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Health After 2020 Dialogue Sessions - March 18, April 8, April 27, May 11, 2022

The Health After 2020 program supports researchers to engage in interdisciplinary collaborations and build a community of UBC Health scholars. Through the development of research collaborations, academic outputs, cross-campus conversations, and open dialogue sessions, the program convenes and informs people at the inflection point in our society created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following dialogue sessions have been scheduled:

Lost in translation: Why studying sex/gender differences is not enough to move the dial on women’s health

Friday, March 18, 2022
12:00-1:00 pm
Zoom Meeting

Health inequities abound across many sociodemographic groups, including those based on sex and gender. Sex/gender differences exist in disease etiology, manifestation, progression, and treatment. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have mandated the inclusion of sex in clinical trials and research; however, whether these mandates and initiatives will improve women’s health is a matter of debate. 

Female-specific experiences greatly influence health, but studies on female-specific experiences are scarce. Studying sex differences exclusively will not address how female-specific experiences can impact health, which begs the question of whether NIH’s sex as a biological variable and CIHR’s sex and gender-based analysis go far enough. Women’s health is not just influenced by biology but also includes how gendered experiences influence health outcomes. Studying different experiences among females will lead to new treatments for them but may also give us clues for new pathways to investigate across sexes and genders. 

In order to be better prepared for current and future health crises, such as COVID-19, there needs to be more research on women’s health. This dialogue session will outline why science needs to define and value women’s health by demonstrating that it is a distinct field of research.

Speakers

  • Dr. Liisa Galea, Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of British Columbia 
  • Dr. Gillian Einstein, Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto
  • Dr. Natasha Rajah, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University

Speaker bios are available on the dialogue session page

Register

SAVE THE DATES
Save the dates and register early for the next three sessions in our dialogue series. Full descriptions and a list of speakers will be available in the coming weeks on the dialogue sessions page.

Home-based virtual reality therapeutics for mental health care: Opportunities and challenges

Speakers include Dr. Trisha Chakrabarty, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine
Friday, April 8, 2022
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Early registration

Exploring barriers and facilitators to health equity: A public dialogue to advance research agendas related to opioid prescribing for pain conditions

Speakers include Dr. Rita McCracken, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
12:00-1:00 pm
Early registration 

Engaging patients before and after childbirth from all walks of life in health research

Speakers include Dr. Marianne Vidler, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
12:00-1:00 pm
Early registration

Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care Webinar - March 24, 2022

This webinar is part of the Substance Use and Addiction Lunch & Learn Series, hosted by UBC Health and the BC Centre on Substance Use. The free webinar series provides foundational knowledge about substance use and addiction. Webinars are geared towards health program educators from any discipline who supervise students. However, anyone can benefit from this learning, and all are welcome and encouraged to attend. 

Thursday, March 24
12:00-1:00 pm

Zoom Webinar

Participants who attend the Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care webinar will gain an understanding of what trauma- and violence-informed practice is, the prevalence of trauma and how it manifests in the body, the connection between trauma and substance use, and how to integrate this knowledge into their practice.

This webinar will be presented by Christina Chant, Director, Education and Clinical Activities, BC Centre on Substance Use; Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC. Christina is a registered nurse with expertise in primary care, public health, and mental health and substance use. Underlying her work is a passion and deep commitment to creating a more just and equitable healthcare system. For the past 15 years, she has focused her career on serving communities that experience significant social and economic marginalization. She also comes to the work as a caregiver of family with substance use disorders and has much experience navigating the healthcare system. Christina is an engaging speaker who has facilitated and taught numerous courses and panels on mental health and substance use, primary care, harm reduction, trauma-informed practice, health equity, and leadership. She has also been a guest on the Addiction Practice Pod podcast on the topic of trauma- and violence- informed practice and psychosocial approaches to substance use treatment. 

Register

Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) Conference - August 16-19, 2022

August 16-19, 2022
UBC Vancouver Campus

The Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) conference is an international, intersectoral, and intergenerational global health conference that brings together health partners, universities, community institutions, and thought leaders from around the world. 

TUFH 2022 is being hosted by the Rural Coordination Centre of BC, The Network: Towards Unity for Health, and BC Patient Safety and Quality Council. The theme Moving Forward Together: Unity for Health for All has been planned in partnership with the Métis Nation of British Columbia, First Nations Health Authority, and UBC Health. The conference will focus on fostering equitable community-oriented health services, education, and research, with the goal of improving health locally and globally.

Visit the conference website for more information. 

Abstracts
TUFH 2022 is accepting abstracts for oral presentations, workshops, TUFH Talks, and TUFH documentaries until February 28, 2022.

Registration
Early bird registration is open until February 28, 2022. Registration closes on July 17, 2022.

Sponsorships to Attend Conference
UBC Health is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and supports efforts to ensure equitable participation in the conference. As a TUFH 2022 partner, UBC Health is pleased to sponsor a number of students and local Indigenous peoples who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend the conference. UBC Health will cover conference registration fee, travel, and accommodation. 

For more information about eligibility and how to apply, visit the following sponsorship pages:

The deadline to apply is February 28, 2022.  

Recordings

Moving Forward on a Pan-Canadian Health Data Strategy - January 12, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a number of commentaries and conversations about the need to strengthen our health data foundations in Canada. The federal government responded to this by announcing the intent to develop a Pan-Canadian Health Data Strategy. This talk summarized the group’s work and current thinking about recommendations as well as invite university-based input into these ongoing conversations.

The session was co-led by Dr. Kim McGrail, Director of Research, UBC Health and Dr. David Castle, Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria. Drs. McGrail and Castle are members of the Pan-Canadian Health Data Strategy expert advisory group.

This session was part of the UBC Health Disaggregated Data Dialogue Series.

Resources

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