This winter Jessy Dame joined the Men’s Health Research team. Jessy is Two-Spirit Métis Certified Registered Nurse with Vancouver Coastal Health who currently works within a queer focused sexual health clinic in Vancouver. In addition to working at the clinic Jessy is pursuing a Masters in Nursing at UBC.
We did a Q&A to learn more about Jessy and welcome him to the team!
GM: Can you tell me a little bit about your academic background?
JD: I completed my BScN as class valedictorian in 2015 at TRU. Following that I completed my Remote Certification through UNBC, STI and Human Contraceptive Management Certifications through BCIT, and my NICU certification through BCIT. Following that, I began my MSN in September 2018.
GM: What are your research interests and how have they evolved throughout your career?
JD: My primary interests are investigating the intersectionality regarding race and sexuality with a primary focus on two spirit (2S)/ men who have sex with men. I have also focused on areas such as internalized homonegatvity, shame, sexual violence, 2SLGBTQ, Indigenous health and concepts regarding 2S peoples, suicide among self-identified queer peoples and the negative health outcomes that may result from validation seeking behaviors.
GM: Can you tell me a little bit about the research you will be doing with MHR in the coming months?
GM: In the coming months I will be doing a secondary analysis of data collected in 2018 regarding male suicide attempts and ideation among queer/2S peoples.
GM: What led you to pursue your current work?
JD: In my clinical work it’s common for patients to report experiences of sexual violence, harm and to observe negative health outcomes among patients within a sexual health clinic setting. This has motivated me to pursue research in the area.
GM: What are your interests outside of work and research?
JD: Outside of my day to day work and research I am committed to doing and supporting work that breaks down the barriers that continue to block queer/2S peoples form thriving in today’s society. I’m passionate about reigniting Indigenous concepts of ambiguity and becoming more comfortable with the grey areas.
GM: Thanks for sharing all of that! We are so excited to have you on the team. Now we’ll switch things up a bit with one final question, can you tell me one fun fact about yourself?
JD: I have a strong passion for travel and exploring the world through foods. I have visited 6/7 continents! You can read more about Jessy in the About section of our website!
Welcome Jessy!