Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes

08/14/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Jim Christenson on being appointed to the Order of British Columbia, the province’s highest form of recognition!

Dr. Christenson is a professor and former head of the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine. He is recognized for decades of innovative work that has transformed emergency care in B.C., advancing prehospital care and resuscitation science while championing improved access to care in remote Indigenous communities. https://bit.ly/4q8rZhv

08/12/2026

UBC Faculty of Medicine researchers are among the recipients of new funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, which will help to bridge the gap between academic research and community impact to inform policy, drive innovation and improve quality of life for all Canadians.

Among those who have received the Insight Grants to support research excellence in the social sciences and humanities are Advancing Health scientist Dr. Amanda Slaunwhite, for her project 'understanding the layered inequities and vulnerabilities experienced by people who are leaving correctional centres in British Columbia'.

Learn more about the grants: https://tinyurl.com/3tacdvvh

08/11/2026

Good science can be difficult to untangle. The Evidence Speaks is here to cut through the confusion. ✂️🪢

This August:

🧠 The need for improved detection and person-centred care for substance-induced mental disorders
⚕️Removal of both fallopian tubes can reduce risk
🎒The children with mothers with congenital heart defects more likely to show developmental delays in early school

Get the full rundown:
https://bit.ly/4wsCWw5

08/07/2026

In the latest CIHR Project Grant competition, UBC Department of Medicine members were recognized as principal investigators and co-principal investigators on a broad range of nationally funded projects addressing some of today’s most pressing health challenges.

Among them Dr. Lily Zhou, who will be serving as the Principal Investigator on the Practices and Perspectives in Post Stroke Swallowing Problems (4P) study, which aims to improve decision-making and care for people experiencing swallowing difficulties after .

Learn about the other funded projects: https://tinyurl.com/4ye2d288

08/06/2026

Island Health will receive $1.3 million over three years to help seniors and Elders on North Vancouver Island stay safely in their homes and communities.

"We know that coordinated, community-based care can prevent hospitalization and help seniors live well at home," said Dr. Amy Salmon, Director for Advancing Health. "Our evaluation will measure how effective this approach is in a rural and remote setting, and what we learn can inform seniors' care across the province."

💡Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/3c46eyzd

08/05/2026

🏅 Twelve British Columbians are being celebrated and honoured for their service to the province — and beyond — as the latest appointees to the Order of BC, including Advancing Health scientist Dr. Jim Christenson. The order, established in 1989, recognizes "excellence across all walks of life and fields of endeavour." It's considered the highest form of recognition in British Columbia.

Learn about the other awardees: https://tinyurl.com/227uc6uv

08/05/2026

Between 2016 and 2021, BC admitted 20,000 people per year into involuntary psychiatric treatment. At the same time, there was an eight-fold increase in the number of people on mandated treatment in the community.

A team at the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes conducted a qualitative study to better understand the lived experiences of people receiving and providing involuntary treatment in BC, and how the system could be improved.

Read the full story: https://www.advancinghealth.ubc.ca/research-in-action/we-better-be-sure-the-lived-experiences-of-involuntary-treatment/

07/28/2026

Significant under diagnosis of chronic (CKD), now the ninth leading cause of death globally, is endangering millions of patients around the world and could be improved with the increased use of a simple urine test.

The stark healthcare message is laid out in a landmark series of research papers, published in The Lancet by a global team of experts who are now calling for a renewed focus on CKD diagnosis and treatments. "We now have a terrific array of medications to delay or indeed stop kidney disease progressing, so that early identification is really important," said Advancing Health scientist Dr. Adeera Levin, one of the leader authors on the papers.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4vYozzn

07/27/2026

What an excellent and thoughtful exploration of Advancing Health scientist Dr. Troy Grennan's research!

Dr. Troy Grennan, co-lead of the CTN+'s BC & Yukon regional team, was recently profiled by The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Titled 'Getting the Attention It Deserves', the piece details how Grennan's childhood experiences left him determined to make a difference for those living with . Grennan is now leading the studies PEACH (CTN 330), an a**l cancer screening study, and DISCO (CTN 329), evaluating doxyPREP for STI prevention.

His research is keenly focused on these areas of STBBI healthcare which aren't always treated with the seriousness they deserve. "Just as HIV itself was once, and continues to be, a stigmatised subject, so today are some of its consequences," said Dr. Grennan, "among them the increased risk of a**l cancer which is 100 times higher among MSM living with HIV than the general population."

Read the full piece: https://tinyurl.com/bdf4pzm6

07/23/2026

BC has the highest rate of involuntary hospitalization for mental health and substance use issues in Canada. Despite its increasing use, there is a lack of evidence supporting the effectiveness of involuntary psychiatric treatment, particularly for issues.

“Our goal with this research was to contribute to building an evidence base about patient experiences in involuntary care," said Advancing Health Director Dr. Amy Salmon, who co-led a qualitative study to better understand the lived experiences of people receiving and providing involuntary treatment in BC, and how the system could be improved. "If we’re going to temporarily take away people’s rights because we believe it’s in their best interest, we better be sure about the care they’re receiving.”

The study team conducted interviews and focus groups with people who had received involuntary treatment, people who provide treatment under the Mental Health Act, and people who provide legal support or services related to involuntary treatment. Learn more:
https://bit.ly/3TfSXYr