Conor Fancis’ was awarded Overseas Institutional Visit to travel to York University (YorkU) in Toronto.
Introduction to research
Lawrence O. Gostin (2014, p. 59) defines global health law as “the study and practice of international law […] that shapes norms, processes, and institutions to attain the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health for the world’s population”. The primary aim of my PhD research is to critically analyse the global political economy of global health law from a neo-Gramscian perspective. I employ antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a pertinent and urgent case study to understand how the global political economy of global health law plays out in practice. AMR is summarised by the World Health Organization (2021) as “when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death”.
The process
The opportunity of an overseas institutional visit (OIV) had been on my radar since the start of my SWDTP award when I learnt about the scheme during the induction to my award, at which point I thought that it would be a valuable opportunity to disseminate my research further afield and to make contacts useful to a future academic career. I raised the prospect of an OIV with my supervisors before my PhD upgrade in second year. I thought that the end of my second year or the beginning of my third year would be the most useful point at which to undertake an OIV because, by this stage, I envisioned that I would have made some tangible progress with my project and have a firm direction for the project. They advised me to think more concretely about what I wanted to achieve during an OIV, where I wanted to go, and to speak with the SWDTP about the practicalities of applying.
I decided that York University, Toronto, Canada (YorkU) would be the best institution to visit because it is renowned for its work in global health as well as its neo-Gramscian scholars; additionally, I had a contact at YorkU (Dr A.M. Viens) from my time working as a Research Assistant. I further reflected on what I wanted to achieve from an OIV and decided that it would be useful to develop a professional network, disseminate my research, and receive feedback on my work so far from the aforementioned scholars. I approached the SWDTP to discuss an OIV and found the team to be extremely helpful in explaining what a successful application looks like. I subsequently spoke with Dr Viens who explained what I could expect from an OIV there. With decision on which institution to visit arrived at, as well as the objectives of my visit and guidance I had received in mind, I wrote an initial draft of the application.
I reworked the application several times to incorporate feedback from my supervisors, my contact at YorkU, and the SWDTP team. For instance, my contact advised that I should visit in October because many of the academics in Canada work away from their home institution during the summer; the SWDTP advised me on how to make cost-efficiencies; and my supervisors proof-read my drafts. Throughout the application process, I found the guidance and assistance I had received from all involved invaluable.

My experience of the OIV at YorkU was extremely positive. Dr Viens helped me to make contact with several of his colleagues and some other people I wished to speak with during my visit, who made time to discuss my work and offer their thoughts on my research project. Some of those people also made time to put me in contact with other people that they thought would be interested in my work or I in theirs. I managed to meet with people involved in the World Health Organization Collaboration Centre on the Global Governance of AMR as well as the Global Strategy Lab. From these conversations, I was better able to situate my research in the academic field, critically reflect on my work, and found new lines of research inquiry.
Some of the people I met also asked me to send them future work. Whilst in Canada, I took the opportunity to attend the Canadian Conference on Global Health in Ottawa. Although I did not present at the conference, I did make contacts with whom I am still in touch – one reached out recently to let me know they would be at a conference in Oxford and asked if I would be there to meet for coffee. I also met an academic and former government official at the University of Ottawa. Aside from useful conversations, I presented at the School of Global Health to students and, following this, was invited to attend their “Meet the Professors” event as a special guest. I discussed my research, PhD opportunities in the UK, and answered questions on a variety of topics.
I experienced some challenges whilst in Canada. One of the biggest disappointments was that I was unable to meet one of the ‘big name’ neo-Gramscian scholar that I wanted to speak with, but, kindly, he offered to organise a meeting for when he returned to work in early 2024. I also had some issues with my accommodation, but this was ironed out with the assistance of my home institution. Finally, I had originally planned to do more formal presentations at the YorkU School of Global Health, but it quickly became apparent that it was more helpful to have lots of one-to-one conversations than attempt to schedule something for everyone to attend; these one-to-one conversations meant that I could work around others so they had more time to speak with me, and the conversations were more organic.
Thoughts
It is worth saying that I found time away from my home institution, whilst still incredibly engaged in research, beneficial to my motivation.
Conclusion
I would certainly recommend the OIV to other students! I would also recommend YorkU to others – although it is a little far out of Downtown Toronto, the campus is a really vibrant place to be. I would also say that it is important to be flexible with your plans and adapt to those you want to meet.