UBC Medicine learners, faculty and staff are addressing crucial health challenges through reciprocal community partnerships in research and education supported by the 2026 Community University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund.
From Indigenous perspectives on disability to health literacy for newcomers, UBC researchers and community groups are partnering to address priorities in urban, rural and Indigenous communities across B.C. These collaborative efforts aim to shape practices and policies that improve the health and well-being of people throughout the province and around the country.
This year, $720,000 was awarded to 29 projects across the province. Delivered in partnership by UBC Community Engagement and the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, CUES funding provides direct support to community organizations by removing financial barriers that often limit community participation in research.
Faculty of Medicine Recipients and Projects
Peer Mentor Network for Infertility & Loss
The Peer Mentor Network for Infertility and Loss will expand a province-wide peer mentor network to support people experiencing infertility or loss.
- Community Partner: Kimberly Lockhart, Butterfly Support Network
- UBC Partner: Mohamed Bedaiwy, Obstetrics & Gynecology
Brain Injury CIRCLES
Brain Injury CIRCLES partners with Indigenous communities to understand brain injury experiences and co-create culturally grounded care models supported by story circles, community resources, and improved service pathways.
- Community Partner: Janelle Breese Biagioni, BC Brain Injury Association / Brainstreams
- UBC Partner: Julia Schmidt, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
Healthier Spaces in Supportive Housing
Healthier Spaces in Supportive Housing will design and evaluate a ventilated inhalation and overdose-prevention space to reduce airborne drug-smoke exposure, resulting in air-quality data, design specifications, and sector-wide guidance.
- Community Partner: Natalia Day, Victoria Cool Aid Society
- UBC Partner: Matty Jeronimo, Occupational & Environmental Hygiene, School of Population and Public Health
Health Literacy for Newcomer Communities
Health Literacy for Newcomer Communities will deliver multilingual workshops and resources to improve newcomer health literacy and navigation of BC’s healthcare system, with translated guides, workshops, and a digital toolkit.
- Community Partner: Fatima El Masry, DIVERSEcity
- UBC Partners | Student: Sohat Sharma | Faculty: Dr. Simon Rabkin, Medicine
Indigenous Food Ways: Community Led Youth Learning
Indigenous Food Ways will design and deliver land-based harvesting and kitchen teachings that emphasize Indigenous food knowledge for Indigenous high school youth participating in paid summer research internships in Vancouver and Kelowna.
- Community Partner: Heat Laliberte, Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society
- UBC Partner: Cornelia Laule, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
- Additional Partners: Greg Kewistep, Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society
Cheryl Niamath, Seed to STEM – ICORD
Indigenous Perspectives on Disability & Belonging
Indigenous Perspectives on Disability & Belonging will train Indigenous facilitators and families to create digital stories on disability and belonging using culturally grounded methods, resulting in facilitator training and creating a story archive grounded in Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession principles.
- Community Partner: Tracy Humphreys, Family Support Institute
- UBC Partner: Daniel Goldowitz, Medical Genetics
- Additional Partners: Mike Lang, PhD, Common Language Digital Storytelling (CLDST) – Krystle Schofield, CLDST
PROJECT ROSE
PROJECT ROSE will design responses to chronic absenteeism among substance-affected families using participatory and arts-based methods, generating pilot data, recommendations, and a funding-ready plan.
- Community Partner: Kate Healey, Chilliwack Social Research & Planning Council
- UBC Partner: Adam Easterbrook, School of Population and Public Health
Sharing Knowledge on Immunization for Newcomer Communities
This project will deliver trauma informed vaccine and skin health literacy workshops to increase vaccine confidence, train community ambassadors, and create multilingual education tools.
- Community Partner: Bridget Mailley, Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS)
- UBC Partner: Emilie Wang, School of Population and Public Health
Swimming Together: Youth-Led Aquatic Literacy
Youth with disabilities will co design inclusive aquatic literacy programming through participatory action research, resulting in a youth led program model, municipal implementation tools, and an open access Aquatic Literacy Playbook.
- Community Partner: Ana Arciniega, Aquafit for All Association
- UBC Partner: Dr. Tal Jarus, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
Taking the Right Approach: Culturally Responsive Peer Navigation Services
Project partners will create culturally responsive peer-navigation training for African im/migrants living with HIV, developing a community-driven toolkit, strengthening navigator capacity, and improving culturally safe HIV-care pathways.
- Community Partner: Patience Magagula, Afro-Canadian Positive Network of BC
- UBC Partner: Dr. Kathleen Deering, Medicine
The BRIDGE Centre for Immigrant and Racialized Health Research
Project partners will establish the foundation for a community-led research centre addressing immigrant health inequities, with a governance model, community-driven priorities, and staff capacity in facilitation and data literacy.
- Community Partner: Jacky Leung, S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
- UBC Partner: Dr. Dahn Jeong, BC Centre for Disease Control