Home of the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program/Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
We build research capacity by stimulating new ideas and directions, developing strategies, fostering and collaborating on research across the department and promoting external partnerships.
Researchers
Meet the people who are at the forefront of making a difference in family practice.
Publications
Read about the latest in family practice research.
For a listing of resident publications, see here.
Clinician Scholar Program
Learn about opportunities within this component of the Enhanced Skills Residency training.
Research Rounds and Conferences
Learn about upcoming Research Rounds, view recordings of previous presentations and learn about upcoming conferences.
Contact
Research and Innovation Programs
Enhanced Skills Program
These third-year residency positions are part of the Postgraduate Program of the UBC Faculty of Medicine.
Centre for Rural Health Research
The Centre for Rural Health Research has an expansive program of mixed methods research investigating rural health services.
Innovation Support Unit
The Innovation Support Unit improves the health of British Columbians by supporting primary care innovation across research areas of focus.
Lifestyle Research Programs
HealtheSteps and Hockey Fans In Training incorporate exercise, physical activity, healthy eating and other habits into their everyday lives.
Sport and Exercise Medicine
UBC SEM is committed to education, research and service and the scientific pursuit of knowledge to create better health.
Palliative Care
This division aims to ensure excellence in care for those living with life-threatening illness through research, community advocacy and education .
Care of the Elderly
This division encompasses practicing geriatricians and researchers and educators affiliated with UBC throughout the province.
CART
The Contraception and Abortion Research Team supports equitable access to family planning knowledge, methods and services.
The Birth Place Lab
The Birth Place Lab facilitates multi-disciplinary and community-based participatory research on high quality maternity health care across birth settings.
Perinatal Anxiety Research Lab
PARLab is dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of new and expectant mothers, and their babies.
Men’s Health Initiative
Blueprint catalyzes a global conversation about the state and impact of men in the world. They are mobilizing men to be a force for good.
Maternal Infant Health
Maternal and Infant Health Canada focuses on improving the health of communities with an emphasis on maternal mortality, women’s health and the environment.
Research Blog
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Spotlight: Dr. Farah Shroff’s Contributions to Gender Equity Research and Education
Dr. Farah Shroff is a Harvard-educated Canadian public health leader and the visionary founder of Health Together (formerly known as Maternal and Infant Health Canada). Through her work, she has tackled critical challenges affecting young ones, the environment and those who identify as women. Health Together is a global public health organization dedicated to improving…
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Dr. Robert Petrella to Serve as Chair-Elect of the CFPC Section of Researchers Council in 2025
We are pleased to share that Dr. Robert Petrella, our esteemed department head, has been named Chair-Elect of the Section of Researchers (SOR) Council for 2025 under the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). The Section of Researchers (SOR) is the section of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) that represents members…
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Researchers awarded Convening and Collaborating (C2) and Reach grants from Michael Smith Health Research BC
We are excited to share that six researchers from the Department of Family Practice have received Knowledge Translation focused team funding awards from Michael Smith Health Research BC. Please join us in congratulating and celebrating them for the innovative work that they do. Reach Program This grant is awarded to support teams of researchers and…
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Developing a Capacity Estimator (CapEs) to Support Canadian Primary Care Planning in a Time of Crisis
Elka Humphrys and Morgan Price of the UBC Innovation Support Unit share their recent research project “Primary Care Teams Capacity Estimator”. This study’s goal was to estimate how clinical capacity changes when different healthcare providers are embedded in primary care teams. In this study, the team completed 7 modified Delphi sub-studies to co-develop evidence about…
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Green Healthcare – Collective Wellbeing for People and Planet
Drs. Farah Shroff (UBC DFP) and Lumas Joseph Helaire (Harvard Chan School of Public Health) BackgroundAs global climate change accelerates, the crisis of species survival invites holistic ways of knowing. There is a resurgence of engagement in Indigenous spiritual wellbeing systems as part of anti-colonial liberation movements. Green collective wellbeing systems (GreenCoWell) offer opportunities to…
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Spotlight: Dr. Ruth Elwood Martin’s Insights on Prison Reform
In a recent interview featured on Medics Voices, Dr. Ruth Elwood Martin, Clinical Professor Emerita at DFP, shared her compelling journey as an advocate for the rights of incarcerated people. Through participatory health research and writing on the intersections of health, justice, and policy, she passionately discussed the need for change in the prison system.…
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Dr. Clara MacDonald Receives 2024 PBLP FM Resident Scholarship Award
The Foundation for Medical Practice Education (FMPE) has awarded Dr. Clara MacDonald, an R1 in Victoria, with second place for the Practice-Based Learning Program (PBLP) Family Medicine Resident Award. This award recognizes outstanding scholarly projects by FM Residents around small group learning through research, quality improvement, and/or education program development. Dr. MacDonald’s project brings validated…
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Building a Primary Care Learning Health System in BC
On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, Drs. Rubee Dev, Sabrina Wong, Nathaniel Hawkins (co-directors of the BC Primary Health Care Research Network; BC-PHCRN) and Andrew Gibb (data manager of BC-PHCRN), along with guest speaker Dr. Daniel Ngui (family physician and medical director at Fraser Street Medical), presented on how the BC-PHCRN at UBC is building a primary…
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Residents Receive Care of the Elderly Scholar Prize
The Department of Family Practice Care of the Elderly Committee awards the scholar prize to second year residents who demonstrate excellence in scholarly projects related to care of the elderly. The award supports research and scholarship that contributes to geriatrics within the discipline of family practice. This year’s recipients are as follows. Please join us…
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Providence Health Care Department of Family Medicine Research Award Named After Dr. Betty Calam
We are thrilled to share that our esteemed colleague, Dr. Betty Calam, has been honored with the creation of the Dr. Betty Calam Research Award from the Providence Health Care Department of Family Medicine. This recognizes Dr. Calam’s outstanding contributions to family medicine research. The Dr. Betty Calam Research Award recognizes a second year St.…
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Department of Family Practice Faculty Named in Top 50 Cited Primary Care Researchers List
Members of the UBC Department of Family Practice have been named to the primary care researchers most-cited list.
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Building Bridges: An Overview of Social Prescribing for Older Adults in British Columbia
Margaret Lin, Bev Pitman, Prab Sandhu and Maureen Ashe Social prescribing is a health and social model of care that recognizes community-based knowledge, resources, and other types of care or support. Informed by the social determinants of health, it aims to address people’s unmet social needs. Although it has been around for some time, a…
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A Postpartum Harm Thoughts Educational Infographic
By: Nichole Fairbrother Unwanted intrusive thoughts of infant-related harm are a ubiquitous phenomenon. Unwanted, intrusive thoughts of accidental harm (what if something happens to my baby) are reported by almost all new birthing parents, and unwanted, intrusive thoughts of harming one’s infant on purpose are reported by fully one half of all birthing parents. Although…
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Dr. Nichole Fairbrother Attends House of Commons Standing Committee on Health
Dr. Nichole Fairbrother was invited to appear before the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Health in Ottawa last Thursday. She served on a panel for women’s mental health as one of only a small number of perinatal mental health scientists. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Health studies issues that relate to Health…
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UBC and BC Rural Health Network Address the Gap Between Community Voices and Policy and Decision Making
Advancing Community Engagement in Healthcare in Rural BC: A gap analysis to improve community involvement in healthcare A recent gap analysis has been published by the UBC Centre for Rural Health Research (Department of Family Practice) and the BC Rural Health Network. The Gap Analysis project was funded by the Social Planning and Research Council…