Congratulations to UBC Department of Family Practice research faculty Dr. Farah Shroff (Health Together) and Dr. Mei-ling Wiedmeyer (Umbrella Multicultural Health Co-op) on winning Community-University Engagement Support Funds from the UBC Community Engagement Office. Both projects exemplify the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in supporting equity-deserving communities.
Learn more about the two winning projects below, or click here to see all 2024-2025 fund winners.
Congratulations again to Dr. Shroff and Dr. Wiedmeyer!
Removing Barriers and Facilitating Medication Access Through the Interim Federal Health Program for Refugees
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Umbrella Multicultural Health Co-op
- Community Partner: Mei-ling Wiedmeyer, Umbrella Multicultural Health Co-op
- UBC Partner | Faculty: Jason Min, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC Vancouver
- Additional Partners: Jeanette Pedersen, Umbrella Multicultural Health Co-op | Charles, Au Fraser Health Authority | Rince Wong, Fraser Health Authority
About the Project
This project description was provided by the project team during the fund application process.
The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) provides temporary health coverage to refugees and other vulnerable migrants (e.g., victims of human trafficking or domestic violence) who are not yet eligible for provincial health insurance. Access to healthcare, especially medications, is critical for refugees who often arrive with complex health needs and in family units with children. Unfortunately, medication access is often delayed and sometimes inaccessible due to:
- refugees’ limited knowledge in navigating the Canadian healthcare system
- cultural and language barriers
- social isolation,
- negative social determinants of health,
- long wait-times for medical appointments
This is further compounded by the limited integration of the IFHP into standard pharmacy and medicine curricula, leading to a lack of awareness among healthcare providers (e.g., physicians, pharmacists) about the best ways to offer care under this program.
Given the past policy changes to the IFHP and pre-existing challenges refugees already experience when settling in British Columbia, our project aims to accomplish two key deliverables:
- identify and provide recommendations for addressing gaps or barriers to medication access through the IFHP, and
- collaboratively create targeted educational materials and resources for healthcare providers on how to best support IFHP-eligible patients to access medications.
Building on the insights gained from an initial literature review, which highlighted key gaps in knowledge and practice, an environmental scan in the form of semi-structured interviews will explore the systemic and practical challenges healthcare providers face when supporting IFHP-eligible patients. This partnership with Umbrella Multicultural Health Co-op will enable direct and targeted action to the healthcare providers who serve refugee populations. This collaboration will also enable effective reach to pharmacists and physicians who are experienced in caring for patients with IFHP coverage.
Through community consultations (e.g., focus groups, lunch events), and shared expertise from Umbrella Co-op and other health authorities, we plan to create practice-focused educational materials designed to provide healthcare providers with tools to effectively support their patients. These project goals reinforce our partnership’s vision and mission statements, as we aim to enhance the delivery of holistic and culturally-sensitive healthcare to refugee communities.
Resonant Connections: Music as a Pathway to Health and Language Retention for Immigrants and Refugees
Faculty of Arts and MOSAIC
- Community Partner: Sherman Chan, MOSAIC (Multi-lingual Orientation Service Association for Immigrant Communities)
- UBC Partner | Faculty: Manuel Piña Baldoquin, Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Faculty of Arts, UBC Vancouver
- Additional Partners: Doris Sommer, Harvard University | Americo Mendoza-Mori, Northeastern University
About the Project
This project description was provided by the project team during the fund application process.
Health Together, a UBC-based initiative led by Dr. Farah Shroff from UBC Faculty of Medicine (and which Professor Pina is a member), is co-leading a project to improve the health and mother tongue language retention of immigrants and refugees in Canada through the transformative power of music.
Our partner, MOSAIC (Multi-lingual Orientation Service Association for Immigrant Communities), has identified that immigrants often experience isolation, anxiety, and depression due to limited social networks and challenges in a new environment. This project seeks to bridge that gap by creating opportunities for immigrant and refugee communities to connect with local musicians, express their cultural heritage, and explore new musical experiences while assessing the program’s impact on mental health and language retention.
We begin this larger project with an early focus on Syrian immigrants and engage participants in workshops, rehearsals, and performances designed to encourage mother-tongue musical collaboration. By exploring their musical traditions and new genres, participants will cultivate cultural exchange, build social connections, and foster creative expression and language retention.
Key collaborators include Ibrahim Saker and Hala Maghamez, Syrian oud players with eight years of experience in British Columbia, and Dr. Curtis Andrews, an ethnomusicologist and multi-instrumentalist with extensive experience working across cultures. Ibrahim and Hala’s refugee experience and expertise in Middle Eastern music will create a supportive environment. A former UBC Public Scholar, Dr. Andrews, a UBC ethnomusicology graduate, deeply understands diverse musical traditions and cross-cultural project management.
To assess the program’s impact, baseline data on participants’ mental health and mother-tongue fluency will be collected and compared with post-program data, allowing us to measure wellbeing and language retention changes.
This project builds on our strong partnership with MOSAIC, Canada’s largest immigrant and refugee resettlement organization, which will help identify participants through its extensive network in Greater Vancouver and beyond.
This initiative aims to help immigrants and refugees reconnect with their cultural roots, share their talents, and improve their health and language retention through music. The findings from this research will provide valuable insights for enhancing similar programs in the future.