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Welcome to your department newsletter, here to keep you up-to-date with news, events, awards and research in the Department of Family Practice.
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I’d like to take a moment to wish you a happy New Year and to communicate how grateful I am for each and every one of you important members of the Department of Family Practice that have displayed an incredible amount of resilience and perseverance. I hope you enjoyed your holidays and that 2022 brings you a sense of hope and renewal for your future personal and professional journeys.
A few important reminders to note:
- Remote learning and work: UBC has made the decision to continue to deliver the majority of programs online until February 7. This situation will continue to be assessed from the perspective of students, faculty and staff, and during the week of 24 January a further update regarding our full return to in-person teaching and learning will be made.
- Being careful with email scams: Gift cards and CEO scams are targeting the UBC community with emails are impersonating someone you know, asking for the request to be done with some urgency, saying they will pay you right back, and that they can’t talk right now. Please report all incidents to security@ubc.ca. To learn more about how to recognize and protect yourself from gift card scams, click here.
- Winter weather on campus: To support those faculty and staff who are working on our campuses, we would like to remind you of the information available in the event of extreme winter weather .View the full message on the UBC Today website and the Snow policy
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!
  
-- Marni Fraser, Director of Administration, Department of Family Practice
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Upcoming Awards
Check out some upcoming awards, recognitions and grants for department members to apply for or to consider nominating your colleagues!
Congratulations - Awards, Promotions & Recognitions
Canadian Association for Medical Education Certificate of  Merit Award
Congratulations to Dr. Maggie Watt - UBC Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Director, Integrated Community Clerkship - who was recognized with the CAME Certificate of Merit Award
"Dr. Watt has been a tireless grass roots advocate for the development of the rural training program on Vancouver Island, a strong leader for the Integrated Community Clerkship program throughout the province, and an important voice for sharing UBC’s successes at an international level. Her commitment to innovation in medical education is evidenced by her involvement in a skills-based approach to teaching professionalism (The Procomp Toolkit)."
Read more about the award and recipients here
Order of Canada 2021 Appointment
Dr. McKenzie, a professor emeritus in the department of family practice’s division of sport and exercise medicine and professor emeritus of kinesiology in the faculty of education, is being recognized “for his expertise in sports medicine and for his seminal research on the effectiveness of exercise as an intervention for breast cancer patients.”
Read more about the announcement!
Have you recently celebrated an accomplishments? Let us know! We want to highlight the amazing people behind our department's great work!
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- 2022 Orthopaedics for Primary Care Virtual Series
- When: Wednesdays in January 2022
- What: Hosted again by Dr. Alastair Younger, this virtual series' sessions focus on Primary Care Management of Hip & Knee Arthritis.
- Learn More & Register
- CME on the Run!
- When: Friday, January 21, 2022 | 1300–1700 PST
- What: This online conference is a unique and award-winning series of the 6-half day short snapper style-focused lectures and presentations with incredible speakers.
- Learn More & Register
- COVID 19 Update: Expert Q&A with Public Health
- When: Tuesday, January 25, 2022 | 1830–2000 PST | Webinar
- What: A webinar that features an expert panel of highly experienced and knowledgeable public health leaders and medical experts to answer your questions, share their experiences and recommend best practices in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Learn More & Register
- Discovery to Commercialization Speaker Series virtual session
- When: Wednesday, January 26 2022 | 3:00 - 4:30 PST
- What: Part of a series of education and networking events that aim to improve awareness and knowledge of the commercialization process and provide opportunities to foster new relationships within the life sciences community. Discovery to Commercialization (D2C) brings together university faculty members, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, health care leaders, clinicians, entrepreneurs, and commercialization stakeholders who are passionate about taking innovative research discoveries through the commercialization process.
- Learn more & register
- Respiratory Medicine Update
- When: Friday January 28 and Saturday January 29, 2022
- What: Hosted by the UBC Division of Respiratory Medicine, this conference features respiratory updates with renowned local speakers. The two half day event offers a thoughtfully curated agenda designed to meet your learning needs.
- Learn more & register
- 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
- Diagnostic Interventions for Midwives: Thyroid, Hypertension and Cholestasis
- When: Thursday, February 3, 2022 | 1200–1300 PST | Free Webinar
- What: This online educational session features highly experienced and knowledgeable specialist who will discuss diagnostic interventions for Midwives (specifically, thyroid, hypertension, and cholestasis).
- Learn More & Register
- Holding Indigenous Topics with Care in the Classroom
- When: February 8, 2022
- What: Through the What I Learned In Class Today project, participants will learn how to intentionally approach Indigenous content and topics in the classroom and will learn how this can make a supportive and positive learning experience for all students. This workshop requires participants to engage with asynchronous materials prior to the workshop, including watching the Original Student Speaks Video and reading two articles (approximately 30 minutes of pre-work).
- Learn more & register
- Spring 2022 Research 101 Seminar
- When: Wednesday, February 9, 2022
- What: An informative webinar to help researchers navigate the research landscape at UBC, to help with: Identifying research-related resources available to FoM members; Identifying different types and sources of funding opportunities for faculty members to consider; Providing guidance through the administrative processes for the submission of funding applications, with a focus on the upcoming CIHR Project Grant competition; and highlighting University-wide offices involved in the recruitment process of graduate and post-doctoral researchers. This event is intended for researchers at all career-stages and support staff, but open to all.
- Learn more & register
- Care of the Elderly
- When: Friday, February 11, 2022 | 0800 - 1515 PST
- What: A virtual conference which will focus on practical and relevant topics for primary care providers who work with elderly patients. There will also be lots of opportunities to ask questions throughout the conference. Don’t miss out!
- 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
Check out other professional development opportunities and events!
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Community Opportunities
- February Research Rounds: In this presentation on February 9, 2022 at noon PST, Elizabeth Nethery – PhD candidate in the School of Population and Public Health UBC and Registered Midwife in BC – will present research describing rates of maternal and perinatal birth outcomes for community births and comparing outcomes by planned place of birth (home vs state-licensed, freestanding birth center) in a Washington State birth cohort.
- 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 and file review, 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).
- File Review: When: Feb 3-9, 2022 (Deadline for file review sign-up: Jan 19, 2022 Sign-up here).
- The purpose of file reviews will be to select candidates for an interview. File review contributes to 20% of the global score for CMG applicants and 50% for IMG applicants.File Reviewers will score the personal letter and structured reference form based on scoring criteria.
- 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.
- Participate in External Review of Guidelines:
- Colorectal Cancer BC Guideline until February 16th, 2022. The Colorectal Cancer Guidelines provides recommendations for the detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) and precancerous lesions in asymptomatic adults, including those with hereditary syndromes, as well as follow up recommendations for patients after curative resection of CRC or colorectal precancerous lesions (previously referred to as polyps).
- The Infectious Diarrhea Guideline until
 February 23rd, 2022. This guideline provides guidance for primary care practitioners regarding adults and children greater than 2 months of age on appropriate testing for suspected community onset infectious diarrhea, including Clostridioides difficile infection. This guideline serves to describe the most appropriate use of Infectious Diarrhea Panel (IDP), and the use and interpretation of C. difficile tests.
- Please visit the BC Guidelines External Review page to download the draft guideline and submit your feedback via the online questionnaire.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Grants and Funding
Canada First Research Excellence Fund
Precision Health Catalyst Grants
More funding opportunities
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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.
Undergrad Program
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.
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.
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 of season two!
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HealtheSteps™ Program & Funding Update
The HealtheSteps (HeS) Research Study (PI: Dr. Robert Petrella) has continued to grow across BC and Canada since launch in September 2020. HeS is currently being delivered as a free, virtual, 6-month healthy lifestyle program providing adults (18+) with a specific plan of action to improve their PA levels and reduce their sedentary behaviour; increase their exercise levels; improve their eating habits; and improve their mental wellbeing. This is achieved through personalized coaching, grounded in the principles of Co-Active coaching and supported by innovative health technologies, hands-on training, and widely available health promotion resources and tools. Coaches are trained through asynchronous and synchronous learning and certified to deliver the program to individuals looking to make changes to their lifestyle.
Participants can join via self-referral or referral from a health care provider. Participants can sign up through our website: www.healthesteps.ca
HeS is supported by the Centre for Teaching and Learning Advanced Community Engaged Learning Fund (2021) and recently received funding to support growth across allied health disciplines at UBC through a Large Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (2022 – 2023).
Click here for the full program update
Hockey Fans in Training Project Update – January 2022
The Hockey Fans in Training (Hockey FIT) project led by Principal Investigator, Dr. Robert Petrella, has received a strong reception from both program partners and interested hockey fans across Canada and the United States. Since the Hockey FIT trial launched in the fall of  2018, 42 sites have been enrolled, 2,102 individuals have expressed interest in the program, and 997 individuals were eligible (men; 35-65 years of age; body mass index ≥ 27 kg/m2) and have been enrolled.
The 42 sites are located across 9 different provinces and states including: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Michigan, & Oregon. In November 2021, participant recruitment, baseline assessments, and randomization (to immediate or delayed delivery of the Hockey FIT program) was completed. As of January 2022, 3-month assessments have been completed in 34 sites and 12-month assessments have been completed in 24 sites; additionally, the 12-week Hockey FIT program delivery has been completed in 29 communities (at both immediate and delayed delivery sites). The 12-week program is led by certified Hockey FIT Coaches who are trained by the central research team; as of January 2022, there are 145 trained Hockey FIT coaches across Canada and the United States.
Click here for the full project update!
Testimonials:
“I wanted to share that I am down to my target weight and lost 40+ pounds through the Hockey FIT program. Huge lifestyle change and I feel great! Thanks to the team for participating in this platform. Much appreciated and couldn’t have done it without you.” – Hockey FIT Participant
“We had a great group and a few of us are still in touch with each other. I’ve managed to keep the momentum that I gained through Hockey FIT going and I’m at my lowest weight that I can remember.” – Hockey FIT Participant
“It’s the fans’ drive and their ability to support one another that really drove their success” – Hockey FIT Coach
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HR Team Updates!
Incoming
Welcome Margarita Reyes (She/Her), who joined the team in January as Interim HR Manager for the UBC Department of Family Practice as one of her UBC Portfolios on a part-time basis. Margarita brings HR experience at UBC, notably working in Client Services, Office of the Vice Dean - Education, and Deans Office - Medicine. In this role, Margarita will be managing the tenured faculty employee lifecycle and working closely with Marni Fraser to support strategic initiatives and complex issues including performance management, coaching, etc. You can contact Margarita at margarita.reyes@ubc.ca.
Welcome Annie Lai (She/Her), who joined the team in January as the HR Coordinator for the UBC Department of Family Practice. Working closely with Marni Fraser and Margarita Reyes, Annie will be managing the non-tenured and term faculty lifecycle as well as managing recruitment, onboarding, HR processes, and special strategic projects. Annie brings private sector corporate HR experience to UBC in the engineering consulting and private education industries, and have led projects in talent acquisition, orientations and onboarding, and benefits, and supported both managers and employees in employee relations matters to improve the employee experience. As a UBC alumni, Annie holds a Bachelor of  Commerce Honours degree and is a Chartered Professionals in HR (CPHR) Candidate. She can be reached at annie.lai@ubc.ca.
Both Margarita and Annie will manage the DFP HR Manager Inbox fmpr.hrmanager@ubc.ca if you’re uncertain on who to contact.
Outgoing
Congratulations to the Department of Family Practice’s (now former) HR Manager, Alyssa Piperni for landing a new role at UBC. Although it is with sadness that we see Alyssa leave the department, we’re so proud of her, wish her all the best in her new role, and know that she will not be far anytime her presence is missed. Alyssa wanted to share a few words with the department about her time in the role “Thank you all for making my time with Family Practice so great. Since I joined in September 2020, I thoroughly enjoyed learning of everyone's research, teaching and support roles - the contributions you all make are outstanding! I am pleased that I will continue to be within the Faculty of Medicine community as I have joined the Dean's Office Faculty Affairs team in the role of Manager, Faculty HR." Farewell Alyssa!
Save Energy While Working Remotely
While remote learning, teaching and working continues, help save energy as part of UBC’s Seasonal Shutdown, which lowers the temperature in buildings to reduce energy use and emissions on campus.
Every action counts! Simple actions like shutting windows, switching off and unplugging electronic equipment and turning off lights save thousands of dollars each year and reduce UBC’s energy footprint.
Before you leave for the holidays…
- Switch off electronics
- Turn off the lights
- Unplug small appliances
- Close windows and blinds
- Report any air or water leaks
- Shut fume hood sashes and shut down non-essential lab equipment
Learn more
Emergency Information and Messaging
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HR Corner
WorkSafeBC Requires Employers to Re-Activate COVID19 Safety Plans
On January 7, 2022, the provincial health officer announced an order requiring employers to re-activate their COVID-19 Safety Plans. If applicable to your role, please review the COVID-19 Prevention website and planning tool for COVID19 Safety Plan to ensure all of our sites and locations meets the new requirements.
Mental Health Resources
During these challenging times, we would like to share several resources available to assist on managing stress, anxiety, work-life balance, and provide support on various topics.
Work Learn Summer 2022 Call for Proposals now open until Fri Jan 21st
Proposals for funding of student work experiences through UBC Vancouver’s Work Learn Program will be accepted from January 5 – January 21, 2022; 4:00PM PST. These proposals are for experiences taking place during the Summer Session (May 1, 2022 – August 30, 2022).
In advance of submitting your Work Learn proposal, please confirm with your departmental/administrative head that you will be able to proceed with hiring a student into the proposed position, should the role be approved for funding. Any Work Learn specific questions can go to work.learn@ubc.ca.
Workday This Week
The Workday Team has announced key topics as we head back to work from the holidays.
- Viewing your 2022 Vacation Balance in Workday
- Your 2022 vacation and other absence types are now available in Workday. When viewing your vacation balance in Workday, you may not see a whole number. This is because of how Workday calculates your vacation balance, and this will not impact your ability to take your full vacation.
- Your 2022 vacation will appear under Accrued Year To Date in your Absence Balance. You can check your annual vacation entitlements on the HR website.
- If your vacation balance in Workday is slightly greater (i.e. less than 1 hour of time) than your actual vacation entitlement, no action is required.
- If your vacation balance in Workday is slightly lower than your actual vacation entitlement, please contact Adrian Whitehead.
COVID-19 and UBC: Stay Informed
Stay up-to-date with the latest information and updates on COVID-19 and UBC’s response. Visit UBC's COVID-19 website for helpful FAQs and resources.
Career Opportunities
Faculty Development and Engagement, Indigenous Site
The Indigenous Faculty Development Site Faculty will be responsible for faculty development and community engagement within the Indigenous Site. The incumbent will report primarily to the Site Director and the Portfolio Director for Faculty Development.
Applicants must have their Certification in the College of Family Physicians and be in good standing with the CFPC. The position is 0.2 FTE (1 day per week)
Details
Enhanced Skills Care of the Elderly Program Director
The Program Director will be responsible for the overall administration and direction of the Care of the Elderly Program at its various rotations. The incumbent reports to the Enhanced Skills Program Director (ES-PD). The Director is a member of the Enhanced Skills Resident Program Committee, and works closely with the ES-PD, the Department of Family Practice and the Care of the Elderly faculty in the delivery of the program.
Details
Explore more career opportunities - including an Executive Director position with Richmond Division of Family Practice!
Winter Wellness Resources
 There are many different and relevant ways to foster and maintain good mental health. As we navigate these difficult times and changing COVID-19 protocols, you may be feeling stressed, worried, or isolated. Research consistently points to ways that can help promote a healthy mind. Below are some simple, easy-to-implement ways to help support your mental health. Learn more!
Sweet Slumber
A good night's sleep is just as important as eating healthy and exercising. Check out these tips to improve your sleep habits.
Healthy Hacks
Stay on track with your healthy eating goals this year The Food Network has plenty of recipes to keep you healthy. Delish has plenty of recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Prioritize Movement
Crunched for time? Try to squeeze in "fitness snacks" throughout your day. Small bits of movement can boost your energy while helping you reach your movement goals! Learn more here
Mental Health Moment
Take some time to check in and assess your mental health this month. How are you feeling? What is your energy like? Participaction has some great tips & resources to support your mental health.
Did you know that spending time in nature boosts memory, creativity, & work satisfaction? Learn more about the benefits of nature and the impact it can have on your health.
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