Julia Goyal is currently pursuing a Joint Interdisciplinary PhD between the School of Public Health Sciences and Department of Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

Her doctoral research focuses on building and validating data-driven models through a mixed-method design to classify, predict and better understand stress in caregiving work.

Findings will help develop recommendations for frontline and management-level workplace personnel and inform workplace practice to promote sustainable and healthy work for personal support workers. Understanding stress will make an important difference in care work, as the health and well-being of personal support workers, in turn, shapes the quality of care provided to clients at home.

VHA Research Priority: Safer Teams