Dr. Kelsey Gately, Johnson & Wales University
Meet Kelsey Gately, the new RI-INBRE Teaching Postdoctoral Fellow (TPF), Health Science Department, Johnson & Wales University (JWU). Kelsey received her Doctor of Occupational Therapy in 2023 from Johnson and Wales University. Her doctoral dissertation focused on “Addressing the Knowledge Gap: Exploring the Relationship Between Healthcare Discrimination and Disability Status Among Sexual and Gender Minorities.” In addition, Kelsey is a national registered, Rhode Island licensed occupational therapist. Some of Kelsey’s fellowship highlights are “presenting at the American Public Health Association conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Peer-reviewing and being invited to review for several journals along with data management and submission for NIH R-15 grant.”
Kelsey earned a BA from Marlboro College with a commencement undergraduate plan of concentration focused on investigating issues surrounding the self in regard to body health and chronic illness through means of photography, sculpture, and various mixed media. Kelsey’s educational career has been a bit winding and non-linear. Kelsey started as an undergraduate at the University of Rhode Island. “During the first semester, I found myself looking through the latest student newspaper, the Good Five-Cent Cigar, and found a job listing that sounded interesting. It was to
provide in-home Respite and PASS (Personal Assistance Services and Supports) to support children with disabilities and their families. At the time, I was still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life and thought this would be a good opportunity to learn more about the healthcare field while doing something I enjoyed. I was hired and continued to work with various families throughout my educational career. After freshman year, I left URI, briefly joined the Navy, and finally ended up at Marlboro College a few years later to double-majored in sculpture and photography. During my time at Marlboro, my health conditions worsened, and I was urged by my faculty to consider taking time off. Instead, I decided to pivot and refocus the subject of my work to document and process my experience with chronic illness as a young adult. I inevitably had to take a leave of absence to be closer to my doctors but found ways to navigate and graduate on time. The decision to change direction and focus on health revived my interest in working in a role that would allow me to help others process and live with their own conditions. Eventually, this led to going back to community college to take pre-requisite courses for OT school while working as a treatment coordinator at one of the agencies I previously did in-home care for. Finally, in May 2020, I started the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program at Johnson & Wales University and completed my doctoral capstone experience in the Center for Student Research & Interdisciplinary Collaboration (CSRIC) with Dr. Rosenthal. “
“I’ve always been interested in research, regardless of which field of study I was pursuing. The first year of OT school included three semesters of research, which is where I met Dr. Rosenthal and worked on my first study. That really sealed the deal for me. In my third year of the OTD program, I completed my doctoral capstone experience at the CSRIC, with Dr. Rosenthal as my site mentor. During that time, we continually discussed different options for my future, and what working in academia/research might look like for me. It was during this semester that I learned about the fellowship. It felt like the perfect opportunity to further my research skills while also gaining experience teaching and providing mentorship to undergraduate students.”
Kelsey’s background as an occupational therapist has been both one of the most rewarding parts of publishing, and one of the most difficult parts. “In some situations, I’ve been able to contribute knowledge unique to my field and advocate for OT within the public health realm. In other situations, I’ve had to take off my OT hat for a moment and view the study through a different lens. Obviously, it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to collaborate with others and see my contributions put forth into the world, but it’s even more meaningful for me when I’m able to provide a unique perspective.”
The most rewarding part of being accepted to the postdoctoral fellowship for Kelsey is returning to JWU in a new role. Kelsey is helping undergraduate health science students navigate their plans for the future while teaching. Kelsey enjoys mentoring and getting undergraduate students involved in real-life research. Kelsey’s advice to future postdoctoral fellows is to “document everything you do! With managing various roles, things move quick and it’s easy to lose track of all of the things you’ve accomplished. It’s also a great way to see how far you’ve come and how many new things you’ve had the opportunity to experience.” Kelsey’s advice on publishing would be to collaborate! “Bringing in others can enrich your work, spread the workload out, and bring in a fresh set of eyes.”