Dr. van Beinum has been working at the Faculty of Law for the past year as a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Fellow, focusing on the social and technological impacts of deep brain stimulation as an emerging therapy for the treatment of psychiatric illness. Her work has contributed a social sciences perspective to Professor Jennifer Chandler’s interdisciplinary Hybrid Minds project, which investigates the legal and ethical implications of technological advances in brain stimulation and neuroprosthetic devices. Specifically, Dr. van Beinum explores the social, institutional, and historical factors that lead people with conditions such as depression or addiction to choose brain stimulation treatments, a line of inquiry she plans to continue in her new position.
In 2022, Dr. van Beinum co-authored an article for The Conversation, alongside uOttawa Professor Sonny Dhanani that illustrates her commitment to bringing together perspectives from different disciplines. Entitled “When is ‘dead’ really dead? What happens after a person ‘flatlines’”, the article describes results from one of the largest observational cohort studies of the process of dying from a medical perspective, while also acknowledging the social implications for family members and the policy implications for organ donation systems.
The Faculty of Law wishes the best to Dr. van Beinum in this next phase of her career!