Rachel Cooper, B.A, joins us to discuss her path to academia, the importance of diverse voices in bioethics, her decision to speak publicly about her mother's medically assisted death, the ups and downs of virtual learning at the graduate level, and so much more!

Rachel is a Master of Bioethics candidate at Harvard Medical School, and a Fulbright Canada Student award recipient. She received her Honours BA in social development studies from the University of Waterloo. Rachel’s academic interests include psychiatric ethics, medical education, patient engagement, and qualitative research. She has been involved in many mental health initiatives across Ontario as an educator, researcher, advocate, and leader. Rachel is energized by the pursuit of information and knowledge in all forms, but she particularly enjoys podcasts and documentary films. Beyond her work, Rachel spends most of her free time with her toddler nephew, who is teaching her new ways to be curious about the world. 

Follow Rachel on Twitter. Find her open-access CMAJ article “Complicated gratitude: a letter to my mother’s physician” online.

This episode of Accidental Intellectual is produced by Holly Boyne, Manon Feasson, Lauren Goldberg, Bronwyn Lamond, Rachael Lyon, Harrison McNaughtan, Stephanie Morris, Lee Propp, and Ariana Simone. Our theme music is by Alexandra Willet and our branding by Maxwell McNaughtan.

To learn more about the Accidental Intellectual podcast and get full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit our website at www.accidentalintellectual.com.