Updates on radiobiology �and microdosimetry studies

Mirta Dumancic, PhD

October 16^th, 2025

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Hôpital général juif

Jewish General Hospital

The Importance of Resilience

for High Achievers (in Academia)

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Kwiek, M. & Szymula, L. High. Educ. https://doi-org.proxy3.library.mcgill.ca/10.1007/s10734-024-01284-0 (2024).

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39% of PhD students exhibit moderate to severe depression symptoms and 41% report moderate to severe anxiety

39.4% of junior academics experience significant depression symptoms and 33% report anxiety

Evans, T., Bira, L., Gastelum, J. et al. Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education. Nat Biotechnol 36, 282–284 (2018).

Scarpis, E., Del Pin, M., Ruscio, E. et al. Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression within the University community: the cross-sectional UN-SAD study. BMC Public Health 22, 1479 (2022)

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Nicholls H, Nicholls M, Tekin S, Lamb D, Billings J. The impact of working in academia on researchers’ mental health and well-being: a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis. PLoS One. 2022;17(5):e0268890.

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Ysseldyk R, Haslam C, Haslam SA, Jetten J, Cruwys T. A Leak in the Academic Pipeline: Identity and Health Among Postdoctoral Women. Frontiers in Psychology. 2019;10:1297

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Ysseldyk R, Haslam C, Haslam SA, Jetten J, Cruwys T. A Leak in the Academic Pipeline: Identity and Health Among Postdoctoral Women. Frontiers in Psychology. 2019;10:1297

• N=146, 80% in natural sciences, 37% had children
• DASS metric (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale)
• Female postdocs showed somewhat low levels of mental health and only moderate levels of perceived control over one’s life and work

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Ysseldyk R, Haslam C, Haslam SA, Jetten J, Cruwys T. A Leak in the Academic Pipeline: Identity and Health Among Postdoctoral Women. Frontiers in Psychology. 2019;10:1297

• only disciplinary identification consistently predicted positive mental health (in the form of fewer symptoms of stress and depression, as well as greater life satisfaction and perceived control)

Depression

Stress

Anxiety

Satisfaction

Control

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Resilience is the ability to adapt

and cope in the midst

of adversity.

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Hannah Chan, Trevor G. Mazzucchelli & Clare S. Rees (2021) The battlehardened academic: an exploration of the resilience of university academics in the face of ongoing criticism and rejection of their research, Higher Education Research & Development, 40:3, 446-460,

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Hannah Chan, Trevor G. Mazzucchelli & Clare S. Rees (2021) The battlehardened academic: an exploration of the resilience of university academics in the face of ongoing criticism and rejection of their research, Higher Education Research & Development, 40:3, 446-460,

Resilience Power

Managing expectations: reframing and detachment

“With experience comes understanding that often it takes three or four or five different tries through different journals until you get success… So, I kind of expect failure for the first one or two and I’m surprised if something goes through reasonably quickly.” (Participant 10, female, professor)

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Hannah Chan, Trevor G. Mazzucchelli & Clare S. Rees (2021) The battlehardened academic: an exploration of the resilience of university academics in the face of ongoing criticism and rejection of their research, Higher Education Research & Development, 40:3, 446-460,

Resilience Power

Redefine: Failure is a Learning Process

“I try to learn from every experience and interpret it as a learning experience rather than as – it might feel like a failure. But it’s not necessarily; only if you don’t learn anything from it.” (Participant 1, male, professor).

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Hannah Chan, Trevor G. Mazzucchelli & Clare S. Rees (2021) The battlehardened academic: an exploration of the resilience of university academics in the face of ongoing criticism and rejection of their research, Higher Education Research & Development, 40:3, 446-460,

Resilience Power

Balance and Identity

“I just really make sure that I exercise and build in regular time off. I wouldn’t take my laptop with me. I take my phone, but I try not to do any work on it and have a complete break.” (Participant 10, female, professor)

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“I get antsy about work–life balance… I want to be

thinking about my work when I’m not here. I see it as a part of my identity” (Participant 8, female, senior lecturer).

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Hannah Chan, Trevor G. Mazzucchelli & Clare S. Rees (2021) The battlehardened academic: an exploration of the resilience of university academics in the face of ongoing criticism and rejection of their research, Higher Education Research & Development, 40:3, 446-460,

Resilience Power

Collaboration, Mentors and Support

Collegial support was emphasized by all participants to be an essential and invaluable part of being able to remain resilient in academia.

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Most participants shared that they had felt lost and unconfident because they had little experience early in their career with handling criticism, and this made them feel isolated.

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How to build resilience:

HAVE HOPE

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

BE CONSISTENT

Acknowledgments

Prof. Shirin Enger: Support

Enger Lab

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