Community members tour a UBC Okanagan Engineering research lab.

If UBC’s walls could talk, what would they say?

The doors are open, researchers are ready to discuss their work, and the campus is alive with plenty of free public presentations, events and activities during Celebrate Research week, March 3 to 7. From classrooms to the field, from research labs to real-world change, UBC researchers are creating new knowledge and expanding understandings of the world.

“Celebrate Research week gives UBC researchers the opportunity to share with, engage, and inform the public about their work, as well as encourages the community to participate in, and expose themselves to the joy of discovery,” says Gordon Binsted, acting vice-principal, Research and Innovation. “The research taking place at UBC’s Okanagan campus impacts our community greatly. Over the past year, more than $16.4 million has been awarded to faculty and students at UBC’s Okanagan campus, supporting more than 611 research initiatives, locally to globally.”

That compares to $13.2 million awarded in the 2012-13 academic year, and $6.8 million during UBC’s first year of operation in the Okanagan in 2005-2006.

Celebrate Research week activities kick off Monday night with a talk by award-winning researcher Dr. James C. Hogg, a UBC emeritus professor of pathology and lab medicine and recent Canada Gairdner Wightman Award selection for his research and leadership in the field of chronic respiratory diseases.

The presentation, Is there life on other planets, addresses questions such as: Do we really understand the importance of oxygen? How can life as we know it be protected if the atmosphere we breathe is not protected? The free public event takes place at 7 p.m. at the Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Ave.

New to Celebrate Research week is the School District 23 Science Fair, a two-day event held March 4 and 5 at UBC’s Okanagan campus featuring the work of nearly 300 students from kindergarten to Grade 12, from more than 20 Central Okanagan schools. It will be held in the Richard S. Hallisey Atrium, Engineering, Management and Education building, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, and  9 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday in the same location.

Tuesday also features the quirky and fun event Herb is the Verb, in which creative writing students collaborate with plant biochemistry students to produce a live Twitter performance poem exploring the medicinal and psychoactive properties of plants and language. The event runs from 11:10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. in the lower foyer, Charles E. Fipke Centre for Innovative Research.

The popular 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Academic Competition takes place Wednesday. An entertaining and fast-paced competition, 3MT gives graduate students three minutes and use of a single slide to present their exceptional and extensive research to the judges and an audience, who help decide the winners.

Additionally, Wednesday’s highlights include the research showcase event Measuring Innovation in the Teaching Practice. It offers a dynamic lineup of more than a dozen UBC researchers actively involved in producing quality research in the area of innovative education.

On Thursday and Friday, the community is invited to join a panel of university and health experts in either Kelowna or Vernon for refreshments and a discussion about quality of life with an advancing life-limiting illness. Both community presentations are free and open to the public but registration is appreciated.

There are a number of other public events taking place throughout research week, including wine and cheese socials, a digital media showcase, and a celebration of authors and books stemming from the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.

For more information and a detailed event schedule visit celebrateresearch.ok.ubc.ca.

Herb is the Verb — A live and lively Twitter performance poem by the class of Creative Writing 260 in collaboration with students from Biochemistry 310 (Plant Biochemistry) that explores the medicinal and psychoactive properties of plants and of language, Charles E. Fipke Centre for Innovative Research, Tuesday, March 4, 11:10 to 11:45 a.m.

The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS) celebrates the major contributions of academic authors and translators Ramine Adl, Marianne Legault, Oliver Lovesey, Virginie Magnat, and Francisco Pena, along with the new book publications by MFA graduate student Ashley Little and MFA Alumni Julie Fowler, University Theatre, Tuesday, March 4, 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Interdisciplinary Health Conference — UBC students from a variety of disciplines – health sciences, general sciences present ground-breaking research and public health initiatives, UBC’s Clinical Campus, Kelowna General Hospital, Wednesday, March 5, 7 p.m.

Measuring Innovation in the Teaching Practice — John Burton, Jordan Stouck, Bruce Young, Ramine Adl and Nina Langton are among presenters at Measuring Innovation in the Teaching Practice, SCI 331, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Quality of Life and Advanced Illness — Carole Robinson and Barb Pesut of UBC’s Okanagan School of Nursing are part of a panel discussion about what makes for quality of life when you have a life-limiting illness, Bohemian Café, Kelowna, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday and in Vernon at the Schubert Centre, Friday, March 7, 10 a.m. until noon.

Modelling Research as a Habit — Ty Binfet, Christopher Martin, Margaret MacIntyre Latta, Karen Ragoonaden and Leyton Schnellert present a showcase of the varied paths of educational research, Thursday March 6, ADM 115, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

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UBC students Andrew Vergara and Irene Gonneau

Community initiative aims to improve mental health and substance use treatment

Increased treatment options could soon be on the way for Aboriginal people suffering from combined mental health and substance-abuse disorders in Kelowna and West Kelowna, thanks to a collaborative community project.

The effort aims to support Aboriginal individuals affected by mental health and substance use disorders with increased treatment options in Kelowna and West Kelowna specifically tailored to their individual needs and identity.

Faculty and student researchers from UBC’s Okanagan campus have partnered with representatives from the Westbank First Nation, Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society, Metis Community Services Society of BC and Interior Health. The joint initiative aims to better deliver concurrent disorders services to Aboriginal populations in a culturally safe and accessible way. Concurrent disorders describes a condition in which a person has both a mental illness and a substance use problem.

“Through community collaboration and service integration the Aboriginal Concurrent Disorders Project reorganizes, better utilizes, expands and shares existing services in a way that meets the needs of our Aboriginal communities,” says Irene Gonneau, project manager and Master of Social Work student at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

The project team is in the final stages of developing a treatment manual blending mainstream and cultural approaches to support the wellbeing of Aboriginal populations. Its service model is based on existing resources available within the Okanagan. Through a $100,000 Community Action Initiative grant, clinicians from participating community organizations will be trained using the manual’s protocols.

“The treatment manual values cultural and mainstream knowledge equally and is designed to offer treatments based on an Aboriginal client’s identity from the moment he or she walks through the door to the point of community reintegration,” says psychology student Andrew Vergara, an undergraduate researcher on the project.

“For instance, an individual’s treatment may include access to a psychiatrist and a cultural healer, with both approaches being equally valued.”

The project team’s next step is to seek funds to initiate a pilot project by 2014 based on the treatment manual. It will focus on providing community-wide collaborative care, identifying and integrating cultural identity within the treatment process. It will also seek to create a space at the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society and Interior Health for specialized treatment services.

“The project and its results thus far are based on a groundbreaking level of collaboration,” says Gonneau.  “We anticipate the pilot project will run for approximately two years, during which the team hopes to demonstrate its effectiveness. With careful development and evidence of success, it may be possible to expand this approach to other communities.”

The Aboriginal Concurrent Disorders Project is currently supported by First Nations Health Authority and Community Action Initiative funding. Previous funding sources include the UBC Okanagan Aboriginal Initiatives Fund, and Interior Health’s Aboriginal Health Program. Seed funding for the project was provided by the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

“The initiative began with members of local Aboriginal communities identifying that this was something they needed and wanted,” says Gonneau, who has been working on this project since its inception in 2010 and has been mentored by Susan J. Wells, professor of social work and psychology at UBC’s Okanagan campus. “And the project team is made up of passionate individuals from diverse organizations who have made a collective commitment to create an improved approach to service delivery.”

“It truly is an initiative rooted within and supported by our community.”

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UBC researcher receives close to $1 million for collaborative project

Professor Joan Bottorff

With nearly $1 million in funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, a UBC researcher will target cancer prevention strategies in northern B.C., where cancer incidence rates are the highest in the province.

Professor Joan Bottorff, Director of the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention at UBC’s Okanagan campus, will spearhead a multi-sector team of researchers and health professionals from the Canadian Cancer Society – BC & Yukon Division, BC Cancer Agency and Northern Health (NH) in a project aimed at reducing the incidence of cancer in northern British Columbia.

“There is a pressing need for improved primary cancer prevention in northern B.C., where mortality rates for all cancers are highest in comparison to other provincial health regions,” says Bottorff.

The smoking rate in northern B.C. is 22.8 per cent, substantially higher than the provincial average of 15 per cent, and the region has the highest rate of lung cancer in the province. As well, reports consistently show higher obesity levels in NH. In 2009-10, 45 per cent of the B.C. population was considered obese or overweight, while the NH region averaged 58 per cent. In particular, obesity rates among northern men are higher than the rest of the province.

“Based on the evidence, it was determined that smoking cessation, as well as healthy eating and active living among men were key cancer prevention initiatives,” says Bottorff. “Avoiding tobacco, staying physically active throughout life, consuming a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight have been shown to reduce one’s lifetime risk of developing and dying from cancer.”

Due to the large size of the northern region and its dispersed populations, delivering cancer prevention services is challenging, making it difficult for any one organization to have a significant and lasting impact.

To address the issue, Bottorff and her team will develop and evaluate approaches for delivering two cooperative cancer prevention projects specifically tailored for northern B.C. communities.

“This is a really exciting opportunity to further support the great work of the three agencies,” says Lucy Beck, Regional Director, Public Health – Population and Protection, Northern Health. “We need to continually work together to ensure we are providing strong and unified services to northerners, and our collective impact on this work moves us in the right direction.”

The first project is titled Stop Smoking Before Surgery (SSBS), and will be implemented in the two pilot communities of Prince George and Prince Rupert.

“Many people do not know that stopping smoking eight weeks before surgery leads to improved recovery and often a shorter hospital stay. This initiative is an excellent opportunity to showcase an innovative partnership approach to primary cancer prevention that grew out of the Northern Cancer Control Strategy,” says Sonia Lamont, Provincial Director, Prevention Programs, BC Cancer Agency.

“The importance of primary cancer prevention cannot be overstated. By implementing what we know today about the five main preventable risk factors for cancer, more than 50 per cent of cancers can be prevented. This is very important for British Columbians to know so that action can be taken towards healthier lifestyle choices.”

Project two, titled Men’s Healthy Eating and Active Living (M-HEAL), will take place in Prince George and Dawson Creek. It will focus on the research and development of new and innovative programs and services promoting healthy eating and active living among men.

“In Canada, the rate at which new cancer cases are diagnosed continues to rise, placing greater demands on health care systems,” says Margaret Jones-Bricker, Regional Director, Canadian Cancer Society, BC & Yukon Division. “The best way to control cancer is to prevent it. By working together, we can combine resources to create a strong regional prevention initiative in northern B.C.

“Harmonizing cancer prevention services will have an impact on the region’s burden of cancer, and will also inform how other Canadian regions can deliver similar programs.”

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International experts discuss beneficial lifestyle changes at free panel lecture 

With the emergence of men’s health policy and programs in places like Australia, Ireland and Brazil, men’s health is fast becoming the next big thing in smart preventive care.

“It’s quite fashionable to focus on empowering men to be healthy,” says John Oliffe, associate professor at the School of Nursing at UBC’s Vancouver campus.

Oliffe is part of an international panel of experts giving a free public talk about men’s health on Wednesday, October 10, at the UBC’s Okanagan campus.

The forum will focus on three leading projects being developed here in the Okanagan and across the globe to help support healthy lifestyle choices for men:

• The ManUp Project: Improving Men’s Physical Activity and Nutrition (Australia)
• The  Men’s Health and Wellbeing Programme (Ireland)
• The Dads In Gear Project: Active and Smoke-free Dads (Canada)

“Large numbers of men are diagnosed with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer,” says Joan Bottorff, director of the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention at UBC’s Okanagan campus. “The risk of chronic diseases like these can be significantly reduced with lifestyle changes including tobacco reduction, increasing physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight.  Yet, there are very few health promotion programs that specifically focus on promoting men’s healthy lifestyles.”

The forum is free and open to anyone interested in men’s health, supporting men in making lifestyle changes, and men’s health research.

“Attendees will learn about how masculine norms and values have informed these programs in Australia, Ireland and Canada, and men’s responses to the new programs will also be discussed,” says Bottorff.

The panel also includes Cristina Caperchione, professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at UBC’s Okanagan campus, as well as men’s health researchers Mitch Duncan from Central Queensland University, Australia, and Noel Richardson from the Institute of Technology Carlow, Ireland.

“Australia and Ireland are world leaders in men’s health, so we are delighted that Dr. Duncan and Dr. Richardson accepted our invitation to participate,” says Bottorff.  “This is an opportunity for people in our community to benefit from the knowledge of leading experts in the field of men’s health.”

The panel presentation, titled Game On! Healthy Lifestyles for Men, takes place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the University Centre Ballroom (UNC200), 3272 University Way, UBC’s Okanagan campus, Kelowna.

Attend in person, or to join via webinar or teleconference, please RSVP to http://healthymen.eventbrite.ca.

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Fallon Smith, a fourth-year student at UBC’s Okanagan campus School of Nursing, comforts a young Zambian patient whose hand was bitten by a cobra.

Working with colleagues in Zambia and Ghana, nursing students from UBC’s Okanagan campus often find what they experience changes their understanding of what it means to be a nurse.

“Many of our fourth-year nurses go over to Africa expecting to change the world, but it is their view of the world that changes the most,” says Fay Karp, associate professor of nursing.

“Students develop advanced levels of cultural sensitivity. They also discover what words like ‘global citizen’ and ‘advocacy’ truly mean.”

Each year, a group of fourth-year nursing students at UBC’s Okanagan campus travel to Ghana or Zambia for six weeks, consolidating four years of nursing theory and practice into one practicum. They work in a variety of clinical settings, including medical and surgical units, pediatrics and maternity, HIV clinics and community health outreach in remote villages.

“One of the most important aspects of this experience is the community development model we embrace—we are not there to fix problems or tell the Zambians or Ghanaians what they need,” says Muriel Kranabetter, associate professor of nursing. “We assist as colleagues and follow their lead as to what supports them in their needs and objectives.”

Fallon Smith, who graduates this month from the School of Nursing at UBC’s Okanagan campus, was one of 24 students who travelled to Zambia last spring. Eighteen others went to Ghana.

During her practicum, Smith worked in the Lewanika General Hospital in a variety of areas, including the HIV clinic. Alongside two Zambian nurses and a few Zambian clinicians, she attended to 150-200 HIV patients a day. Smith also worked in the villages of Chunga and Mukambi.

“Working with the Zambian nurses has allowed me insight into what nursing looks like in an undeveloped country,” says Smith.

“Their strenuous work hours, tough working conditions and lack of supplies has left me with a new appreciation for our own medical system, resources, and working conditions as a nurse. I also learned a lot about accepting, respecting, and coordinating the balance between compromising and maintaining my nursing practice standards and ways, while collaborating with other nurses who have a different set of standards and practices.”

One of their Zambian partners says what the UBC nurses lack in familiarity with local conditions is more than offset by their knowledge in other areas and ability to respond quickly to changing situations.

“The collaboration with Canadians has helped to improve nursing care by providing audit and quality assurance in areas such as patient monitoring, critical-care nursing and neonatal resuscitation,” says Dr. Seke Kazuma, a medical officer from Lewanika General Hospital in Mongu.

“One thing I like about Canadian nurses is they are sharp and know how to respond to emergencies. They may not have a lot of experience with tropical diseases and infectious conditions, but they are well trained.”

One of the most difficult parts of Smith’s practicum was performing procedures without pain medication on children, and seeing children die who may have lived if treated in Canada.

“I had never seen a child die before Zambia, and it is a haunting image and helpless feeling I don’t think I will ever forget,” she says.

One of Smith’s most profound lessons was learned from a woman on her deathbed. Smith bathed her, changed her clothes and sheets and made her comfortable. Next morning, the woman’s bed was empty.

“I advocated for my patient to have her right to a humane death,” says Smith. “This is my most significant memory of nursing in Zambia, because it is never far from my mind when I am in practice here in Canada.”

Smith notes both the ups and the downs made the experience rewarding.

“I learned a lot about myself, my strengths and my abilities. My critical thinking and problem-solving abilities grew tremendously. My ability to step back and take in the bigger picture improved. I found strengths that I didn’t know I had, such as being able to remain calm during emergency situations, and making decisions under extreme stress.”

Students accepted into the practicum in Ghana and Zambia cover their own $5,000 travel expenses, but they can apply for a $1,000 grant through UBC’s Go Global program. In addition, nursing students fundraise approximately $10,000 annually to support health care in Africa.

Among the biggest challenges is finding funding, says Karp. Committed financing would ensure that fourth-year nursing students get the international experience, and allow the School of Nursing to continue supporting the work of colleagues and partners within Zambia and Ghana.

The School of Nursing plans to increase practicum placements through local connections and partnerships in Africa, develop potential student and faculty exchanges with the University of Zambia, and create additional collaborative research initiatives in health areas identified as priorities by Zambians and Ghanaians.

“Our academic partnerships with colleagues and communities in Africa provide UBC’s Okanagan nursing faculty and students with invaluable opportunities to develop and contribute as global citizens,” says Patricia Marck, director for the School of Nursing and associate dean for the Faculty of Health & Social Development’s international partnerships.

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Gordon Binsted, Dean of UBC's Faculty of Health and Social Development

Dr. Gordon Binsted has been appointed to a five-year term as Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Development at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus. The faculty includes the School of Nursing, School of Social Work, and the School of Health and Exercise Sciences — all areas where research is being conducted with the goal of helping people live healthy lives.

An active researcher in the field of human kinetics, Binsted has served as acting dean since 2011. He holds a PhD from the University of Alberta, Master of Science degree in human biodynamics from McMaster University, and received his Bachelor of Human Kinetics degree from the University of British Columbia.

Binsted’s primary research focuses on the sensory and motor processes associated with fundamental activities of daily living, and how these functions change with age, disease, or environmental disruption.

“The appointment of Gord Binsted to lead the Faculty of Health and Social Development is tremendous for this large and very active faculty, and for UBC’s Okanagan campus,” says Professor Wesley Pue, Provost and Vice Principal. “From the preparation of a growing number of outstanding nursing, social work and human kinetics graduates each year, to the rapidly expanding research initiatives across this Faculty, this is an exciting time for Health and Social Development.”

“I’m excited and honoured to have been selected for this position,” says Binsted.  “UBC’s Okanagan campus is an exciting environment in which to work. We have some fantastic research clusters within the Faculty, including the areas of cardiovascular health, palliative care, Aboriginal health, and smoking cessation, amongst many others.”

Binsted adds that the Faculty of Health and Social Development will continue to focus on high-quality research projects that enhance and support its growing national and international reputation, as well as continue its commitment to preparing a first-rate undergraduate and graduate education for students in each of its disciplines.  Graduates will benefit from innovative teaching practice and hands-on experience.

“Our faculty, graduate and undergraduate students will continue to be immersed within the local, national and international community in research, teaching and practice,” says Binsted. “Community service learning will remain an important component to our programming to ensure the transfer of knowledge and building of relationships.”

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The Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention (IHLCDP) at UBC has provided $30,000 in funding divided equally among three initiatives that support research collaborations between UBC faculty and community-based researchers.

The projects are aimed at improving the health and well-being of Okanagan residents. They will address community issues such as improving cardiac care for rural populations, identifying barriers to accessing medical cannabis among individuals with chronic illness, and developing best-practice options for mental health and substance use services integration with Aboriginal services.

“Under the leadership of the principal investigators, these teams will develop the foundations that are needed to build research programs on these topics,” says Joan Bottorff, IHLCDP director. “And with community members involved in the project from the beginning, they can contribute directly to refining research plans so that the projects will produce the kind of knowledge that is needed most by people in our region to improve their health.”

The funds are part of IHLCDP’s Research Interest Group Grant Initiative. The three projects were chosen for their ability to build community-based health promotion research, foster the use of knowledge in ways that benefit Okanagan residents and ultimately reduce the burden of chronic disease.

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Cynthia Mathieson (left), Dean of the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, Senator Sharon Carstairs (middle), and Joan Bottorff (right) Director of the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention

Canada is not prepared to meet the needs of its aging population, Senator Sharon Carstairs said Monday at Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts, speaking as part of the UBC Distinguished Speakers Series.

Carstairs, who chaired Canada’s Special Senate Committee on Aging, told the audience it will take an innovative, united effort led by the federal government to create the policies that bring about the changes needed.

“The care needs for our seniors — especially our frail elderly — present a wide variety of complex issues for seniors and our aging population, which range from financial security, housing, transportation issues, the treatment of chronic diseases and our basic health care needs,” said Carstairs. “There are some serious gaps to be addressed in these areas.

“Some seniors are being denied their rights, and we need to create conditions so that Canada’s aging population will have access to services that will provide them with choices as they age.”

Carstairs noted not only are Canadians living longer, they are living longer with multiple chronic conditions.

“In 1981, eight per cent of the population was over age of 65,” said Carstairs. “Today, 13 per cent is over the age of 65. By 2031, 25 percent of Canada’s population will be over the age of 65. For the first time in Canada’s history, there will be more people over the age of 65 than there will be between the ages of birth and 18 years.”

Carstairs referred to the five recommendations listed in the Special Senate Committee’s 2009 final report, Canada’s Aging Population: Seizing the Opportunity:

• Take immediate steps to promote active aging and healthy aging and to combat ageism.
• Provide leadership and co-ordination through initiatives such as a National Integrated Care Initiative, a National Caregiver Strategy, a National Pharmacare Program, and a federal transfer to address the needs of provinces with the highest proportion of the aging population.
• Ensure the financial security of Canadians by addressing the needs of older workers, pension reform and income security reform
• Facilitate the desire of Canadians to age in their place of choice with adequate housing, transportation, and integrated health and
• social care services.
• Act immediately to implement changes for those population groups for which it has a specific direct service responsibility.

To date, none of the recommendations have been implemented.

“The aging of the population must change the way we do things,” said Carstairs. “We can passively react to the changes our aging population is bringing, or we can act with forethought and confidence.

“I believe that government at all levels will need to work in co-operation with the private and volunteer sectors to initiate that change. Everybody has a role to play. You need to call upon government to participate in multi-jurisdictional solutions. We all need to release old stereotypes and embrace new ways of thinking that celebrate the strength of an aging population.”

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Province-wide project receives $149,000 from Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research

Nursing professor Kathy Rush

The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research has awarded $149,000 to a province-wide research team co-led by Kathy Rush, associate professor of nursing at UBC’s Okanagan campus, and Monica Adamack, regional practice leader, clinical education, for Interior Health.

Given through the BC Nursing Research Initiative’s Commissioned Research Program, the funding will support a project that examines and identifies best practices in the integration of new graduate nurses into the workplace.

“Educational institutions play an important role in preparing students to enter the realities of the workplace,” says Rush. “Ensuring the readiness of new graduates for practice remains a challenge with the growing acuity and complexity of care coupled with technological advancements.”

“Historically, the transition from nursing student to clinical nurse has been seen as a significant issue, with considerable stressors placed upon the new graduate,” says Adamack. “This stress is a concern to our healthcare system in light of our mandate to provide safe, quality care to our clients and to provide strong working environments that are supportive of the staff.”

Adamack notes that according to the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia up to 65 per cent of new graduates will leave the hiring facility or the profession within their first two years.

“The turnover doesn’t allow for building strong working environments and poses resource issues for the healthcare system at the time of a serious nursing shortage,” Adamack says.

To address some of these issues, last November Rush, Adamack, and a provincial team of academic and health authority representatives began an 18-month, three-phase research initiative with the goals of:

• Determining best practices from the literature for integrating new graduate nurses in the workplace
• Analyzing the current application of identified new graduate best practices for strengths and gaps
• Developing a best practices toolkit for use with BC new nursing graduates

“Monica and I anticipate that the outcome of this project will be a best practices framework that will better support our future nursing workforce and it is our wish that academia and practice will continue this work together,” says Rush.

For more information on the BCNRI Commissioned Research Program and the project, Best practices: Integration of new graduate nurses in the workplace, visit http://www.msfhr.org/news/news_blog/2011/01/BCNRI_Commissioned.

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Fallon Smith in a hospital obstetrics room in Haiti last September. The nursing student at UBC's Okanagan campus will return to Haiti next month and hopes to raise $10,000 for families left homeless by last January's devastating earthquake.

After spending two weeks volunteering with a medical team in earthquake-ravaged Haiti in September, third-year UBC nursing student Fallon Smith returned to the Okanagan determined to maintain her connections to Haiti and continue helping the people who live there.

Smith says that after the devastating earthquake in Haiti last January, she felt a strong desire to become involved in the disaster relief efforts and applied to volunteer with a number of organizations lending a hand.

“I was desperate to get involved,” says Smith. “For months I wasn’t able to find a way. Then, someone from an organization called New Reality International contacted me saying I was invited to join their September 1 medical team.”

Although the 20-year-old nursing student had no prior experience in disaster relief nursing, Smith was chosen as the first North American university student ever accepted to go on a mission with the group.

She reflects on her experience as elating, heartbreaking and one of the most worthwhile opportunities of her life. During the trip she assisted hundreds of patients with medical emergencies and sicknesses, some scenarios ending in jubilation and others in gut-wrenching disappointment.

“It was extreme emotions and circumstances,” she says, describing her time assisting in the Haitian Christian Mission’s operating rooms, pre- and post-surgical rooms, emergency, and the walk-in clinic. “And I helped in the obstetrics room with the Haitian midwives, where I had the incredible experience of assisting a birth.”

However, Smith also witnessed a young pregnant woman and her unborn child die due to preeclampsia — a hypertension condition not uncommon among pregnant women in Haiti.

“One of the hardest things was the realization that if we had been in Canada, and had access to the same resources, we could have at least saved her baby. But we lost them both.”

Smith became very close with three Haitian interpreters — Ribinson Cherisma, Robenson Louis and Merizema Shadrac — who accompanied the medical team throughout their travels.

“The interpreters became like family to me,” she says. “Eventually I learned that these young men had their homes destroyed in the earthquake — leaving two of their families living in the decrepit remains of what used to be their homes, and another living in a tent with his six family members.”

Upon her return to Canada, Smith and fellow traveller Nicole Wolf — a photojournalist from the United States — decided to begin a fundraising initiative to help buy the supplies needed to rebuild homes for the three Haitian men and their families. Smith, who will return to Haiti in December, hopes to raise $10,000.

“Nicole started a Facebook Causes page a little over a month ago,” says Smith. “It’s called ‘Building homes and changing lives for three amazing men.’ I’m also hosting various fundraising events on campus to raise money — like bake sales and hotdog sales.”

Smith says they have already raised about $6,000. Photos and stories of the three Haitian interpreters are on the Facebook Causes page.

“These men are some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met,” Smith says. “Sacrifice is a word that I never really understood until I went to Haiti and met these guys.”

Donations can be made through the Facebook Causes page or by contacting Smith at falsmi@hotmail.com.

Haiti topic of student forum at UBC 10 a.m. Thursday morning

A public forum about Haiti’s post-earthquake relief efforts will be held at UBC’s Okanagan campus from 10 to 11:30 a.m., in the Fipke Centre (roon FIP251).

Students Odd Gleiditsch and Gillian Burt spent time as volunteers in Haiti last spring and summer, and will show a documentary of their project in Jacmel. They will also share their personal stories, and faculty member Jessica Stites-Mor will provide some history and context for the discussion.

The forum will explore media practices, and the pros and cons of how the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and other aid efforts on the ground.

The student video can be seen online at: www.explore22.com

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