Kathy Fitzpatrick

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Kathy is a BC native who spent the last nine years living in St. John’s experiencing the unique cultural and physical landscapes of Newfoundland while pursuing a Sociology Ph.D. at Memorial University. Her BA and MA from Simon Fraser University are in Geography, and she enjoys human and physical geography as well as Sociology.  Kathy’s Ph.D. research is a comparative study of home care workers (typically women who cook, clean and do personal care for adults) living in St. John’s and southwest Newfoundland. Her research explores four broad themes related to these two groups of home care workers. First, how does employment-related geographical mobility (mobility to, from and within work) (E-RGM) influence their working conditions and experiences? Second, her research examines the interconnectivity between place, gender, and mobility of interviewed Newfoundland home care workers. Third, she explores the polyrhythmic environments of these generally precariously employed workers; and lastly, she analyses how government and state policies and collective agreements interact with E-RGM to mitigate or exacerbate the occupational health and safety challenges confronting these workers.

Kathy is affiliated with a large pan-Canadian SSHRC research project (On the Move Partnership), which examines how different forms of E-RGM impact workers, family members, and communities. Besides teaching and finishing her Ph.D., Kathy likes travelling, cycling, hiking, and photography. 

While Kathy enjoys doing research, especially field work, she is also passionate about teaching. Her pedagogy is student centered, and she enjoys interacting with students, being creative and learning from students’ experiences. Before starting her Ph.D., Kathy was a part-time sessional instructor at Kwantlen.