As the research coordinator for the Infectious Diseases Research Group at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Kelly Waters plays an instrumental role in many different research projects happening in this group.
Over the years that Kelly has been working at St. Joe’s, she’s discovered a passion for infectious disease research—but she didn’t always plan to work in this field.
Kelly completed her undergraduate degree in Life Sciences at McMaster University at the height of the pandemic, when there was a large demand for COVID-19 researchers. In October 2021, Kelly joined St. Joe’s as a research assistant in the Infectious Diseases Research Group (IDRG), where she spent her time researching COVID-19 screening strategies across the city.
A couple years later, as the need for COVID-19 testing began slowing down, the research group started expanding their work into other infectious areas, largely focusing on illnesses that affect the unhoused population. In June 2023, the IDRG promoted Kelly to a research coordinator, where she would help facilitate the new studies that the group was taking on.
“It was kind of by chance that I started working in this group,” explained Kelly. “I didn’t know a lot about infectious diseases before working here, but I’ve learned so much here and have found a passion for this work.”
As a research coordinator, Kelly plays an integral role in the Infectious Diseases Research Group.
“Kelly has been the cornerstone of translational microbiology studies in the unhoused in our research group, bridging the laboratory and the shelters and providing testing and information to our study subjects,” said Dr. Marek Smieja, Principal Investigator in the IDRG. “Through her work, she has improved access to rapid and high-quality testing for COVID-19 and for sexually transmitted infections, empowering clients with timely testing and treatment.”
Previous and Current Infectious Disease Research Projects
For the first 18 months that Kelly worked in the Infectious Diseases Research Group, the team was primarily focused on COVID-19 – performing COVID-19 diagnostic testing for underserved populations both in and outside of Hamilton, including the unhoused population and residents of long-term care homes. During this time, they also researched screening programs as a whole and their benefits for at-risk populations.
Towards the end of the pandemic, the IDRG transitioned into performing clinical trials related to screening, diagnosis, and vaccination practices in homeless populations.
“The Infectious Diseases Research Group includes investigators, scientists, technicians and students involved in developing and improving the diagnosis of infections such as COVID-19, diarrheal diseases, and sexually transmitted infections,” said Dr. Smieja (pictured left). “We focus on clinically impactful testing for improved care in hospitalized and marginalized community members, with a special emphasis on the unhoused in Hamilton shelters.”
Researchers in this group are currently offering sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening throughout the Hamilton Shelter Health Network. The project, led by PhD candidate and research manager Jodi Gilchrist, assesses the need for a larger screening program in shelters. This project also includes a survey to examine the STI knowledge and beliefs in homeless populations.
The IDRG is also investigating Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), a hospital-acquired infection that results in diarrheal symptoms and can be life-threatening. At St. Joe’s, this research team studies C. diff both in the lab by improving diagnostic capabilities, and in patient populations by offering clinical trials for novel treatments.
Typical Responsibilities as a Research Coordinator
As a research coordinator, each day looks a little different from the last. Kelly’s tasks range from preparing ethics applications and recruiting patients to be in a research study, to collecting data, doing chart reviews, and more.
“Overall, the role of a research coordinator is to support investigators’ research,” Kelly explained. “That can include a lot of different responsibilities, which change depending on what kind of research you’re involved in, or even depending on the day. The variety in what I get up to here is something I really like about this role.”
Due to the flexible nature of this role, Kelly has found that a lot of people aren’t very familiar with what a research coordinator does. She wishes that more people knew about this position.
“Not a lot of people know what this job is until I get the chance to explain it, so it’s nice to put it into words like this,” she said. “I think a greater awareness of what a research coordinator does will be valuable to many different people, especially those interested in pursuing a career in research.”
Developing a Research Career at St. Joe’s Hamilton
Working at St. Joe’s, Kelly is exposed to many different research projects, and different sides of each individual project as well. The work that she’s involved with in the IDRG often changes when new researchers join the lab, such as new PhD students. This dynamic environment has taken her work to places she never would have expected.
“When I started working at St. Joe’s, I didn’t anticipate that I’d be working so closely with the unhoused population or researching STI screening practices,” said Kelly. “The work we do in this group is constantly evolving, and my career here has grown alongside it. I get to see so many aspects of the research we’re doing and I’m always learning new things. It’s a great group to be in.”