Real‑world relevance

In the midst of working towards his third degree, Kent Groves discovered a new mantra: ÒFriends donÕt let friends do PhDs.”

Groves, who graduates on Sunday, laughs when he says it. Because, despite the endless hours of work and the seemingly endless pages Ñ his dissertation is the size of a phone book Ñ his PhD is one of his lifeÕs great accomplishments.

ÒIt was mentally stimulating, socially demanding, and constantly top of mind. My thesis defence had to have been the most stressful two hours of my life,” says the soon-to-be Dr. Groves, 46, whose second child was born and his father passed away during the five-and-a-half years it took to earn his PhD.

ÒBut wow, I learned a lot, more than I thought I ever would.”

With a BSc in agricultural chemistry from the University of Guelph and an MSc in environmental biochemistry at the University of Saskatchewan, GrovesÕ Interdisciplinary PhD at Dalhousie brings together his interests in chemistry, healthcare and marketing. He spent 15 years beyond the ivory towers Ñ working as assistant to a cabinet minister for a time and running his own mail-order company Ñ before academia lured him back.

He came up with an original research proposal and reached across faculties to find the people to support him, took eight courses in areas related to his research, passed three tough comprehensive exams in policy, marketing and pharmacy, and wrote the thesis, The Influence of Pharmaceutical Marketing Activity, Practice Characteristics and Physician Profile on Physician Prescribing Behaviour. ThatÕs on top of raising his young family, working as an assistant professor of marketing at Acadia University in Wolfville and doing freelance consulting work across the country. 

The 15-year gap made all the difference, says Groves, a Moncton native. Once back at university, he progressed to a whole new level of learning and was able to study in concentrated bursts. The Òreal world” also remained uppermost in his mind as he planned and executed his research.

GrovesÕs findings have the potential to save precious health-care dollars as those in government understand why doctors prescribe the drugs they prescribe. He presented his research at the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research conference held last month in Vancouver and came away with top honours.

ÒIf it doesnÕt have relevance to the real world, why do it?”