In this email: 

• Message from the Head
• Awards
• Research

• Events
• News
• Education

Message from the Head

- Need new note here

As always, please reach out with any news to communicate, feedback for the department, and be sure to follow our social media channels to stay up to date on opportunities to engage!

-- Rob Petrella - Head, Department of Family Practice

Awards

Upcoming Awards
Check out some upcoming awards, recognitions and grants for department members to apply for or to consider nominating your colleagues!

• UBC Emeritus College Award for Excellence in Innovative and Creative Endeavours | Deadline February 15, 2022
• President's Award for Distinguished Service by UBC Emeriti | Deadline February 15, 2022
• UBC Distinguished Researcher Awards | March 11, 2022
• Bluma Tischler Postdoctoral Fellowship | Deadline March 25, 2022
• 2022 BCCFP awards | March 31, 2022
• Society of Rural Physicians of Canada Awards Program | Deadline March 2022
• Killam Teaching Awards and Prizes | Multiple Deadlines
• See more award opportunities!

Have you recently celebrated an accomplishments? Let us know! We want to highlight the amazing people behind our department's great work!

Research

Recent Publications

Events

• New Frontiers: Sport & Exercise Medicine Speaker Series 
  • When: Wednesdays in February 2022
  • What: This four-week virtual speaker series will provide up-to-date, relevant education and research in the field of sport and exercise medicine as well as opportunities for interactive engagements. Our panel of experts will bring together a variety of health care providers and community stakeholders to bring an innovative platform for education, interactive discussions, and a glimpse of the future of sport and exercise medicine at UBC. 
  • Learn More & Register

• Rural Health Equity Conference 2022 
  • When: February 14 & 18
  • What: The conference explores equity and health issues in rural settings, sparking dialogue and connections between people who share a passion for responding to rural and remote communities’ unique needs. Offered entirely online will allow for reconnection and continued conversation. Presentations will explore strategies for genuine engagement and create dialogue about the implications of research findings for both rural communities and service organizations. Our goal is to spark partnerships for transformative research and knowledge translation. Community action for health equity and relational, integrated knowledge translation are the two main themes that guide our program. #RHE2022
  • Learn More & Register

• Spring Dermatology Review Virtual Series 2022
  • When: Feb 15, Mar 8, Apr 5, Apr 26 and May 3 (Tuesdays) | 1730–1900 PST
  • What: This popular lecture series offers practical pearls in managing common dermatology concerns in your practice. Sessions are designed to be short, engaging and applicable to family physicians across BC.
  • Learn More & Register

• Partners in Care: Bolstering Patient Care and Return to Work Through a WorkSafeBC/Physician Collaboration
  • When: February 15, 2022 | 18:00 - 19:30 PST
  • What: This interactive presentation and collaborative initiative features B.C. physicians and other health care practitioners, as our highly knowledgeable speakers discuss how to improve return-to-work outcomes for injured patients.
  • Learn More & Register

•  It Starts with Us: Let's Talk About Sex (and Gender)
  • When: February 22, 2022 | 12:00 - 13:00
  • This presentation will feature Dr. Mei-ling Wiedmeyer and Dr. A.J. Lowik, who will share some background learnings that set the stage for an ongoing curriculum auditfunded by the UBC Faculty of Medicine Strategic Investment Fund. They will identify some of the important concepts for faculty, staff, tutors, preceptors, and others to understand, and to continue UBC’s leadership in equity-oriented care and education
  • Learn More & Register

• Canada’s COP26 Health Programme Commitment – What’s Next?

  • When: 
    • Adaptation and Resilience: February 25, 2022
    • Climate Positive Care: March 2, 2022
  • What: A webinar series exploring topics surrounding Canada signing onto the WHO’s #COP26 Health Programme, thus formally committing to climate resilient and low carbon, sustainable health systems. Now what?
  • Learn More & Register 

• 57th Annual Family Practice Review
  • When: Thursday March 3 - Saturday March 5, 2022
  • What: This comprehensive review course offers an update of knowledge central to the practice of family medicine in both rural and urban settings. Committed to addressing everyday practical issues, speakers present equally on current and special areas of concern to the primary health care professionals.
  • Learn More & Register

• The 7th Contraception & Abortion in BC meeting: Experience, Guiding Research, Guiding Care

  • When: March 4, 2022 | 8:00 - 16:30 PST
  • What: This virtual event is a full day of family planning updates and a chance to reconnect with colleagues. Sessions will enable participants to learn contraception and medical abortion best practices, tips to engage in complex care discussions, latest science on practice for urban and rural settings.
  • Learn More & Register

• Out of the Weeds: Bridging the knowledge gap about the health effects of inhaling cannabis
  • When: April 4 18:30 - 20:00 PST
  • What: This free virtual webinar features a panel presentation and Q&A which will provide evidence-based considerations for cannabis use including legal status and administration routes, describe and critique the airway benefits and harms of cannabis use, highlighting different impacts related to route of administration e.g. Vaping, and outline approaches to support patients in making informed, evidence-based choices on cannabis use including harm reduction strategies.
  • Learn More & Register

• CME on the Run
  • When: April 8 | 13:00 - 17:00 PST
  • What: this Virtual Conference Series' 5th session will cover important topics in Prenatal, Pediatrics and Adolescents: Update on Genetic Prenatal Screening, Childhood Cancer — What Not to Miss, Review on Breastfeeding Benefits — How to Educate and Support Patients and much more.
  • Learn More & Register

Education

Community Opportunities

• February Research Rounds: In this presentation on February 23, 2022 at noon PST, Mei-ling Wiedmeyer (she/her) – Clinical Assistant Professor in the UBC Department of Family Practice, as well as a co-Principal Investigator of the IRIS project (Evaluating Inequities in Refugee & Immigrants’ Health Access) – will highlight preliminary findings from linked administrative data examining access to primary care for immigrants, refugees, and migrants (im/migrants) during the COVID-19 pandemic, with members of the IRIS team.

  The IRIS project is a community-based mixed methods project using qualitative interviews and linked administrative data to that aims to understand the health experiences of immigrants and migrants (im/migrants) in British Columbia, in order to improve their health and health access.

  • More information and Zoom link here

• Did you miss the February 9 Research Rounds presented by Elizabeth Nethery about Birth Outcomes for Planned Home and Licensed, Freestanding Birth Center Births in Washington State? No problem! Check out the recording here, or the slides on Elizabeth's website!
   
• CaRMS 2022 File Reviewer and Interviewer Recruitment - The UBC Family Medicine Residency Program is seeking faculty, preceptors and former graduates to help with CaRMS interviews which will all be held virtually. The Program will involve live, synchronous MMI interviews and eligible faculty members will be paid for their participation in both the File Review and Interview periods (details below). 
  • Interviews: When: March 4, 5, 11, 12, 2022 (Deadline for interviewer sign-up: Feb 4, 2022  Sign-up here)
    • Interviewers will interview candidates virtually in real-time. We will continue to conduct in a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format. You will receive an automatic email confirming your sign-up with a personalized link which you can use should you need to make changes to your availability. 

 

• Real-Time Virtual Support (RTVS) pathways enhance health equity in rural, remote, and First Nations communities across British Columbia by connecting rural healthcare providers and patients to RTVS Virtual Physicians via Zoom or telephone. There are two types of pathways—those for healthcare providers, and those for patients. 
  • Learn more!

 

• New BC Guideline: The High Ferritin and Iron Overload – Investigation and Management (2021) guideline is directed to primary care practitioners who encounter an unexplained finding of high ferritin in an adult outpatient aged >19 years. It provides recommendations for the investigation of high ferritin levels (hyperferritinemia), outlines common causes of hyperferritinemia and gives practitioners guidance on when to investigate for and treat hereditary hemochromatosis.

 

• At-Home Cervix Screening pilot project in BC: More information is available on the pilot’s website

 

• A New Decision-Making Guide: Patients Diagnosed with Cataract(s) (2021) - This decision-making guide for patients is associated with the recently released guideline Cataract - Treatment of Adults. The guide describes what a cataract is, associated symptoms, how they are removed, and the recovery process. To stay up to date with BC Guidelines, visit the “What’s New” section of the homepage at www.bcguidelines.ca and subscribe to the e-bulletin.

 

• Help improve the Vaccine Hesitancy Guide Dr. Morgan Price has been working closely with Dr. Myles Leslie and his team (University of Calgary, School of Public Policy) on the vaccine hesitancy guide. The Guide provides practical scripts and suggestions to improve conversations between primary care clinicians and patients who are hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccines. If you’ve heard about, looked through, or used the Guide, we want to hear from you!  This is your chance to provide input that will improve the Guide for its 16,000+ users. 
  • The evaluation survey is anonymous and takes 10-15 minutes to complete. You can find more information on the Guide and the evaluation here. 

     

• Lead change with the UBC Graduate Certificate in Primary Health Care The part-time Graduate Certificate in Primary Health Care was developed to support working health care professionals for the transformation to patient-centred, team-based care. Navigate the complexities of interprofessional teams, integrate and apply your skills in context, and lead change in your organization. 
  • Apply for the September 2022 cohort

Grants and Funding
Canada First Research Excellence Fund
Translational Cancer Research Grant
Precision Health Catalyst Grants
More funding opportunities

Postgrad Program

Anti-Racism Support Group
An incredible new initiative has been started to help support residents with the goal to support residents in their experience of Racism and/or Mistreatment, and to help the Program respond and react appropriately.

We are happy to announce that the Department of Family Practice,

Postgraduate Program has an operational Anti-Racism Support Group, Group’s goal is to support residents in their experience of Racism and/or Mistreatment and to help the Program respond and react appropriately.

Chaired by Dr. and Elder Roberta Price, and consisting of Program Mentors: Dr. Amy Tan, Dr. Anoo Tamber and Dr. Lesley Thomas, this Group is available for you to report & discuss experiences of Racism and/or Mistreatment. Residents are encouraged to contact whoever is on the Group that they feel most comfortable reaching out to.

Please remember for experiences of Racism and/or Mistreatment, reports may also be shared with your Site Director, your Program Director, your Behavioural Medicine Site Faculty, the Resident Wellness Office, the REDI Office, and the PGME Dean's Office.

Participate in the Team-Based Primary Care Learning Centre Project
UBC's Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Practice, in partnership with the British Columbia Ministry of Health, is engaged in a project to establish Team-based Primary Care Learning Centres (collectively “TPCLCs”) across the Province. TPCLCs will represent a network of collaborative, inter-professional primary care sites that create high-quality learning opportunities that accelerate team-based care in the community. This is a three-year project.  If you represent a primary care clinic or clinic group that is interested in participating in this three-year project, please complete this Expression of Interest (EoI) form.

Are you interested in presenting in the the Department of Family Practice's Research Rounds? Please complete an expression of interest here.  

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Undergrad Program

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Midwifery
The Midwifery Program is excited to announce the development of an Advanced Placement Plan for Registered Nurses interested in becoming midwives.  For more information, please visit the RN Advanced Placement Plan page under the Prospective Students tab.

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Innovation Support Unit (ISU)
In early 2022, a major focus will be on capacity building and sustainability for Primary Care Transformation Implementation Supports: providing additional training and supporting facilitators through our Community of Practice.

The ISU is currently developing a facilitation training plan for 2022, including training in the following:

• Team Mapping (for clinical teams)
• PACC Mapping (for Primary and Community Care collaborative service planning)
• PACC Supports Mapping (for non-clinical teams supporting PMH and/or PCNs)
• Immunization PACC Mapping

Interested? Fill out this registration link for information about upcoming sessions.

The ISU continues to support the spread and scale of immunization PACC mapping to help communities co-create solutions that remove structural barriers and increase confidence in COVID-19 immunization.

Explore the toolkit!
 

New Season of Podcast Focuses on Resilience

The ISU is back with a BRAND NEW season of the TeamUp podcast! This season reflects a change to merge together the Primary Care in a Pandemic podcast and the Team Up! podcast. The hosts explore ideas related to primary care system resilience and adaptive capacity, applying feedback and lessons learned for a new format.

Check out episode 1-3 of season two!

Provide Feedback!
Podcasts are typically a one way street for communication, but we've integrated a new way to hear back from you, our listeners! Please reach out with questions you want answered related to team-based primary care in BC using our new audio message feedback here!

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News

UBC-led Initiative Now Allows B.C. doctors to prescribe Parks Canada Passes to Patients

Prescribing fresh air is something doctors in B.C. and other provinces can now do officially! An amazing new initiative all about spending more time in nature with its plethora of benefits to both physical and mental health was founded by Family Doctor and UBC Faculty of Medicine Clinical Assistant Professor, Dr. Melissa Lem

More information

Rural Community Resilience Project needs public to take a survey

Things have been very difficult across British Columbia over the past few years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, heat domes and flooding.

There is a team of researchers from the Centre for Rural Health Research, Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia that have observed community resilience and ingenuity in response to these challenges.

Times have been difficult, but many have risen to the occasion. This team of researchers would like to better understand the resilience that has been seen and recognize the best way to do this is through the voices of British Columbians.
Read more

Humanizing Medicine: Making Health Tangible
The book titled "Humanizing Medicine: Making Health Tangible" memoirs of engagement with a global development network, written by Azim Jiwani, Clinical Faculty Member of the Department of Family Practice, broadly chronicles the early efforts in promoting quality, accessibility, establishing and leading family medicine education and fostering equitable health care systems in some of the most challenging regions of the world. 

The book attempts to trace historical, policy and institutional landmarks of over a century that resulted in the stark inequalities in development trajectories of the low-income countries of the Global South and the industrialized North. The text also comments on the environmental and climate crises and the social consequences of unattended imbalance in economic empowerment and culturally acceptable global health foundations, ideals and realities.  

It is now available through Amazon, Apple Books, Google Books, and many bookstores in Canada, the U.S and the U.K.  All proceeds from the sale of this book are channelled to assist in the medical care of needy people in several developing countries. 

Department Developments

HR Corner