HIFI Award Recipients

Diversifying the UBC health professions education (D'HoPE): Interprofessional education and mentorship program dedicated to equity-denied youth 
HIFI Award: $25,000

D’HoPE aims to increase the number and success of applicants from equity-denied groups to UBC health professions programs by fostering their knowledge and helping them feel that they belong and their perspectives are needed to advance the professions. Ultimately, increasing diversity in health professions will improve client/patient outcomes and health equity.

• Laura Yvonne Bulk, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Tal Jarus, Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Nassim Adhami, Lecturer, Undergraduate and Graduate Programs, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Michael Lee, Professor of Teaching, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Amy Ellis, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Shahin Shirzad, Assistant Dean, Admissions, MD Undergraduate Program, Faculty of Medicine
• Catherine Macala, Associate Director, Admissions, MD Undergraduate Program, Faculty of Medicine
• Hanna Pahl, Master of Occupational Therapy Student, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Kirby Way, Master of Occupational Therapy Student, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Marie Nightbird, Assistant Professor of Teaching, School of Social Work, Faculty of Arts
• Kelly Allison, Assistant Professor of Teaching, School of Social Work, Faculty of Arts
• Jeff Boniface, Associate Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Ben Mortenson, Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Elly Park, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Ranjit Kaur Dhari, Associate Professor of Teaching, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Marie Nightbird, Assistant Professor of Teaching, School of Social Work, Faculty of Arts
• Julia Schmidt, Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Jialin (Lydia) Chen, Assistant Manager of Curriculum and Programs, Faculty of Dentistry
• Damilola Mabadeje, Undergraduate Student, Integrated Sciences, Faculty of Science; D’HoPE Project Assistant, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Katie Lee Bunting, Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine 

Identifying and developing policy responses to emerging forms of violence against health workers in Nigeria
HIFI Award: $25,000

This research project will produce: a peer-reviewed publication synthesizing knowledge globally regarding violence against healthcare workers; a peer-reviewed publication on stakeholder perspectives of violence against healthcare workers in Nigeria; and a virtual stakeholder meeting with key Nigerian stakeholders to discuss policy responses.

• Veena Sriram, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Faculty of Arts and School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine
• Annalee Yassi, Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine
• Katrina Plamondon, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Ijeoma Okedo-Alex, Doctoral Student, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine

Plasma metabolomic biomarkers for detecting heart allograft acute rejection 
HIFI Award: $25,000

This study will be the first to use untargeted metabolomics to identify potential biomarkers that can predict heart transplant rejection, leading to more efficient, non-invasive, and cost-effective diagnosis and clinical management for heart transplant patients in North America. This health collaboration will generate important pilot data for future grant applications to continue this work.

• Scott J. Tebbutt, Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Tao Huan, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
• Chengliang Yang, Research Associate, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Casey P. Shannon, Director of Data Science, PROOF (Prevention of Organ Failure) Centre of Excellence, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Sara Assadian, Director of Clinical Research, PROOF (Prevention of Organ Failure) Centre of Excellence, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Linda Lapp, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Yukai Wang, Graduate Student, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
• Paloma Burns, Clinical Research Manager, PROOF (Prevention of Organ Failure) Centre of Excellence, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Alyssa Hui, Lab Technician, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Sleep disruption, behavioural factors, and psychological stress as drivers of accelerated aging among night shift workers
HIFI Award: $25,000

This research project will establish a cross-faculty and cross-campus collaborative relationship that will drive novel research and training opportunities in the area of circadian disruption and healthy aging. The study aims to reveal valuable mechanistic insights and produce critical preliminary data with which to secure funding for future large-scale studies of preventative interventions.  

• Parveen Bhatti, Associate Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine
• Nancy Sin, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Najib Ayas, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Brian Dalton, Assistant Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan

A patient-oriented and case-mix approach to understand drivers of health resource utilization among older adults at high risk of falls
HIFI Award: $25,000

This study will identify case-mixes of patients who have different cost trajectories (i.e., high, declining, increasing, etc.) to ascertain modifiable clinical factors that predict these trajectories. The interdisciplinary cross-campus research team will integrate patient experiences from its falls prevention patient partners to develop patient recommendations for targeting the modifiable factors.

• Jennifer Davis (Faddegon), Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management, UBC Okanagan
• Craig Mitton, Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine
• Linda Li, Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Ryan Falck, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine 
• Ben Karnon, Master of Science Student, Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine

Better living after cancer in older Canadians: Identifying patient predictive markers of treatment response
HIFI Award: $25,000

This research project will combine genetics, statistical modelling, and medicine with patient engagement to develop a pre-treatment test which informs cancer patient risk of injury from radiotherapy. This project will act as pilot data for a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant application to evaluate the pre-treatment test, to be used by patients and oncologists to reduce the incidence of debilitating complications, where no test exists, in a prospective clinical trial.

• Christina Haston, Professor, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, UBC Okanagan
• Peter Watson, Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Angela Lin, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
• Jeff Andrews, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, UBC Okanagan 
• Jose Sapien, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, UBC Okanagan 
• Mitchell Wiebe, Graduate Student, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, UBC Okanagan 
• Agnes Sauter, BC Cancer Clinical Trials

Raise your voice: An in-depth exploration of family and resident council effectiveness in long-term care
HIFI Award: $25,000

This research project will collaboratively create a preliminary tool to define and assess family and resident council effectiveness in long-term care homes in BC, disseminate findings, and increase exposure of family and resident councils through a student-led documentary. This will serve as a first step in establishing a systematic process for the inclusion of family and resident voices in long-term care policy development and implementation.

• Farinaz Havaei, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Aleksandra Dulic, Associate Professor, Centre for Culture and Technology, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, UBC Okanagan
• Sabina Staempfli, PhD Student, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science

Aging in place: A perspective from Indigenous older adults and Elders 
HIFI Award: $25,000

Working alongside Indigenous communities, the research team will co-create knowledge on what aging-in-place means to Indigenous older adults. From a developed survey, the team will generate a Canadian data network of the physical, emotional, spiritual, and cultural needs of older Indigenous adults for healthy aging. The project team will co-develop stakeholder and community reports to inform Indigenous needs for aging in place.

• Jennifer Jakobi, Professor, Chair for Women in Science and Engineering and Director of the Institute of Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Christiane Hoppmann, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Jon Corbett, Director, Institute for Community Engaged Research and Professor, Department of Community, Culture and Global Studies, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UBC Okanagan
• Maureen Ashe, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Community Mobility, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
• Lee Allison Clark, Director of Health, Native Women’s Association of Canada
• Kate Crosby, Undergraduate Student, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Jill Williamson, Research Coordinator, Aging in Place Research Cluster, UBC Okanagan

Identification of a conjunctival-gut microbiome axis in age-related dry eye diseases
HIFI Award: $25,000

This research collaboration will: 1) develop novel protocols for the isolation and detection of conjunctival microbiome; and 2) produce pilot data on conjunctival-gut microbiome axis in age-related dry eye diseases. The pilot data will be used to support a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant application on using ocular microbiome as a biomarker of dry eye diseases in the aging population to improve diagnosis and treatment strategies.

• Sepideh Pakpour, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan
• Alfonso Iovieno, Clinical Associate Professor; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Sonia N. Yeung, Associate Professor and Director, Cornea Service, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Javad Sadeghi, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan
• Nicolas Kahuam-Lopez, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Michael Zhao, Undergraduate Research Assistant, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan

V CARE: A virtual reality artificial intelligence assisted training tool for Alzheimer’s caregivers
HIFI Award: $24,818

This research project will develop a virtual reality training program for Alzheimer’s caregivers to help prepare them for the challenges of caring for someone with the condition. The training will equip them with skills to handle different situations, reduce stress, and build confidence in their role as Alzheimer’s caregivers. In an effort to advocate for positive change, project results and recommendations will be shared with key stakeholders.

• Annie Wan, Associate Professor, Creative Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, UBC Okanagan
• Lillian Hung, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science

Worth its salt: Evaluating the brain using high field magnetic resonance imaging of sodium
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Rebecca Feldman, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, UBC Okanagan
• Cornelia Laule, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Erin MacMillan, Research Associate, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine
• Jason Reich, Graduate Student, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, UBC Okanagan
• Alex Ensworth, Graduate Student, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science

Understanding mechanisms of respiratory impairment in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using optical coherence tomography
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Janice Leung, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Bill Sheel, Professor, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education
• Stephen Lam, Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Pierre Lane, Affiliate Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Tawimas Shaipanich, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Julio Montaner, Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Carli Peters, Post-Doctoral Fellow, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education

A deep-learning based automatic bladder cancer screening pipeline
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Gang Wang, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Xiaoxiao Li, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Beidi Zhao, Student, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Adapting educational tools and resources to reduce substance use stigma and promote health equity in the cancer care sector
HIFI Award: $24,983

• Annette Browne, Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Leah Lambert, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science; Executive Director and Senior Scientist, Nursing and Allied Health Research and Knowledge Translation, BC Cancer
• Scott Beck, Master’s Student, Master of Public Health, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Master of Science in Nursing Program, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science; Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nursing and Allied Health Research and Knowledge Translation, BC Cancer
• Jacqueline Denison, Acting Director, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Manda Harmon, Clinical Coordinator, Primary Care, Downtown Community Health Clinic, Vancouver Coastal Health
• Tara Horrill, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
• Jagbir Kaur, PhD Student, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science; Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nursing and Allied Health Research and Knowledge Translation, BC Cancer
• Michael McKenzie, Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine; Radiation Oncologist, BC Cancer
• Stacy Miller, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine; Executive Medical Director, Centre for the North, BC Cancer
• Lynne Nakashima, Senior Director, Provincial Pharmacy, BC Cancer
• David Tu, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine; Lead Primary Care Physician, Kilala Lelum Urban Indigenous Health and Healing Cooperative and Health Centre
• Colleen Varcoe, Professor Emeritus, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Leah Walker, Executive Director, Kilala Lelum Urban Indigenous Health and Healing Cooperative and Health Centre

Co-design and validation of women empowerment tool kit: A collaborative approach to promote women and their children’s mental health
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Saima Hirani, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Annette Browne, Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Jacqueline Denison, Associate Professor of Teaching and Acting Director, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Sarah Dow-Fleisner, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work and Director, Centre for the Study of Services to Children and Families, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Nilanga Aki Ediriweera Bandara, Student, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Salima Sayani, PhD Candidate, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine

Indigenous healing camp curriculum and evaluation framework development workshop
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Kimberly Huyser, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts
• Ninan Abraham, Professor, Department of Zoology and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Science
• Tabitha Robin Martens, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
• Alannah Young Leon, xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Indigenous Health Research and Education Garden, UBC Farm, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
• Katherine Collins, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Health Studies, College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan 
• Michelle Johnson-Jennings, Professor, School of Social Work, University of Washington
• Felix Lockhart, Elder and Founder, Taché Healing Waters Society
• Maureen Dobbins, Advisory Council Member, Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network’s Indigenous Engagement, Development and Research pillar 
• Sheila Blackstock, Advisory Council Member, Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network’s Indigenous Engagement, Development and Research pillar 
• Renée Masching, Advisory Council Member, Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network’s Indigenous Engagement, Development and Research pillar 

Etiopathogenesis of capsular contracture: Novel application of mathematical model
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Kathryn Isaac, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
• Peter Lennox, Clinical Professor and Head, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
• Leah Edelstein-Keshet, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science
• Cheryl Dyck, Research Assistant, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science

A new line of defence: Testing and implementing a novel solution for airborne disease mitigation in Kelowna General Hospital 
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Sunny Li, Professor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Joshua Brinkerhoff, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Jonathan Little, Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Jared Baylis, Clinical Assistant Professor, Southern Medical Program, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine; Medical Director of Simulation, Interior Health; Emergency Physician, Kelowna General Hospital
• Deanne Taylor, Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan; Corporate Director of Research, Interior Health
• Amir Hadzic, Clinical Instructor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine;  Medical Lead, Infection Prevention and Control, Interior Health
• Mojtaba Zabihi, PhD Candidate, Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Juliette Davies, Research Assistant, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan

Designing and developing a cost-effective, immersive-technology based veinfinding device to solve difficult intravenous access in healthcare settings
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Abbas Milani, Professor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan; Director, Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute
• Charlene Ronquillo, Assistant Professor and Director, of Health Informatics Equity Lab, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Roger Tam, Associate Professor and Director of Engineers in Scrubs Program, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Faculty of Medicine
• Vanessa Lo, Undergraduate Student, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Rohith Krishnamurthy, Master’s Student, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan
• Ammar Zavahir, Undergraduate Student, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan

Development of a deep-learning model using eye-mapping of radiologists: A medical imaging educational tool
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Savvas Nicolaou, Clinical Professor, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine
• Adnan Sheikh, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine
• William Parker, Clinical Instructor, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine
• Chen Feng, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan
• Tim Salcudean, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Muhammad Danish Sarfraz, Clinical Fellow, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine
• Emtenan Meer, Clinical Fellow, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine
• Sabeena Jalal Khan, PhD Student, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine

Collaborative virtual platform to optimize functional outcomes and understanding for patients with advanced head and neck oncology
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Eitan Prisman, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
• Farahna Sabiq, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine
• Eric Berthelet, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
• Tony Ng, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Sidney Fels, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Antony Hodgson, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• David Yang, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry
• Angela Wong, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry
• Caroline Chow, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Sarah Hamilton, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
• Robert Olson, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
• Monty Martin, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine
• Sena Turkdogan, Clinical Fellow, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
• Hamidreza Aftabi, PhD Student, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Atabak Eghbal, PhD Student, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Melissa Yu, Master’s Student, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Kevin Gilmore, Master’s Student, School Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Khanh Linh Tran, Research Technician, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine
• Katrina Zaraska, Undergraduate Student, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Alex Chen, Undergraduate Student, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Harkaran Dial, Undergraduate Student, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine

Field testing of a new and affordable sickle cell disease screening technology for low-resource settings
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Boris Stoeber, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science 
• Videsh Kapoor, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
• Hayley Merkeley, Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Nicholas Au, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Rodrigo Onell, Clinical Instructor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Pranav Shrestha, PhD Candidate, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science 
• Christopher Bhatla, MD Candidate, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Yvonne Deng, MD Candidate, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Connor Harrigan, MD Candidate, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Ryan Hong, Undergraduate Student, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Science
• Rajan Pande, Chief Consultant Physician and Head, Department of Internal Medicine, Bheri Hospital (Nepal)
• Dinesh Raj Sapkota, Director, Creating Possibilities Nepal
• Nura Basnet, Program and Finance Officer, Creating Possibilities Nepal
• Hendrik Lohse, Master’s Student, Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands)

Advancing data-driven rural unattached patient personas development: A person-centred design to inform preventative solutions
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Kathy Rush, Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Eric Li, Associate Professor, Faculty of Management and Principal’s Research Chair (Tier 2) in Social Innovation for Health Equity and Food Security, UBC Okanagan
• Charlene Ronquillo, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Khalad Hasan, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, Irving Barber Faculty of Science, UBC Okanagan
• Jason Sutherland, Professor, Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine
• Selena Davis, Adjunct Professor, Health Information Science, University of Victoria; Digital Health Strategist, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
• Lindsay Burton, PhD student, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan

An environmental scan to promote effective communication for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and live in BC long-term care facilities
HIFI Award: $24,818

• Jeff Small, Associate Professor and Director, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Jennifer Baumbusch, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Julie Beadle, Postdoctoral Associate, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Diana Cochrane, Research Coordinator, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science and School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Shannon Freeman, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Human and Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia; Adjunct Instructor, UBC Northern Medical Program, Faculty of Medicine
• Lillian Hung, Assistant Professor, CRC-Senior Care, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Lorienne Jenstad, Associate Professor, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Grace Shyng, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Sonia Hardern, Regional Practice Lead, Research and Knowledge Translation-Long Term Care and Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Professional Practice Team, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
• Aderonke Agboji PhD Candidate, School of Nursing, Faculty of Human and Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia

Catalyzing multimodal magnetoencephalography (MEG) research on children’s brain health and development
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Hee Yeon Im, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Deborah Giaschi, Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Janet Werker, Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Anthony Herdman, Associate Professor, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Lauren Emberson, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Tamara Vanderwal, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine
• Rebecca Feldman, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, UBC Okanagan
• Alex Cook, PhD student, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Zahra Kheradmandsaadi, PhD student, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Akosua Kesewah Asare, PhD student, Neuroscience Program, Faculty of Medicine

Developing quantitative ultrasound imaging for organ inflammation and fibrosis
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Robert Rohling, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Christopher Nguan, Associate Professor, Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Kelly McNagny, Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine
• Mei-Lin Bissonnette, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Maziar Riazy, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Tim Salcudean, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Michael Hughes, Research Associate, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Kristin Li, Technician, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Rohit Singla, MD/PhD student, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Farah Deeba, PhD student, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Yasmin Lau, undergraduate student, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine
• Cailin Ringstrom, undergraduate student, Engineering Physics, Faculty of Applied Science

Promoting active school travel in the BC Interior
HIFI Award: $14,000

• Christine Voss, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine
• Mariana Brussoni, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics and School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine
• Trent Smith, Site Co-Director, Undergraduate Education, Southern Medical Program and Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine; Medical Director, Child and Youth, Interior Health
• Meghan Winters, Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University
• Brianna Tsui, graduate student, Experimental Medicine Program, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine

Young people with old muscles: mapping the decline of muscle health in musculoskeletal conditions
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Jackie Whittaker, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Cameron Mitchell, Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education
• Marine Theret, Research Associate, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Michael Koehle, Professor, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education; Director, Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
• Fabio Rossi, Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine
• Allyson Schweitzer, Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education
• Justin Losciale, PhD student, Rehabilitation Sciences Program, Faculty of Medicine
• Trish Silvester-Lee, patient partner

Automated detection of Alzheimer’s Disease from retinal fundus images using deep learning
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Ipek Oruc, Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Robin Hsiung, Associate Professor, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Sonia Yeung, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
• Ozgur Yilmaz, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science

Building capacity for team-based social prescribing in British Columbia
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Maureen Ashe, Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
• Bill Miller, Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Ben Mortensen, Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Christie Newton, Associate Professor and Associate Head, Education and Engagement, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
• Robert Petrella, Head and Professor, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
• Joseph Puyat, Assistant Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine
• Kathy Rush, Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC Okanagan
• Brodie Sakakibara, Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine; Investigator, Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Southern Medical Program, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Okanagan
• Sanya Grover, graduate student, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
• Gurkirat Singh Nijjar, graduate student, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
• Grace Park, Program Medical Director, Home Health, Fraser Health
• Beverley Pitman, United Way British Columbia
• Kate Mulligan, Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
• Anna Maria Chudyk, Postdoctoral fellow, College of Nursing, University of Manitoba

Development of a serious game educational resource on chronic pelvic pain in gynecology for Canadian health care providers-in-training
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Fuchsia Howard, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
• Paul Yong, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine
• Leanne Currie, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Sciences
• Karim Qayumi, Professor, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine; Founder, Centre of Excellence for Simulation Education and Innovation
• Margaret Carlyle, Assistant Professor, Department of History and Sociology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UBC Okanagan
• Natasha Orr, postdoctoral fellow, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine

Optimizing team-integrated primary care for older adults
HIFI Award: $17,000

• Kerry Wilbur, Associate Professor and Executive Director, Entry to Practice Education, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Vanessa Kitchin, Librarian, Southern Medical Program, Faculty of Medicine, UBC Okanagan
• Jennifer Bolt, Clinical Assistant Professor (Partner), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Research and Development Pharmacist, Seniors’ Care/Pharmacy Practice Models, Interior Health
• Colleen Inglis, Assistant Professor (Partner), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Clinical Pharmacy and Research Specialist, Island Health and Community Health Services, Island Health
• Karen Dahri, Associate Professor (Partner), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Clinical Pharmacotherapeutic and Research Specialist, Vancouver Coastal Health
• Diane Villanyi, Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
• Kristen Haase, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Sciences
• Nancy Sin, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Edwin Betinol, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
• Anuoluwapo Favour Awotunde, MPharm student, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Soft robotics, nanotech and the next technological leap of treating erectile dysfunction
HIFI Award: $25,000

• Hadi Mohammadi, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan
• Ryan Flannigan, Assistant Professor, Department of Urologic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine