Welcome to your department newsletter, here to keep you up-to-date with news and events, awards and research in the Department of Family Practice.

 

Community Opportunities

December Research Rounds: Is Sleep the Keystone of Healthy Aging? 
Sleep disturbances are prevalent among older people and are linked to poor health outcomes. In this presentation, Dr. Adam Spira, Professor and Vice Chair for Research and Faculty in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will highlight research tying disturbed sleep to cognitive and functional decline and Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in later life, and discuss implications of sleep health for older adults’ overall health and well being.

Meeting Link

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

• 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.

 

• Take the 5 min survey to better understand how family doctors choose which inhaler devices to prescribe. Dr. Aaron M. Tejani of UBC’s Therapeutics Initiative is studying how prescribers choose inhaled medication devices for their patients.
  • Take the survey.

• Help redesign physician education on gender and equity. The ~20 minute survey is part of the UBC Faculty of Medicine Strategic Innovation Fund project: Integrating Gender Equity and Addressing Cisnormativity: Building a Framework to Audit Medical Education Undergraduate Curricula. It is open to faculty, staff, tutors, preceptors, and anyone involved in designing, developing and delivering the UBC undergraduate MD curriculum and/or faculty development, and should take no more than 30 minutes to complete. The survey is focused on the inclusion of curriculum content about intersex, trans, non-binary and Two-Spirit people, as well as how sex and gender are incorporated into the curriculum more generally. The intended outcome is to ensure that future generations of doctors are equipped with the language, skills, values, and knowledge to better serve the needs of all patients, especially intersex, trans, non-binary and Two-Spirit patients, and improved curriculum renewal efforts that maintain UBC’s cutting edge leadership in equity-oriented care and education. By participating in the survey, you can be entered into a raffle to win a $250 prize - as either a UBC bookstore gift card or towards a UBC CPD offering.
  • Take the survey and contact ajlowik@cgshe.ubc.ca with any questions!

 

• Call for participants (pregnant people) - Perinatal Wellbeing Research Team led by Dr. Bayrampour is conducting a pilot prospective cohort study to examine prenatal cannabis exposure and early developmental outcomes (PreCeeDo Study). The specific objectives of this study are to examine the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a large prospective cohort study and to explore the clinical utility of testing umbilical cord tissue to detect and quantify in-utero cannabis exposure. The team is particularly interested in recruiting the exposure group (pregnant cannabis users). Please share this call with your network.
  • More information about the study and participation link here.

 

• Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowship -  Provided annually from the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund for Advanced Studies, these fellowships are available for most fields of research. It was Mrs. Killam's desire that those selected to receive fellowships: "be likely to contribute to the advancement of learning or to win distinction in a profession. A Killam scholar should not be a one-sided person... Special distinction of intellect should be founded upon sound character."
  • More info here

 

• Call for participants - Physician Examiners to participate in Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCE’s) for this academic year. As a physician examiner, you will observe students and candidates interacting with a Standardized Patient in a clinical encounter and record their performance according to specific rating guidelines. Training will be provided before each exam.
  • The application is now open. For more detail information, exam dates and how to apply visit: med.ubc.ca/physician-examiners. Questions? Email exam.recruit@ubc.ca

 

• Application are open for The Centre for Health Education Scholarship (CHES) - 2022 Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE-Canada) program and CHES' Clinical Educator Fellowship Program (CEFP).
  • Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) Canada: MHPE-Canada is a two-year, part-time, internationally recognized course, giving graduates a research-based master’s degree from Maastricht University. The MHPE-Canada focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and skills relevant for innovative medical and health professions education in Canada. For more information on the program, eligibility, and the application process, please head to the CHES MHPE-Canada website.
  • Clinical Educator Fellowship Program: CHES is offering opportunities for senior residents (R3-R5), residents in enhanced skills programs (PGY3 Family Medicine), or established clinicians interested in health education scholarship to be a part of the CHES Fellowship program, which has graduated 34 Fellows since its inception. This Fellowship is designed for those interested in developing an academic career as a clinician educator. 
  • For more information on the program, eligibility, and the application process, please head to the CHES Clinical Educator Fellowship Program website. 
  • See the collection of testimonials from former and active CHES alumni
  • Application Deadlines: Please note this year’s application deadline for both programs is Friday, December 17, 2021. 

 

• 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 January 2022 cohort

 

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 and Enhanced Teaching Clinics (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.

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Are you a preceptor interested in teaching? Read More: Potential Preceptors | Family Practice - Undergraduate (ubc.ca)

• Tools for Teams: Real-Time Virtual Support for BC
  • When: December 16, 2021 | 12:00 - 13:00 PT
  • What: Dr. John Pawlovich and Katrina Bepple from the Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc) will give an overview and demonstration of the Real-Time Virtual Support service.
  • Learn More & Register

Local solutions for boosting COVID-19 vaccine uptake
As COVID-19 vaccine cards rolled out across several Canadian provinces in September, the number of people getting vaccinated increased in provinces like B.C. But those numbers have now slowed, with some communities facing particular challenges when it comes to vaccine uptake.

The UBC Innovation Support Unit at the faculty of medicine’s department of family practice is working to address this problem by helping communities co-develop local solutions and reduce barriers to immunization in real-time.
Read more

Improving Access to Rural Healthcare
Dr. Dave Snadden is a physician of family practice based in UBC's Northern Medical Program. He is one of the author's of a study aimed at finding better ways to communicate the needs of rural healthcare.
Listen now

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• Please remember to complete the UBC Workplace Experiences Survey by November 19. The information from this survey is especially critical as we emerge from the pandemic and transition to new ways of working and connecting within our community. The information is also essential in enabling us to fulfil many aspects of our refreshed strategic plan Building the Future.  The survey and your feedback is confidential and each person received a personalized email + link to their survey – please check your inbox for: Reminder to participate in the 2021 UBC Workplace Experiences Survey from TalentMap. This link is your personal link and should only be accessed by you. Please do not forward this link to others.

Click here for more information. If you have any questions, please contact workplace.surveys@ubc.ca.
 

• Managers are reminded that the first year of the remote work program (September 2021 – August 2022) will be transitional and formal agreements in Workday are required for all remote work arrangements.  Please ensure these have been submitted and approved for all team members who would like to take part.  Please check the remote work webpage for the most up to date information about the program. You are also reminded that UBC requires COVID-19 rapid testing for all students, faculty and staff, with exemptions provided for those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  

 

• Introducing Dr. Alister Frayne as the new Clinical Faculty Advisor Council Rep for the Department of Family Practice. Read more about the Committee here and view full members with contact information here.

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Quick links to ensure your information is up to date:

• How to Access your CWL: Accessing your CWL
• How Do I Log In with Multifactor Authentication: Enhanced CWL – Multifactor Authentication
• How do I update my passport and visa details?
• How do I update or correct my personal information?
• How do I edit my contact information?
• How do I make or update federal tax elections?
• How do I make or update provincial tax elections?
• How do I update my direct deposit or manage payment elections?

 

• Expiring Training Records Notifications: Beginning September 20, Workday will notify employees of training that expires in 60 days so they can re-take any necessary training beforehand. Workday will also notify both employees and their managers when a training record expires. More information is available on the Welcome to Workday pages for faculty and staff, and for managers/admins.
• Fall 2021 Staff Pension Plan Workshops now available: Understanding Your Staff Pension Plan (UYSPP) is an informative online workshop for members of all ages to learn about their UBC pension plan, pensions in general, and things to consider for future retirement.

Register for an upcoming workshop. For more information, visit staff.pensions.ubc.ca/workshops, or contact megha.gupta@ubc.ca.

Resources
Check out the HR Remote website for leaders

UBC HR currently runs workshops such as:

1. Effective Practices for Leading Hybrid Teams
2. A Coach-Approach to Learning and Development Conversations
3. Build Your Hybrid Team Charter

There is also a curated list of Linked Learning modules that might be helpful as well under On-demand Learning 
Some topics include:
1.       Communicating in Times of Change
2.       Managing Virtual Teams
3.       Time Management: Working from Home
4.       Leading at a Distance
5.       Building Resilience .. and many others

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Career Opportunities
Lecturer, Midwifery 
The Midwifery Program, Department of Family Practice at The University of British Columbia (UBC) invites applications for a full-time Lecturer (1.0 FTE), for a three-year term. To apply, please visit UBC Faculty Careers page
Details

Rural Scholar
The UBC Department of Family Practice, in partnership with the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia, is accepting applications for established clinicians in British Columbia to develop experience and skills in Rural Scholarship through the Rural Scholars Program. There are up to two (2) positions available and it is anticipated that these will be distributed over the rural areas of British Columbia.
Details