The John McNeill Excellence in Health Research Mentorship Award recognizes faculty members at any stage in their academic career, in any of UBC’s health-related disciplines, who have formally been identified as mentors and who exemplify a deep commitment to fostering the professional and personal development of faculty colleagues, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows in the early stages of their academic career.  This prestigious award was established by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in honour of Dean Emeritus John McNeill, whose leadership helped distinguish the Faculty as one of Canada’s best graduate programs and research environments, paving the way for future excellence in research and research capacity in health at UBC.  

The 2023 recipient is Dr. Victoria Bungay, Professor in the School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science at the UBC Vancouver campus, and Canada Research Chair in Gender Equity and Community Engagement funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Since joining the UBC School of Nursing as a faculty member in 2009, Dr. Bungay has established the interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral Capacity Research Unit, which focuses on building trainee, faculty, and health service partners for effective community-based, intervention health research. Dr. Bungay's research achievements and mentoring approach foster a rich training environment where emerging scholars are inspired to conduct research that benefits socially-excluded communities. Advancing equity, inclusion, and diversity is a prominent characteristic of Dr. Bungay's research and mentorship philosophy.

The John F. McCreary Prize for Interprofessional Teamwork recognizes and promotes interprofessional teamwork in the health and human service professions. The award is named after Dr. John F. McCreary, the first coordinator of health sciences at UBC, and is intended to draw attention to Dr. McCreary’s vision of interprofessional collaboration in clinical work and education and the value of a team approach in meeting the health care needs of British Columbians.  

The 2023 recipient is the UBC Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation—Centre d ’Innovation Cardiovasculaire (CCI-CIC) team. The CCI-CIC team is a diverse group of individuals responsible for the oversight and execution of a wide range of translational and clinical research studies. Created in 2019, CCI-CIC is recognized by the interprofessional collaboration between team members of varied backgrounds and expertise, including physician scientists, clinical research professionals, data managers, programmers, and biostatisticians. CCI-CIC’s emerging position at the forefront of cardiovascular research and clinical trial administration is supported by a philosophy of collaboration and cross-pollination among team members. This interdisciplinary approach facilitates CCI-CIC’s leadership in cardiovascular research innovation and patient care improvement in British Columbia.

Team members include David Wood (team lead), Vishaldeep Sidhu, Nicole Carbert, Brady Robinson, Defen Peng, Kevin Lam, Frank Fan, Pavneet Grewal, Eoin McMahon, Caitlyn Vas, Nadia Tarazi, Kelly Sandhu, Eden Viveiros, Pamela Tuazon, and Chrislena Tang.

The R. Paul Kerston Community Educator Award was named after long-time community educator, R. Paul Kerston to honour outstanding community educators who have made a difference to student learning in health and human service programs at UBC.

Two outstanding patient partners are recognized as the 2023 recipients of the Kerston Award.

Eve Sheftel has been a passionate community educator involved in health education activities at UBC for ten years. As a UBC Health Mentor since 2014 and as a patient educator in seminars, focus groups, and panel discussions, Eve brings the patient’s voice to health education at UBC to enhance the development of students and practicing health professionals. Eve has shared a wealth of lived experience, as a health professional, patient, and caregiver, with the many students she has mentored over the years. Her energy, warmth, care for students, and ongoing involvement in health education are a true testament of exemplary mentorship and healthy aging.

Karen Firus is an energetic community educator deeply committed to advancing health professional education at UBC since 2017. Through her involvement in the UBC Interprofessional Health Mentors Program and the UBC Health Integrated Curriculum, Karen has brought unique perspectives as a patient educator, facilitator, and co-creator in numerous initiatives to support the development of health profession students. She is an engaging and inspiring speaker who has advocated for team-based collaborative practice and the many benefits of involving patients in health professional education.

The Professor Jessie Gordon MacCarthy Memorial Scholarship recognizes an outstanding student in the final year of any pre-licensure health science program who best combines academic excellence, demonstrated interest, and leadership in the field of community health. The scholarship was established through an endowment in memory of Jessie Gordon MacCarthy, long-term contributor to the development of health sciences at UBC.

The 2023 recipient is Manpreet Alisha Buttar, a second-year student in the Master of Science in Human Nutrition program in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Alisha is recognized for her excellence and interest in the field of community and population health as evidenced by her leadership skills improving communities in and outside the classroom. As a graduate student researcher and dietitian, Alisha advocates for equitable nutrition policy and healthier food environments for all. She spearheaded the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference, an initiative committed to understanding population health issues related to food insecurity in remote Indigenous populations. She also co-founded the Athletic and Wellness Collective at UBC, a graduate student-run organization aimed to promote physical fitness, mental wellbeing, and a healthy lifestyle through community-building events that are inclusive of people with disabilities and diverse health goals.

The John H.V. Gilbert Interprofessional Scholarship recognizes an outstanding student in the final year of any health or human services degree program who best combines academic excellence and demonstrated student leadership in interprofessional education for collaborative patient-centred practice.

The 2023 recipient is Jing Xuan Leslie Guo, a student in the final year of the Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy program in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Leslie is recognized for her active involvement and achievements in advancing interprofessional education (IPE) as a student leader. She played a key role in the integration of the Academic Electronic Health Record (aEHR) into medical and allied health professional programs across Canada and transitioned over 30 case-based learning and IPE activities from traditional paper cases to this platform. She also adapted a series of complex geriatric case studies into aEHR learning modules that aimed to train primary care health teams in goal-setting and prioritization of treatment timelines. Her passion and interest in improving the learning experience of other students are evident in her interprofessional programming work, which has been disseminated at the Canadian Pharmacy Education and Research Conference and through open educational resources for preceptors to support IPE in practicum rotations.

The ImpactBC Scholarships in Health Care Research and Development recognize outstanding students in a UBC health discipline who have completed a research or development project focusing on patient/client involvement in health care decision-making or in health professional education. The scholarships were established through an endowment by ImpactBC.

2023 Recipients

Sanjit Kaur Bains is a third-year student in the Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy program in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Sanjit's research project involved a comprehesive qualitative evaluation of the current state of medical cannabis resources available for chronic pain patients and the development of a directory of resources. Sanjit's commitment and dedication to this research have impacted the project's goal of improving patient access to information about medical cannabis. Her work addresses critical gaps in care and guides patients and health care providers towards comprehensive, safe, and effective medical cannabis care. Sanjit is commended for her collaborative approach to research, curiosity in the complex field of medical cannabis, and determination to driving change towards patient-centred care.

Carissa Sum Yin Chan is a second-year student in the Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy program in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Carissa's research project focused on Vancouver Coastal Health's launch of the first-ever Hospital at Home (HAH) program, which will serve as an alternative mode of care for patients from diverse populations, including rural communities and patients who prefer home care or with physical limitations inhibiting transportation. Her research assessed the current literature with existing HAH programs nationally and internationally to gauge patient and healthcare provider perspectives, and applied these findings to better inform the implementation of HAH at VCH. Carissa's research informs current and future work towards an effective, tailored, and patient-centred model of care for local communities.

Pavneet Kalsi is a third-year student in the Doctor of Dental Medicine program in the Faculty of Dentistry. Pavneet's research project aimed to improve dentistry teaching methods and bring new research to practical situations that can be applied to professional education systems. Her reseach showed that the best practices were integrative application and reinforcement of difficult clinical examples, and highlighted the need for teaching methods that provide more confident and efficient care to diverse populations, particularly underserved families that face neglect or cannot access vital oral health information. Her commitment to health promotion and her increasing understanding that dental care can be a challenge for marginalized populations have led her to be involved in professional education that supports a more holistic and patient-centred approach to care.

Karen Lok Yi Wong is a third-year student in the Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work program in the Faculty of Arts. Karen led a research study that explored the applicability of the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale to people with dementia living in long-term care homes. The study aimed to educate health professionals from the perspectives of patients and their families on the limitations of using the loneliness scale with people with dementia and to offer recommendations on how to better use the scale with this population. Karen's work highlighted the importance of bringing the voices of people with dementia and family partners in educating health professionals to think critically about the limitations of the scale and the implications on clinical care. Karen's dedication and drive to promote an inclusive, human-rights approach for working with older adults have been recognized through a number of academic achievements and journal publications.