Nathan Skolski

Email: nathanskolski@okmain.cms.ok.ubc.ca


 

Aerial view of UBC Okanagan

Projects will look at improving N95 masks, mental health and well-being

The BC Ministry of Health is investing in BC Interior research universities to understand the harmful effects of COVID-19 and mitigate its impact on communities across the province.

The province has funded five collaborative research projects through the Interior University Research Coalition (IURC), a partnership between Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, the University of British Columbia, Okanagan (UBCO) in Kelowna and the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in Prince George.

The projects being funded range from identifying the effects of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of people living in rural communities to developing telehealth programs that will engage older adults outside urban centres. Other projects include a focus on improving the lifespan of N95 masks, as well as building a better understanding of whether new technologies are improving the resiliency of rural health-care practitioners.

“This is a win-win-win situation for the province, for the universities, and for the communities we serve in terms of the impact this research will have on the health and quality of life for the people who live there,” says Will Garrett-Petts, associate vice-president, research and graduate studies at TRU.

He adds that the IURC has developed a model that can ensure responsible and innovative research.

“The work we’re doing is meaningful and is guided by the interests of the local and regional communities,” he says. “This is a wonderful model of collaboration, and one we are collectively celebrating.”

UBC Okanagan’s Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President for Research and Innovation Phil Barker agrees. He says his campus is especially excited to be working on an initiative that is highly collaborative and that spans campuses and institutions across the BC interior.

“We’re delighted that the BC Ministry of Health is investing in this initiative to help mitigate the effects of COVID-19 throughout our province,” explains Barker. “Our researchers have been able to mobilize quickly through the tri-university partnership and each of the selected projects will leverage our respective strengths to serve communities across BC.”

The BC Ministry of Health has provided the IURC with $150,000 to launch this initiative. The IURC was established in 2017 to advance the research and innovation capacity and commercialization potential of the BC Interior and create new opportunities for economic and social innovation. The inaugural funding is focused largely on COVID-19 issues that affect the BC Interior but the results from these projects will help support regional and provincial health care decision-making and provide real-world opportunities for students to gain experience in the complex, ever-changing realm of health care.

“When researchers from different institutions collaborate across disciplines, the research outcomes benefit from different perspectives and synergies that result from cross-institutional collaboration,” says Kathy Lewis, acting vice-president of research at UNBC. “These projects are fantastic examples of what’s possible when researchers from across the BC Interior come together and seek solutions to pressing public health concerns.”

About the projects

  • Shannon Freeman, associate professor in UNBC’s School of Nursing, has partnered with Piper Jackson, assistant professor of computer science at TRU, to develop a COVID-19 risk assessment tool that identifies homecare clients who are at greatest risk of contracting the virus.
  • Jian Liu and Abbas Milani of UBCO’s School of Engineering will be working with Hossein Kazemian of UNBC to improve the lifespan of nanofibres and activated carbon mats in N95 masks.
  • Brodie Sakakibara, assistant professor in UBCO’s Southern Medical Program and investigator in the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, is working with researchers at UBCO, UNBC and Interior Health to create a student-delivered Community Outreach Telehealth Program that will engage older adults from outside urban centres and establish best practices for providing health support during a pandemic.
  • TRU’s Bala Nikku has teamed up with Khalad Hasan from UBCO and Rahul Jain from UNBC to better understand whether new technologies are improving the resiliency of rural health care practitioners.
  • Nelly Oelke, associate professor in UBCO’s School of Nursing and scientific director of the Rural Coordination Centre of BC, will be collaborating with UBCO’s Donna Kurtz, UNBC’s Davina Banner-Lukaris and TRU’s Bonnie Fournier to expand ongoing research that explores the mental health impacts of climate change events. The new study will identify the effects of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of people living in rural communities to help foster resilience.

About UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in 2005 in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose territory the campus resides. As part of UBC—ranked among the world’s top 20 public universities—the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

Simulation session in the KGH emergency department. Note: in order to conserve PPE, the team pictured here is wearing PPE appropriate for simulation but not bedside patient care.

Training protocols support learning and build confidence for front-line staff

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians and allied health professionals in BC and across the country ramped up patient simulation training to prepare for the impending health care crisis.

Research from the Southern Medical Program (SMP) based at UBC Okanagan is highlighting a new pandemic simulation guide as a critical resource for helping the provincial health care system stay up to date.

Patient simulation serves an integral tool to support and test a health care system’s emergency preparedness for multiple scenarios including a pandemic. However, ready access to equipment, space and resources varies greatly by community especially those situated in rural and remote settings.

As cases of COVID-19 started appearing across BC, Dr. Jared Baylis and the Interior Health simulation team fielded an urgent and heightened number of requests for simulation training as hospitals and communities grappled with how to safely treat an influx of sick and contagious patients.

“The stakes were high as health care teams looked to simulation to help effectively manage COVID-19 patients and ensure the safety of front-line staff,” says Baylis, an emergency medicine physician and simulation lead with the SMP and Interior Health (IH).

In response, Baylis and the IH simulation team worked rapidly to develop a standardized set of protocols that could support the safe delivery of simulation exercises regardless of the environment. In rural hospitals and clinics where space is often limited or unavailable, training must be conducted on the wards or in other clinical spaces such as operating rooms.

The COVID-19 Simulation Guide gives simulation educators, from novice to expert, the tools and resources to facilitate training that allow participants to feel safe, learn from the sessions and prepare to confidently handle COVID-19 cases within their unique clinical environments.

“We want to ensure exercises are productive, respect physical distance measures, and optimize the use of personal protective equipment,” adds Baylis. “Our hope is to build capacity for COVID-19 training across BC, particularly within rural areas that lack access to dedicated simulation resources.”

A recent study by fourth-year SMP student Hilary Drake highlighted the guide’s impact and broad use within the health care community in BC and beyond. The guide is available to download for free from the BC Simulation Network website.

“The guide has enabled health care professionals with little to no simulation experience conduct successful COVID-19 simulation sessions,” says Drake. “It has supported learning from across the continuum of care from emergency departments and intensive care units to long-term care facilities and primary care settings.”

The study was recently published in the Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

About UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in 2005 in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose territory the campus resides. As part of UBC—ranked among the world’s top 20 public universities—the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

The survey showed that 80 per cent of respondents indicated a willingness to use telehealth for follow-up appointments as part of their Parkinson’s treatment.

The survey showed that 80 per cent of respondents indicated a willingness to use telehealth for follow-up appointments as part of their Parkinson’s treatment.

Expanded access to specialized care and reduced travel key benefits for patients and caregivers

New research from the UBC Southern Medical Program (SMP) supports the use of telehealth in the care of Parkinson’s patients in rural communities, particularly within the Interior Health region.

The treatment of Parkinson’s disease is highly complex and relies heavily on a patient’s changes in their physical features over time, such as the rigidity of muscles and movement of limbs. As these characteristics can vary significantly between patients, personalized treatment plans must reflect individual circumstances and other lifestyle factors.

Fourth-year SMP student Dakota Peacock and lead author of the new study underscores the need for Parkinson’s patients to have access to quality health care regardless of the size and location of their home community.

Within the BC Interior’s vast and mountainous landscapes, lengthy travel times and hazardous road conditions, especially during the winter months, can provide additional barriers to patients and their caregivers. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in the need for virtual health care options to support patients remotely.

“The focus of our study was to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by Parkinson’s patients within Interior Health region in accessing specialized care,” says Peacock. “We also sought to assess their potential willingness to use telehealth technologies in supporting their health and well-being.”

Dr. Daryl Wile, neurologist with the Okanagan Movement Disorder Clinic and study co-author, acknowledges the effectiveness of telehealth in Parkinson’s care is yet to be established. However, he believes certain aspects of physical exams are less critical in follow-up appointments and could be delivered remotely.

“To use telemedicine for people with Parkinson’s Disease we need to understand how we can adapt the tools we have to the many different types of symptoms they may be facing,” says Wile, clinical assistant professor with the SMP based at UBC Okanagan.

Based on the survey results, 80 per cent of respondents indicated a willingness to use telehealth for follow-up appointments as part of their Parkinson’s treatment. Key challenges reported including difficulty accessing specialized care closer to home and the financial and emotional toll of travel on caregivers or family members.

“It’s encouraging that we could potentially minimize some of the barriers and stressors for Parkinson’s patients in accessing care, but fully recognize there is no one-size-fits-all approach,” adds Peacock.

The UBC study was recently published in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences.

About UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in 2005 in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose territory the campus resides. As part of UBC—ranked among the world’s top 20 public universities—the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

The COVID-19 Disability Survey will capture perspectives from Canadians with different types of disabilities and their family members.

The COVID-19 Disability Survey will capture perspectives from Canadians with different types of disabilities and their family members.

Findings will help ensure strategies meet the needs of people of all abilities

COVID-19 has created an entirely new set of challenges for the more than 6.2 million Canadians living with a disability, says UBC Professor Kathleen Martin Ginis.

While physical distancing and other public health measures such as face masks have become staples of daily life, researchers and community-support organizations are sounding the alarm over the potential health impacts and greater support needed for Canadians living with disabilities.

“We are deeply concerned for the many people struggling with increased social isolation and reduced access to programs that support their physical and mental health and overall well-being,” says Martin Ginis, director of the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management based at UBC Okanagan. “We need to fully understand the scope and complexity of these challenges as the pandemic continues for the foreseeable future.”

The growing knowledge gap has led UBC researchers to team up with Ontario-based disability resource organization the Abilities Centre. Together they have launched a national COVID-19 disability survey as part of the Access Project, an Abilities Centre response to crisis recovery aimed to support all Canadians.

“While the full health impact of COVID-19 may take years to fully understand, the immediate needs of Canadians living with disabilities must be addressed,” says Stuart McReynolds, president and chief executive officer with the Abilities Centre. “The survey findings will greatly assist government and community organizations to determine key priorities and areas of support.”

The survey, led by Abilities Centre staff along with UBC researchers Martin Ginis, Joan Ubeda Colomer and Femke Hoekstra and Queens’s University researcher Amy Latimer-Cheung, will give a voice to many Canadians living with a disability. Data from the survey will help evaluate and enhance new policies and community support programs.

All Canadians who identify as having a disability—such as physical, cognitive or sensory— or having a child or family member living with a disability in their household are asked to share their unique experiences and concerns while navigating COVID-19.

To ensure accessibility, this survey is available in French, English and American Sign Language. Additionally, this survey formatting includes headings suitable for screen reader software, increased font size and colour contrast.

Martin Ginis says there is also an opportunity for participants to complete an additional series of questionnaires describing circumstances while public health measures remain in place. Their feedback will directly impact how policymakers, businesses and organizations across Canada develop policies, processes and services through the lens of accessibility and inclusion.

“This is an opportunity for people with disabilities to share how their experiences in accessing services during COVID-19 has impacted their physical, mental and social health,” says Martin Ginis. “It’s imperative the voices and concerns of Canadians living with disabilities are reflected in the public health response to COVID-19.”

To participate in the COVID-19 Disability Survey, visit: abilitiescentre.org/disabilitysurvey. For more information, contact: disabilitysurvey@abilitiescentre.org or call 1 866 639 1858.

About the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management

Based at UBC Okanagan, the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management (CCDPM) serves as a provincial leader for research, knowledge translation and exchange in the urgent research field of chronic disease prevention. The CCDPM is the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s first research centre located outside of the Lower Mainland.

To learn more, visit: ccdpm.med.ubc.ca

About the Abilities Centre

One of the only organizations in Canada with a comprehensive approach to inclusion and accessibility, the Abilities Centre strives to make communities more accessible and inclusive to increase quality of life for every individual and enable them to participate fully in community and economic life.

As a community hub, living lab and inclusion incubator, Abilities Centre engages individuals and communities in programs, leads research and advocacy on inclusion issues, and develops innovative frameworks for programs that are replicable, scalable and customizable to the needs of local communities in Durham Region and across Ontario and Canada.

Learn more at: abilitiescentre.org

About UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in 2005 in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose territory the campus resides. As part of UBC—ranked among the world’s top 20 public universities—the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

Physicians at Kelowna General Hospital, together with UBC emergency medicine residents and Southern Medical Program students have come together to develop a a phone follow-up service for self-isolating patients.

Physicians at Kelowna General Hospital, together with UBC emergency medicine residents and Southern Medical Program students have come together to develop a phone follow-up service for self-isolating patients.

Volunteers offer non-medical follow-up help and advice

In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, testing in the emergency department at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) was primarily reserved for those patients needing hospitalization to treat their disease.

Patients diagnosed with mild-disease symptoms were instead directed to self-isolate at home for a minimum of ten days without being tested. As COVID-19 treatments and testing protocols continued to evolve, discharged patients weren’t necessarily getting the most up-to-date information on how to effectively self-isolate.

It was a knowledge gap that Dr. Tony Kwan, a KGH emergency physician and UBC clinical instructor, looked to fill with the support of Southern Medical Program (SMP) student volunteers from UBC Okanagan.

“We needed to eliminate confusion and ensure our patients could effectively manage their symptoms and limit the further spread of COVID-19 in the community,” says Kwan.

Kwan enlisted the help of UBC emergency medicine residents and a group of SMP students to operationalize a phone follow-up service for self-isolating patients.

“Self-isolation is a new concept for most members of our community and we wanted to support patients in understanding the importance and guidelines,” says Dr. Kerry Spearing, a UBC emergency medicine resident. “We also wanted to identify common barriers preventing patients from self-isolating effectively, and develop solutions to assist patients in navigating those barriers.”

By far, the two biggest concerns for patients were how to obtain groceries and prescriptions without leaving the home. These common challenges led the team to compile a self-isolation handout including a detailed list of grocery stores and pharmacies willing to deliver within the community.

Over the past two months, SMP student Kyla Freeman has been one of the volunteers checking on patients by phone. They review self-isolation protocols, share community resources, and field non-medically related questions. Patients are contacted within the first 48 hours of discharge and again five to seven days later.

“Hearing patient stories about the virus impact and barriers to self-isolation has been an eye-opening experience,” says Freeman. “Patients can find it incredibly challenging to self-isolate, especially when trying to minimize transmission to their household contacts.”

In addition to the KGH Emergency Department, the phone service has grown to include self-isolating patients seen at the Urgent Primary Care Centre in Kelowna. Kwan and the team have also connected with colleagues in the Lower Mainland to share the model and best practices.

“I’m definitely grateful to be able to support patients in some way to help make a difference,” says Freeman. “It’s a challenging time for everyone, and we’re hopefully able to make their lives a little bit easier.”

About UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in 2005 in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose territory the campus resides. As part of UBC—ranked among the world’s top 20 public universities—the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

SMP student Brian Hayes helps a local physician by watching her 18-month-old daughter Mika.

SMP student Brian Hayes helps a local physician by watching her 18-month-old daughter Mika.

Students aim to ease pressure through personal assistance, childcare, and remote-patient support

Southern Medical Program (SMP) students based at UBC Okanagan are assisting front-line physicians in the battle against COVID-19 in the BC Interior.

With the temporary suspension of clinical training in hospitals and clinics across the province, many medical students felt sidelined and began looking for ways to support physicians and patients during the pandemic.

Over 80 SMP students have joined the BC COVID-19 medical student response team, a UBC student-led initiative supporting physicians and volunteer projects in all regions of the province.

“Volunteering is a tangible and effective way to make a difference,” says Alex Monaghan, SMP student and volunteer organizer. “We wanted to get involved out of appreciation and gratitude for those working to keep us protected and safe.”

From providing childcare and personal assistance to physicians, to supporting patients remotely, SMP students have rallied together to offer their support across the Interior Health region.

Students have helped configure tablets with video messaging applications to help patients at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) stay connected with their families. They also recently launched a meal preparation and delivery service to support physicians and their families.

“As we adjust, both personally and professionally to the new realities of life with COVID-19, I’m deeply encouraged by the generosity and solidarity of this newest generation of future physicians,” says Dr. Sarah Brears, Interim Regional Associate Dean for the Southern Medical Program and family physician. “The extra support they’re offering to the community is helping many physicians stay focused on their work and their patients.”

SMP student Brian Hayes is one of the volunteers helping out by entertaining the busy 18-month old of a local physician working at KGH.

For Hayes, volunteering is a small way to give back during an unprecedented time.

"As individuals committed to providing care to the public, we have a strong desire to assist those on the front lines,” says Hayes. “Volunteering our time to support physicians with an inflated workload or help with projects such as contact tracing allows us to be engaged in the COVID-19 response."

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve, students remain committed to volunteering with projects that can support physicians, patients, and the healthcare system as a whole.

“We chose medicine because we have a deeply ingrained desire to make a difference in the lives of those around us,” says Monaghan. “Those values don’t disappear just because there’s a pause in our clinical training. We’re here to help in whatever form that takes.”

About UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in 2005 in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose territory the campus resides. As part of UBC—ranked among the world’s top 20 public universities—the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

Countries around the world, including Canada, are working to contain the current outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Hadi Mohammadi is an assistant professor at UBC’s School of Engineering.

UBC Okanagan engineer says not all body types are taken into account

As technology advances in the things we use every day, it’s generally accepted they also become safer. But according to one UBC engineer, that may not be true for a large portion of the population.

New research from UBC’s Okanagan campus has developed a innovative model to map the impact of trauma on a pregnant woman and her uterus if she were involved in an accident—with the hopes of making everything from airbags to seatbelts safer for all.

“I became an engineer because I firmly believe we have an incredible ability to make the world a safer and better place,” says Hadi Mohammadi, an assistant professor at the UBC Okanagan School of Engineering and lead author on the study. “But unfortunately a large portion of the world around us is designed and built excluding a group representing 50 per cent of the population—women.”

Motor vehicles, explains Mohammadi, are a prime example. He says that things like seatbelts, airbags and even the vibrations of the suspension are designed with the male body in mind, largely ignoring the physiology differences between men and women or women who are pregnant.

“A pregnant woman’s body is under very unique stresses that absolutely must be taken into account when designing safety equipment—especially in something she’s going to be using every day, like a car or a bus,” says Mohammadi. “Our intention was to create a model of how different mechanical traumas, like those you’d see in a car accident, impact a woman’s uterus specifically.”

It’s an area that he says has very little research behind it.

“Medicine spends a lot of time seeking to keep fetuses healthy on the inside but we don’t know much on the impact of exterior traumas to maternal and fetal health,” he adds.

The model is the first of its kind to use CT-scan data—a tool to visualize the interior of the body in real-time—to map out and compare trauma on pregnant and non-pregnant abdomens. Mohammadi and his team were able to gauge the impact of different amounts of force and penetration into the abdominal area.

“We found that a pregnant women’s abdomen responds similarly to a non-pregnant abdomen during events involving less force, but the pregnant abdomen responds more rigidly when faced with greater impact,” he says. “This is an important factor in the risk of injury for both mother and fetus during a traumatic event like an airbag going off.”

Mohammadi hopes his model can help future engineers rethink how they design safety equipment and sees this kind of research as just the tip of the iceberg.

“While our research looked specifically at pregnant women, the reality is that humans come in all different shapes, sizes and with different abilities,” he says. “Thinking about the safety and other needs of everyone—no matter their height or weight—really needs to be part of engineering and design right from the beginning.”

The study was published last month in the International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering.

About UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

Greater efforts to improve lifestyle identified as a solution

A lack of physical activity, a poor diet and too much stress are taking their toll on the health of Canadians, says a new UBC study.

Researchers from UBC’s Faculty of Medicine caution that too many Canadians live with a number of health issues that impact their ability to lead healthy lifestyles.

Brodie Sakakibara is an assistant professor with the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management based at UBC Okanagan. He, along with colleagues Adebimpe Obembe and Janice Eng from UBC's department of physical therapy, recently published a study examining how common it is for Canadians to have multiple—and serious—health conditions.

“Inactivity, poor diet and more than optimal amounts of stress combined with an aging population are resulting in increasing numbers of Canadians with cardiometabolic conditions, and thus increasing their risk of poor health,” says Sakakibara.

Stroke, heart disease and diabetes are three of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide, he says and they have a substantial social and economic burden. They are cardiometabolic diseases—affecting the heart and blood vessels—mostly caused by lifestyle behaviours and are the leading causes of health resource use, hospitalizations, morbidity and mortality in Canada.

Cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM) is having a diagnosis of at least two of those conditions. Using data from a 2016 Canadian Community Health Survey with 689,300 respondents, the researchers investigated CM and its connection to physical activity, diet and stress.

The study reports that the number of Canadians with CM or at risk of CM is high, and an increasing onset of cardiometabolic conditions is associated with higher chances of physical inactivity and stress.

“We found that people with all three diseases had four times the chance of reporting zero minutes of physical activity per week than people with none of the conditions. And similarly, they had four times the chance of reporting high levels of stress,” says Sakakibara. “These lifestyle behaviours are clearly associated with bad or even dangerous health outcomes.”

The issue, he adds, is that healthcare management for people with multiple chronic diseases is traditionally based on disease-specific strategies often independent of one another—a person with diabetes is treated for that chronic illness and not others. This leads to fragmented care with multiple care providers and systems.

“Often most patients with multiple chronic conditions develop complications that are clinically complex and become unique healthcare challenges. These complexities are often poorly understood, which means these patients have unmet health care needs,” says Eng.

While getting more active, lowering stress and eating well won’t cure all ailments, Sakakibara says it would certainly be a step in the right direction. The study suggests the time has come for greater efforts to prevent CM in individuals at high risk (i.e., those with one cardiometabolic condition), as well as efforts to help people with CM better manage their health and well-being.

“Lifestyle behaviour modification is an important strategy for the management and prevention of future heart or stroke events,” he says. “Physical activity several times a week, combined with a healthier diet, can manage risk and complications, while at the same time helping to lower stress.”

This study, partially funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Michael Smith Foundation, was published recently in BMC Public Health.

About UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca

Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility and Kelowna—Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr are surrounded by UBC Okanagan researchers as they cut the ribbon at the official building opening.

Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility and Kelowna—Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr are surrounded by UBC Okanagan researchers as they cut the ribbon at the official building opening.

Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility attends ceremony

Research for those living with chronic disease, physical disability and obesity is set to get a boost with the opening of two new community-focused research spaces at UBC Okanagan.

The new facilities, which were made possible with funding in part from the Government of Canada, were officially opened today with the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, on hand to preside over the ceremony.

"By investing in institutions like UBC Okanagan, our government is giving Canadians the necessary spaces to train the new generation and bring together researchers and entrepreneurs who turn bold ideas into reality,” says Qualtrough, who helped make the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport. “We’re giving science, and specifically data, the opportunity to inform policy on issues of significant importance such as disability and accessibility. This investment in science will allow the health and well-being of the local community and beyond to improve for generations to come.”

Located in UBC Okanagan’s Upper Campus Health Building, the research spaces were made possible by nearly $1 million in new funding; $723,567 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, $123,567 from the BC Knowledge Development Fund and $60,000 from the Frank C. Diener Foundation.

“We are proud to support important research facilities like these through the BC Knowledge Development Fund. Researchers at UBC Okanagan are undertaking meaningful and innovative work that will help make a difference in people’s lives,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology. “The research done at the university will help develop new methods in health care and bring important benefits to British Columbians and Canadians alike.”

The research will be led by Professor Kathleen Martin Ginis, Associate Professor Mary Jung, and Assistant Professor Heather Gainforth from the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, and by Lesley Lutes, associate professor of psychology at UBC Okanagan.

Martin Ginis, who is also the founding director of SCI Action Canada, a team dedicated to spinal cord injury research, says her focus will be on promoting the health and well-being of people living with physical disability and those living with or at risk of chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes.

“Nearly one in ten Canadians report some form of physical disability and nearly seven in ten Canadian adults have been diagnosed with diabetes so these are areas of research that have real implications for a huge portion of the population,” says Martin Ginis. “Our aim is to foster research excellence that is responsive to the healthcare needs of our region. To develop, test and evaluate the latest interventions and deliver the most effective strategies directly to those that can benefit from them the most.”

Lutes says her clinical health psychology research space complements the work of Martin Ginis, bringing together the evidence from behavioural medicine and clinical psychology to develop cognitive and behavioural programs that not only make people psychologically feel better, but improve their physical health.

“60 per cent of visits to primary care are now related to mental health, or as a result of managing a chronic health condition such as diabetes,” says Lutes. “We want to take innovative, evidence-based treatments and embed them within every primary care practice in Canada. That way physicians can focus on what they do best, and we can deliver tailored visits delivered by qualified health-care professionals, resulting in healthier and happier Canadians.”

Both Lutes and Martin Ginis emphasize the community-engaged nature of the new research facilities. They say this approach brings the community itself into the research process to help guide its direction and to ensure the resulting knowledge is immediately available to those that can use it best.

“We’ve designed our space to be open, welcoming and accessible,” says Martin Ginis. “For example, we’ve created a demonstration kitchen that will allow us to run nutrition workshops and that is completely wheelchair accessible. It was important that our space is fully functional for those that will be involved and engaged in making our research a success.”

While the new space has only just been opened the researchers and their teams have already hit the ground running.

“We’ll be inviting our stakeholders and community members up to the new space in the coming weeks and we’re already in the planning stages for several projects, including a new integrated care clinic pairing medicine and clinical psychology to provide cutting edge healthcare,” says Lutes. “I want every Canadian to have the healthcare that will benefit them the most. Whether it is mental health or physical health - it is all healthcare.”

“We’re hoping to make huge strides in our respective fields and we’re grateful for the support of federal, provincial and private funders in making that a reality.”

About UBC's Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world.

To find out more, visit: ok.ubc.ca.