SLIS Doctoral Student Successfully Defends Thesis

SLIS is very proud to announce that Shelagh K. Genuis has successfully defended her Individual Interdisciplinary Ph.D., and will convocate in Spring, 2011. The thesis, co-supervised by Dr. Heidi Julien (SLIS) and Dr. Brenda Cameron (Nursing), is titled : Making sense of evolving health information: Navigating uncertainty in everyday life. This qualitative study explored the experiences of women as they respond to and make sense of uncertain health information mediated by diverse sources (including health professionals, media, internet, and intrapersonal and interpersonal sources). A medical case in which evidence is explicitly evolving - health management during the menopause transition - facilitated exploration of information use and personal health management. Using a social constructionist approach and social positioning theory, and semi-structured interviews (narrative and 'elicitation' approaches) with information seekers and health professionals, the study draws attention to women's complex information worlds, their engagement with information sources, their independent information seeking and interpretation, the pervasive influence of the internet, the role of intrapersonal sources, and the facilitating roles valued when women gathered information from health professionals. Findings highlight the influence of the 'symptom experience'; women's desire to align lived experience with perceived 'normal' experiences; and notions of responsibility engendered by upheavals in conventional medical knowledge. The study has implications for women's health, health literacy and shared decision-making. Congratulations, Dr. Genuis!