September marks an exciting time at UBC, with our vibrant community coming together again across both campuses and sites throughout the province. As the new academic year begins, we warmly welcome new and returning students, researchers, staff and faculty who are joining UBC with a shared commitment to improving the health and well-being of BC residents and society. This includes over 1,000 new health professional students embarking on their journey toward becoming integral members of BC’s health and healing community.

At UBC Health, we are hard at work preparing programs and events that will bring together university and health sector partners throughout the year to foster collaborations that advance provincial priorities.

This fall, over 2,000 students from over 14 health professional programs, will have the opportunity to engage in interprofessional learning through the Integrated Curriculum facilitated by UBC Health. Their interprofessional learning journey includes Indigenous Cultural Safety training led by the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health in partnership with UBC Health. Additionally, as the public health emergency related to the toxic drug supply persists, students will participate in sessions developed in collaboration with the BC Centre on Substance Use, where they will explore ways they can help address this critical issue in their future practice.

We are delighted to welcome Kelly Allison to the UBC Health team as the newly appointed Director of Education. Kelly is an Assistant Professor of Teaching and Chair of Field Education in the School of Social Work. She has been a member of the Collaborative Health Education Committee and has been involved in a number of UBC Health initiatives since 2019. UBC Health’s education portfolio will benefit tremendously from her commitment to interprofessional education and extensive experience with practice-based education. Recruitment for new directors of research and health systems is underway.

With the growing complexity of issues facing the health and well-being of people across the province, the need for interdisciplinary approaches to research also become ever more pressing. UBC Health will continue to lead a variety of efforts to catalyze interdisciplinary collaborations in research throughout the year. In November, UBC Health is partnering with the Public Scholars Initiative and UBC Connects to bring together “Voices for Health Equity” from across the health sector in BC to build on innovative research aimed at extending and improving health in British Columbia.

In the spring, we will continue facilitating cross-sector dialogue between the university and health sector partners, ensuring the knowledge generated by our collaborative efforts is mobilized effectively. Learn more about the Cross-Sector Dialogue initiative and keep an eye out for information about the new session coming soon. 

The start of a new academic year brings renewed energy and motivation to work together for better health outcomes. We look forward to connecting with new and existing faculty, staff, students, and community members across both campuses and sites throughout the province.

We invite you to visit our website to learn more about how we support “better health together.”

Here’s to a promising year ahead!

Christie Newton, Associate Vice President, Health