UBC Okanagan’s School of Nursing is hosting its Global Health Gala to raise funds for partners in Zambia and Ghana.

What: Global Health Gala
Who: UBCO School of Nursing, in partnership with health-care partners in Zambia and Ghana
When: Friday, November 24, doors open at 6 pm, dinner is at 7 pm
Where: The Delta Hotels Grand Okanagan Resort, 1310 Water St., Kelowna

After a three-year hiatus, UBC Okanagan nursing students are once again organizing a gala and silent auction as a fundraising and awareness initiative for the university’s Global Health Practicum program.

Each year, nursing students in the program have the opportunity to travel internationally to either Ghana or Zambia on a Global Health Practicum. The practicum is part of the students’ final clinical practice experience and provides an opportunity to learn and teach collaboratively with their community health-care partners.

“The gala is an important event to promote global responsibility and health equity,” says Nadine Reis, a fourth-year student. “Living in Canada, we have vast privilege when it comes to health care. What we do with that privilege matters. I think it is a beautiful thing for a community to share a dinner and learn about global health.”

All proceeds from the gala will directly support the needs of community partners in Ghana and Zambia, including health-care supplies, medications, community clinics and other health initiatives. Currently within these countries, there are chronically limited medical resources and supplies, and decreased rates of access to health care. The funds will be spent in-country during the students’ 2024 global practicums.

This year’s formal event takes place at the Delta Hotels Okanagan Resort on Nov. 24. The evening will feature a three-course meal, silent auction and a program of speakers, including Dr. Marie Tarrant, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Development and via Zoom recording, Dr. Vida Yakong, Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Ghana’s University for Development Studies.

Doors open at 6 pm and the plated dinner begins at 7 pm. All members of the Okanagan and UBCO communities are encouraged to learn more here: events.ok.ubc.ca/event/the-global-health-gala.

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Student orientation programs will be in full swing Monday as UBCO’s Create takes place as part of a welcome for students new to campus. Classes for the academic year begin Tuesday.

Next week, after an extraordinary few days in August, classes will resume for the fall at UBC Okanagan.

Students, faculty and staff are gearing up for a busy back-to-school period. More than 12,035 students are registered for classes this September and almost 3,200 are new to UBCO. Move-in day will continue as planned on Sunday, September 3 with more than 1,400 students arriving to move into their on-campus residences.

Create, the new-to-UBCO student orientation, takes place Monday, September 4 and all classes will begin as scheduled and in-person on Tuesday, September 5.

“This summer, more than ever, we have seen the strength, professionalism and values of the UBC Okanagan community on full display,” says Dr. Lesley Cormack, UBCO Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor. “When our campus was placed on evacuation order just two weeks ago, the campus rallied together to ensure everyone was able to leave the area quickly and safely. Through this adversity, we saw UBCO’s values as a compassionate community shine through once again—it’s something our incoming students can take pride and comfort in.”

As UBCO looks toward the beginning of a new term, Dr. Cormack also recognizes it has been a trying time for many people. The health and safety of all students, faculty and staff is paramount and UBCO’s Campus Operations and Risk Management team continues to communicate directly with the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations team.

“While classes will begin as planned and it’s clear that campus is safe to welcome students from across Canada and the world, we also acknowledge there are many people within our community still not able to return home. And we’ve all seen the devasting images of homes and properties lost to the wildfire,” she adds. “The arrival of our students to the region has always brought a renewed sense of vibrancy and of the limitless possibilities created by education. I know this will be true this year perhaps more than ever.”

She notes, that the UBCO community bonded as never before with many people reaching out to offer help and support for those who were placed on an evacuation order or alert.

“I continue to be impressed by the calibre and character of the people on this campus,” she adds. “When faced with adversity, we reached out and supported each other in ways that have truly amazed me.”

As the campus begins to get busy as students move in and classes begin, Dale Mullings, Associate Vice-President, Students says the university has many resources for students and help is available for those who may need it.

“We continue to prioritize the wellbeing of our students, whether they live on or off campus,” adds Mullings. “For example, we have a number of initiatives specific to our students and this year, due to the wildfire emergency, we initiated the student emergency fund to help those immediately affected by the wildfires, and an airport welcome booth with a complimentary shuttle Friday, September 1 through Monday, September 4.”

Wellness and Accessibility Services has expanded to provide a health clinic, counselling services, wellness education, disability services and a new multifaith Chaplaincy. Many other services that support the wellbeing of our students such as our on-campus and in-community recreation programs, safe walk program, security phones across campus, a student-led Emergency First Response Team and the 24-hour campus security patrols are also gearing up for the year ahead.

While classes begin next week, Dr. Cormack notes there will be accommodations for those who remain under evacuation orders and alerts and cancelled travel plans.

“We will continue to work closely with those affected by the Kelowna-area wildfires to ensure they have the flexibility they require to start the school year successfully.”

A valuable resource for people returning to the community is the UBCO Campus Alerts page and FAQ which can be found at: ok.ubc.ca/wildfire-response

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A ‘No Smoking or Vaping’ sign outside a building

A UBC Okanagan researcher says Canada is falling behind in developing intervention programs to stop young people from beginning to vape.

Dr. Laura Struik, an Assistant Professor with UBCO’s School of Nursing and a Canadian Cancer Society Emerging Scholar, researches nicotine dependence, cancer prevention and behaviour change using digital technologies.

Dr. Struik is disheartened by the results from the recent Health Canada’s Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, which states that 29 per cent of Canadian students from Grades 7 to 12 have tried an e-cigarette, and 17 per cent have vaped in the past month, revealing that the number of Canadian teens using e-cigarettes are among highest in the world.

Dr. Struik says, “Youth and young adults are disproportionately at risk for the harmful effects of vaping because exposure at this age alters natural brain development and impacts lung health early on. As a result, there has been a long-standing urgency to intervene over the last few years, and we wanted to know what has been done across our nation.”

She led a recent study published last month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that examined campaigns directed at young people to prevent vaping uptake. For this study, a team of young trainees in Dr. Struik’s lab examined government-funded vaping prevention campaigns in Canada and the United States.

A key aspect of public health measures is to develop prevention campaigns to motivate people to make lifestyle choices that benefit themselves or society. The researchers analyzed 46 different campaigns to determine what kind of messaging was being used to influence the behavioural decisions of young people.

They found that many spoke about the potentially harmful effects of vaping on the lungs. Struik says there is room to incorporate more meaningful and comprehensive approaches in prevention efforts.

“We know from previous research that vaping uptake is influenced by various intersecting factors, including, but not limited to, mental health, self-efficacy, social norms, environmental factors, knowledge and so forth,” she says. “So, relying almost solely on telling teens about the potential physical health harms of vaping as a reason to not vape is likely going to fall flat, and recent youth-driven evidence confirms this.”

In her latest study, published this month in Addictive Behaviors Reports, Dr. Struik found that Canadian youth who vaped reported a variety of factors that supported their decision to take up vaping, including the belief that vaping was cool, and helped them cope with stress, the normalization of vaping among their peers, the lack of school policies to address vaping, and the fact that there is vague information on the harms of vaping (e.g., “could be harmful”).

She also notes that Canada lacks intervention campaigns compared to the United States. Of the 46 unique vaping prevention campaigns in her study, only two were identified in Canada—one at the federal level and one at the provincial level.

“In the end, the evidence reveals that Canada needs to step it up when it comes to vaping prevention programs aimed at our youth,” Dr. Struik adds. “And these prevention programs must be informed and driven by Canadian youth themselves to truly tackle this issue.”

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An interdisciplinary team of UBC Okanagan researchers has teamed with rural residents to identify how to better connect them to health care.

As the new year arrives, many people resolve to take better care of their health.

But, as UBCO researchers have determined, the road to improved health isn’t always smooth for people who live in small and rural communities.

“Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, poor mental health and obesity are higher in rural and remote areas than in urban communities in Canada,” explains Dr. Kathy Rush, Professor in UBCO’s School of Nursing. “Such health inequities are exacerbated by geography.”

Hazardous mountain passes, snowstorms, ferry schedules, travel time and fuel costs all are challenges people in rural places face when trying to meet their health-care needs.

Knowing these challenges so well, Dr. Rush and other UBC Okanagan faculty across multiple disciplines teamed up to create the Rural Health Equity Cluster. Their goal is to improve the lives of rural residents through conducting community-based rural health research.

The cluster’s latest research examines how technology can better connect rural residents to health-care services.

Participants from 10 rural communities in BC’s interior were asked to brainstorm technology solutions. They then rated the solutions on both their feasibility and their importance. Lastly, the researchers and participants came together as a group to interpret the results.

“Engaging with the community provided a diversity and richness of ideas,” says Dr. Rush, Rural Health Equity Cluster co-lead. “The participants not only told us about the potential of technology, they also wisely informed us of its pitfalls.”

The collaborative process used what’s known as concept mapping. Related ideas are placed into clusters to co-create a visual solution.

One of the clusters included technology solutions such as real-time teleconferencing and smartphone apps to remotely monitor patients’ health. However, in another cluster, participants emphasized the need for tools to be simple and accessible. For example, rural communities need reliable and affordable internet and cellular coverage.

One participant compared technological tools to sitting in your car with a fob in your pocket and having your car start.

“When you’re the user, what you want is almost a manual button that you push ‘start’ and it works.”

Yet another cluster of ideas focused on training and support for patients, families and health-care staff. In this case, a participant said people need an ambassador who “can push the buttons and ensure that when I want to talk to the specialist, I can talk to the specialist and not worry about clicking.”

“The participants in this study made clear that digital literacy is often overlooked in the development of technology solutions,” says Dr. Eric Li, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Management and fellow co-lead of the cluster. “This confirmed for us that rural voices must be included in the design and delivery of tools to advance health equity.”

Fellow researcher Dr. Cherisse Seaton facilitated the virtual discussions with the participants and oversaw the data collection. She says including rural community members in all the steps of the concept mapping process has additional benefits.

“Using this approach, which was a bit different from usual, might have a lasting and positive impact on participants’ perception and engagement in community-based research.”

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Crowds as large as this may become more common in countries around the world beyond 2022. The United Nations predicts the human population will hit 8 billion people on November 15.

If the United Nations’ prediction is accurate, the world’s 8 billionth baby will be born on Nov. 15.

The UN’s World Population Prospects 2022 says the earth will crest 8 billion just before India surpasses China as the globe’s most populous nation—expected in 2023. Further, the UN predicts the world’s population will peak at 10.4 billion in the 2080s.

Yet, that same United Nations estimates 821 million people are undernourished, many of them being low-income consumers, women and children who are especially vulnerable. How will we feed and house all these people? What will they do for work? Who will teach them and keep the laws?

What is a world to do?

UBC Okanagan professors and researchers are acutely aware of the challenges that population growth presents. They are also keenly aware of the hard work necessary to navigate the planet’s growing population. Here is how their research is intersecting with population growth.

Robert Godin researches sustainable energy with a focus on the development of photocatalysts which can harness solar energy to sustainably produce high-energy chemical fuels such as hydrogen. He says technology has created something of a run-on effect with energy.

Robert Godin, Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Tel: 250 807 8438. Email: robert.godin@ubc.ca

“A transition to sustainable energy in a world with 8 billion people is not only possible, but necessary. Population growth and increases in quality of life have driven the constant increase in energy demand. Yet, improved energetic efficiencies don’t balance the growth and often result in even greater energy consumption by making technology more accessible.”

Ross Hickey teaches management and economics at UBC. His research on charitable giving in Canada considers the distributional consequences of population growth. In particular, he studies how Canadians give to help others overseas.

“Population growth can be a major contributor to economic growth, but there are trade-offs: that growth may not be shared equally and the environmental costs associated with more people, goods and services may be difficult to address.”

Ross Hickey, Associate Professor of Economics. Tel: 250 807 8653. Email: ross.hickey@ubc.ca

Katrina Plamondon’s contributions to a global pandemic treaty are made possible through her research into vaccine equity at UBC Okanagan. A 2020 Michael Smith Health Research Scholar, Plamondon leads national dialogue about equity and Canada’s role in global health research, with a special focus on issues of vaccine equity.

“Our collective, global health, solidarity and obligations to others beyond our own borders in the world matters. This requires us to think very differently about the planet, beyond international health.”

Katrina Plamondon, Assistant Professor of Nursing. Tel: 250 807 8681. Email: katrina.plamondon@ubc.ca

Joanne Taylor is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow in agricultural climate change adaptation and food security policy. Her work is at the crossroads of sustainable agriculture, climate change and population growth.

“Much of the global population is dependent on an industrialized food system that is currently at capacity and unable to fulfil global food demand due to stressors such as burgeoning population growth, inflation, inequality and catastrophic climate change which is severely impacting food security for the most vulnerable. It is imperative that agricultural adaptation is implemented and practised alongside mitigation policies as a key strategy to becoming more resilient in an increasingly extreme climate. More importantly, humanity must consider alternative food practices such as Indigenous food production and small-scale farming.”

Joanne Taylor, Postdoctoral Fellow. Email: joanne.taylor@ubc.ca.

Lisa Tobber and her team of structural engineering researchers adopt a holistic perspective that considers the social, environmental and economic factors behind the vast engineering problems faced today. Combating natural disasters and the climate crisis takes the ingenuity and creativity of an inclusive group of diverse individuals with a range of expertise and lived experiences.

“Structural engineers will be challenged to build much-needed infrastructure to be safe, sustainable, resilient to climate disasters and earthquakes, quick to construct and economical. We need the construction industry to be innovation leaders, exploring the use of new materials, systems and tools. We also need to think about building for the future, design for the life cycle of the building and design for deconstruction.”

Lisa Tobber, Assistant Professor of Engineering. Email: lisa.tobber@ubc.ca.

Nathan Pelletier is an industrial ecologist and ecological economist whose research addresses the intersection of food system sustainability measurement and management.

“Access to food of sufficient quality and quantity is a fundamental human right that is currently denied to hundreds of millions of people. Food systems are also a key driver of environmental change, as well as particularly susceptible to increasing climate unpredictability. Identifying means to sustainably feed the growing human population constitutes a profound challenge whose resolution requires research to identify and support implementation of a spectrum of technological interventions, dietary changes and redistributive efforts.”

Nathan Pelletier, Associate Professor of Biology. Tel: 250 807 8245. Email: nathan.pelletier@ubc.ca.

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