“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” – Zora Neale Hurston
My research asks how people make sense of themselves and their lives within the rich and dynamic flow of everyday experience.
In orienting myself to questions of identity and meaning, I have enjoyed working with a diverse array of humans. These interactions have revealed a lot about the unique experiences of traumatic brain injury survivors, young adults living with inflammatory bowel disease, same-sex attracted Christian men, professors who disclose mental illness in their classrooms, and families caring for children with disabilities. More fundamentally, these encounters have convinced me that our shared humanity and radical interconnectedness trumps even the most seemingly divisive differences. We are differently the same, all seeking to belong, to contribute meaningfully to our communities, and to feel good about ourselves as we fall asleep at night.
Research Groups:
Academic Mental Illness Project (AMIP): Explores the lives and professional experiences of academics living with mental illnesses on Canadian campuses. Includes attention to how mental illness influences research, teaching, and service activities; how students experience mental illness disclosures by instructors; and how universities might better support this group of professionals.
www.sites.usask.ca/amip
Recognizing Resilience and Understanding Need (RRUN): Collaboration between 5 Saskatchewan Indigenous communities, 4 Canadian Universities, and QBOW Child and Family services. Aims to develop insight into experiences of childhood disability in rural Indigenous communities and develop culturally- and community-driven family services and supports.
www.rrun.ca
Selected Publications:
Matthews, E. J., Puplampu, V., & Gelech, J. (2021). Tactics and strategies of family adaptation among parents caring for children and youth with developmental disabilities. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 8, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/23333936211028184
Gelech, J., Desjardins, M., Mazurik, K., Duerksen, K., McGuigan-Scott, K., & Lichtenwald, K. (2021). Understanding gut feelings: Transformations in coping with inflammatory bowel disease among young adults. Qualitative Health Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323211011442
Gelech, J., Desjardins, M., & Bayly, M. (2017). Constructing robust selves after brain injury: Positive identity work among members of a female self-help group. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 10(1), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/09602011.2017.1308872
Gelech, J., Desjardins, M., Matthews, E., & Graumans, R. (2017). Why do working relationships not change? The need for a new approach to disability partnership research and social change. Disability & Society, 32(2), 176-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1281104
Gelech, J., & Desjardins, M. (2011). I am many: The reconstruction of self following acquired brain injury. Qualitative Health Research, 21(1), 62-74. doi:10.1177/1049732310377454
