UBC Faculty of Medicine researchers are partnering with B.C. community organizations to advance impactful local initiatives, thanks to new funding in the spring 2025 round of UBC’s Partnership Recognition and Exploration Fund.
The three newly-funded, collaborative projects aim to shape practices and policies that will improve the health and well-being of people throughout the province, including a heritage program for youth in the African diaspora, enhancing music festival accessibility and injury prevention in girls’ community soccer.
UBC’s Partnership Recognition and Exploration (PRE) Fund awards up to $1,500 to bridge small resource gaps in community-led projects, enabling students, faculty and staff to build reciprocal relationships with community partners. These partnerships reflect UBC’s commitment to ethical engagement, experiential learning and community-led impact.
Since 2017, the fund has invested more than $667,000 in 445 research and teaching partnerships, with approximately 40 per cent of the funding supporting IBPOC-led projects, including 25 per cent supporting Indigenous-led projects.
PRE funding goes directly to community partners, with the work being done collaboratively between UBC and community partners.
Faculty of medicine co-led projects:
Accessibility Assessment Towards Continuous Improvement at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival
- UBC Partner: Tal Jarus, Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
- Community Partner: Lisa Gardin, Vancouver Folk Music Festival
African Youth Heritage Program
- UBC Partner: Khumbo Kalua, School of Population and Public Health
- Community Partner: Terrance Mansaray, Malawian Association of BC
Using a Concept Mapping Approach to Understand Youth Soccer Players’ Perspectives on Facilitators to Injury Prevention Program Implementation in Girls Community Soccer
- UBC Partner: Allison Ezzat, Department of Physical Therapy
- Community Partners: Aaron Walker-Duncan, Gorge Soccer Association; Kevin Allen, Juan de Fuca Soccer; Jeremy Mannall-Fretwell, Lakehill Soccer Association
Learn more about each of the projects on the UBC Community Engagement website.