger and more compassionate person in my personal and professional life.

What has been a defining moment in your research career, and why was it significant to you?Dr Lau: Winning the Academic Gold Medal at the University of Western Ontario for the most outstanding PhD and the Early Career Award for ISSID were undeniably defining moments in my research career, marking a culmination of years of dedication, hard work, and passion in psychological sciences. It was a moment of validation, affirming that my contributions to the academic community were not only recognized but celebrated at the highest level. I wanted to use this opportunity to express the most sincere gratitude to my mentors: My mentor, Dr. Donald H. Saklofske, is the epitome of compassion and kindness—an ideal advisor for any graduate student. Despite encountering numerous obstacles in academia, such as frequent rejections from journals and conferences, and setbacks in various research aspects, Dr. Saklofske instilled in me the invaluable lesson of perseverance. As a mentor, he consistently displayed unwavering enthusiasm, emphasizing the significance of rigorous scientific practices and the joy found in research. He treated everyone with equal respect and kindness, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment. I aspire to emulate these qualities in my future career endeavors. Professor Dr. Ruch has generously offered me career-oriented advice to thrive in academia. I was fortunate to have Professor Ruch as my mentor since September 2017, when I began my doctoral studies with a research stay in his lab in Switzerland. The atmosphere in Professor Willibald Ruch’s lab was welcoming, warm, and cheerful, yet characterized by diligence, scientific rigor, and commitment in every scientific endeavor. Although delving into humor research presented a steep learning curve, Professor Ruch patiently nurtured my skills and enabled me to contribute effectively to the project. He emphasized that learning involves taking risks, a journey facilitated by unwavering commitment and perseverance in the face of challenges. Professor Ruch's unwavering support and dedication to my career enabled me to recognize my own potential and reinforced my commitment to research and learning. I am immensely grateful for the mentorship of Professor Dr. Chiesi, who welcomed me into her academic family during my studies in Italy. Her unconditional support for my research goals truly touched me, and I felt incredibly motivated under her guidance. Professor Chiesi went above and beyond by treating me like family, providing not only academic guidance but also emotional support throughout my journey. One memorable instance of her dedication was when she took the time to sit down with me and patiently teach me how to navigate various statistical programs. This personalized attention and investment in my development left a lasting impact, instilling in me a newfound confidence and competence in my research endeavors. Professor Chiesi's mentorship has been instrumental in shaping my academic path, and I am deeply appreciative of her invaluable support and guidance.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field, especially young women aspiring to enter the research community?Dr Lau: As straightforward as it may seem, the most valuable advice for someone embarking on a journey in the field is to have faith in oneself. Believe in your own resilience, intellect, determination, and character to achieve success! This belief was exemplified by an undergraduate student, Ms. Catherine Li, whom I co-supervised with Dr. Donald Saklofske. In 2019, Catherine, then an undergraduate student, faced a challenge when the department announced restrictions on data collection through our psychology research pool, limiting students to only 50 participants. Despite this setback, Catherine remained undeterred and demonstrated confidence and problem-solving skills by seeking alternative methods to fulfill her data collection needs. She independently recruited 800 participants for her thesis. To further showcase her capabilities, she entered an international competition and emerged victorious, earning the Best Undergraduate Thesis Award out of over 4000 submissions at the 2020 Undergraduate Awards Global Summit. Subsequently, she was invited to deliver a keynote address at the same conference, highlighting her exceptional achievements. To date, I find this as the prime illustration of a young and enthused research trainee who believed in herself and her capabilities which led to success.

References

Heintz, S., Ruch, W., Aykan, S., Brdar, I., Brzozowska, D., Carretero-Dios, H., … [including Lau, C.] & Wong, P. S. (2020). Benevolent and corrective humor, life satisfaction, and broad humor dimensions: Extending the nomological network of the BenCor across 25 countries. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21, 2473-2492.

Lau, C., Chiesi, F., Saklofske, D. H., & Ruch, W. (2022). The State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory State Version–Short Form (STCI-S18): An Examination of Language Use and Psychometric Properties. Journal of Personality Assessment, 104(4), 548-558.

Lau, C., Chiesi, F., Saklofske, D. H., Yan, G., & Li, C. (2020). How essential is the essential resilience scale? Differential item functioning of Chinese and English versions and criterion validity. Personality and Individual Differences, 155, 109666.

Lau, C., Stewart, S. L., Saklofske, D. H., & Hirdes, J. (2019). Scale development and psychometric properties of internalizing symptoms: the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health internalizing subscale. Psychiatry Research, 278, 235-241.

Lau, C., Stewart, S. L., Saklofske, D. H., & Hirdes, J. (2021). Development and psychometric validation of the interRAI ChYMH externalizing subscale. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26(1), 295-305