Family Medicine Residency Site: Abbotsford-Mission

Eastern Fraser Valley Residents Share Research at UBC Scholars’ Day

Second-year family medicine residents from Abbotsford-Mission and Chilliwack recently came together to present their research at UBC Scholars’ Day, held on May 6 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre in Abbotsford. The event was a collaboration between the Abbotsford and Chilliwack Divisions of Family Practice. Residents presented a wide range of projects, with topics ranging from medical misinformation on social media to family medicine bootcamp models, liver disease screening, deprescribing, informed consent, and dietary interventions in primary care.

The award for best presentation from the Abbotsford-Mission cohort went to Drs. Raheesa Jina and Ajeet Klaer for their project, “Polypharmacy and Deprescribing in Older Adults: An Educational Initiative.”

The award for best presentation from the Chilliwack cohort went to Drs. Rui Yang Xu, Mandeep Grewal, and Habibur Rahman for their project, “Screening for Liver Disease in Primary Care.”

“It was inspiring to see the residents from across our neighbouring communities come together to share such high-quality research,” said Sheri Josephson, Executive Director of the Abbotsford Division of Family Practice. “We look forward to the positive impact these doctors will have on patient care as they begin the next chapter of their family medicine journey.”

Other resident presentations included:

Abbotsford-Mission Site:

Drs. Roshan Gosal, Pratik Gajiwala, and Tanmay Sharma: “What Do Influencers Say? Logical Fallacies in Medical Discourse on Social Media”

Drs. Nikita Menon and Karn Puri: “Dietary Intervention in Primary Care for Adults with Obesity”

Chilliwack Site:

Drs. Kelsey Summerhill, Adam Mesa, and Rui Yang Xu
“The Use of a Brief Family Medicine Bootcamp on Beginning-of-Residency Confidence and Competence”

Drs. Swati Shetty, Emmet Suttill, and Alyssa Zhao: “Enhancing Informed Consent Practices for Blood Transfusions and Thoracenteses”

Each year, second-year family medicine residents complete a research project and present their findings at UBC Scholars’ Day. This is one of the final academic requirements before they complete their two-year family medicine residency program.

A big thank you to the Abbotsford and Chilliwack Divisions of Family Practice for supporting our residents as they move into independent practice.

NeuroFuture: Conversations on Women Advancing Neuroscience Worldwide

Brain, Technology, and Ethics

EVENT DETAILS:
Monday, June 1, 2026
12:00pm – 1:30pm PDT
Online event

Join us for the second session of NeuroFuture: Conversations on Women Advancing Neuroscience Worldwide, as we advance the dialogue on the intersections of neuroscience, emerging technologies, and ethical considerations on current developments and future implications.

Everyone is welcome! Register here for free to receive the webinar details: https://www.internationalbraininitiative.org/events/neurofutureconversations2026

FEATURED SPEAKERS

• Jennifer A. Chandler LLM, FCAHS, University of Ottawa, Canada
• Laura Y. Cabrera PhD, Pennsylvania State University, USA
• Olivia Matshabane, PhD, MA, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
• Julie M. Robillard, PhD, University of British Columbia, Canada

MODERATOR: Judy Illes, OC, PhD, Neuroethics Canada, University of British Columbia, Canada

EVENT OVERVIEW

In a series of panel discussions, a collaborative effort between the IBI, the World Women in Neuroscience, and UBC Neuroethics Canada brings together a wide range of voices in dialogue on the impact of women in neuroscience innovation, and will feature distinguished women neuroscientists to explore the intersections of AI, brain, technology, and ethics, and neuroscience, diversity, and society. Through brief presentations and dynamic audience engagement, this series will create a space where ideas are strengthened through conversation across disciplines and borders.

These free virtual events are open to the full neuroscience network of faculty members, students, research trainees, patient and public stakeholders, and other professionals from organizations located on all continents of the world. Beyond knowledge exchange, this initiative will foster global collaboration and mentorship.

For more details and to register for this online event, please visit: https://www.internationalbraininitiative.org/events/neurofutureconversations2026

Effectiveness of Using a Popular Media Theme in Emergency Medicine Simulation

May the 4th offers a fun opportunity to think about how popular culture can make learning more engaging, even in serious fields like medicine.

A recent pilot study explored the use of a Star Wars themed simulation event for emergency medicine residents. The simulation included clinical cases and procedural stations framed through Star Wars narratives, with residents working through medical scenarios involving trauma, fractures, compartment syndrome, and emergency procedures. The purpose was to see whether a familiar pop culture theme could improve engagement, enjoyment, and learning.

The results were interesting. Residents who already liked Star Wars reported that the theme made the event more enjoyable and engaging. Those who were neutral toward Star Wars were less enthusiastic about the theme itself, although gamification more generally was still viewed positively. Both groups showed small improvements in knowledge scores, but these gains were not statistically significant.

For family medicine, the takeaway is not that every teaching session needs lightsabers and Jedi robes. Rather, the study reminds us that storytelling, play, and thoughtful design can help learners connect with complex material. The key is to use themes carefully, so they invite people in rather than leaving anyone feeling disconnected.

In medicine, learning is not only about memorizing facts. It is about building confidence, practicing decisions, working as a team, and staying engaged through uncertainty. Sometimes, a little imagination can help make that learning more memorable.

May the 4th be with all who teach, learn, care, and keep showing up for patients.

Cohen, S., Sinicrope, R., Vulpe, D., Diers, N., Dixon, D. D., Richardson, E., Rahman, M., Bobbett, A., & Ray, J. (2026). Effectiveness of using a popular media theme in emergency medicine simulation. Cureus, 18(3), e105699. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.105699

Video Review in Residency: Learning to See, Hear, and Reflect on Practice

Video review is one of the most powerful learning tools we have in family medicine residency because it gives residents the rare opportunity to observe themselves in clinical practice. Unlike a written field note or a quick hallway conversation, video review allows learners to see and hear the full clinical encounter: the pacing, the pauses, the tone, the body language, the moments of connection, and the places where communication may have shifted. It captures not only what was said, but how care was delivered.

What I appreciate about Koehler et al. (2023) article is that it reminds us that video review is not simply about evaluation. At its best, it is a reflective learning process. It combines direct observation, guided feedback, and self-assessment in a way that helps residents develop greater awareness of their clinical reasoning, communication, and professional presence. For family medicine residents, this matters deeply. So much of family practice happens in the relational space between physician and patient. Residents are learning how to manage uncertainty, respond to emotion, build trust, ask better questions, and support patients through complex health concerns. Video review makes these invisible skills visible.

The article also reinforces the importance of doing video review well. Residents need clear expectations, psychological safety, patient consent, supportive faculty guidance, and enough time to reflect meaningfully. When structured thoughtfully, video review can move beyond “checking a box” and become a formative experience that supports growth, confidence, and professional identity formation. In a busy residency environment, it can be tempting to see video review as one more requirement. But this article is a useful reminder that it is actually one of the few tools that allows learners to step outside the encounter and witness their own development in real time.

That kind of learning is worth protecting.

Koehler, A. N., Knudson, M. P., Ballard, P. J., Nicolotti, L. M., Caballero-Quinones, E., & Daniel, S. S. (2023). Video review of family medicine resident clinical encounters: A tool for building emotional intelligence. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1188041. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1188041

You know when you read an article and the content just sticks with you? This article by Martin, Nasmith, Takahashi, and Harvey, Exploring the Experience of Residents During the First Six Months of Family Medicine Residency Training, has stayed with me because it captures something deeply recognizable about the transition into residency that I have observed.

Becoming a family physician is not simply about knowing more medicine. It is about learning to carry responsibility differently: responsibility for clinical decisions, patient relationships, time, uncertainty, follow-up, and the everyday realities of practice.

The paper breaks this transition down beautifully across three areas: knowledge, practice management, and relationships. That framework resonated with me again today after speaking with a family physician preceptor who described the importance of helping residents understand that they are no longer students. They are emerging professionals, learning to be reliable, accountable, and responsible within real clinical environments.

What I appreciate most about this work is that it normalizes the anxiety of early residency while also showing how residents grow through continuity of care, feedback, role modelling, and repeated practice. The first six months are not only about building competence. They are about identity formation: learning, slowly and meaningfully, what it feels like to become someone’s doctor.

Read more on Martin D, Nasmith L, Takahashi S, Harvey B. Exploring the experience of residents during the first six months of family medicine residency training. Canadian Medical Education Journal. 2017;8(1):22-36.

Below are a few free resources recently shared by the British Columbia Association of Kinesiologists (BCAK) for health care providers interested in learning more about chronic pain:

Based on the University of New Mexico model, the BC ECHO for Chronic Pain is a free, virtual community of practice for BC health care providers that leverages specialist knowledge to support community providers in delivering appropriate care to people living with chronic pain. Through our ECHO, health care providers can gain the knowledge, resources, and interprofessional support needed to provide immediate care to patients with chronic pain in their home communities. Learn more here: https://painbc.ca/health-professionals/education/echo

Pain Foundations is an online program designed to support health care providers to improve their assessment and treatment of people living with pain. This practical, compact course allows learners to develop clinically relevant approaches to chronic pain management and develop a strong grounding in pain science to support further exploration. Learn more here: https://www.paincanada.ca/course/pain-foundations

Moving Through Pain program is a free, self-paced online program for health care providers who want to support people living with pain to move with more ease. Learners who complete Moving Through Pain will be equipped with the practical knowledge and teaching resources to support people living with pain to engage in gentle movement and relaxation as part of a supported self-management plan. Learn more here: https://www.paincanada.ca/course/moving-through-pain

UBC’s Faculty Development Office (i.e., Heather Buckley’s team) has released their updated Teaching Skills for Community-based Preceptors booklet.

It is available in hard copy form or digital form, and has a companion webpage with lots of supplemental information to support the concise content found in the booklet.

It can be accessed here: https://facdev.med.ubc.ca/teaching-skills-booklet/

Please feel free to peruse and share with preceptors at your site.

If you would like printed copies, please contact Jana Ogdenova (jana.ogdenova@familymed.ubc.ca) who can mail some out to you.

Check out UBC’s CTLT’s Generative AI events for Celebrate Learning Week, taking place from May 4–8^th.

Panel | Making the Tech Happen for AI in Teaching

May 5 | 9:30 am-11:30 am | In-person: UBCV

Hear from faculty teams as they share the behind-the-scenes stories of developing AI tools for their courses, including the ideas, the challenges, and the moments it all came together. Register.

Panel | Promoting Responsible GenAI Practices in Students’ Writing

May 5 | 10:00 am-11:30 am | Online

While generative artificial intelligence offers new opportunities in education, unguided use can hinder students’ learning as it may lead to over-reliance. Discuss an integrated approach that promotes students’ writing autonomy and critical thinking. Register.

Everything’s Changed Again: So What About AI?

May 5 | 2:00 pm-3:00 pm | In-person: UBCV

Join the UBC Studios team for a chat with faculty as they explore real examples, from lightboard teaching and AI-supported math instruction to research on AI and media ethics. Register.

Panel | AI in Assessment

May 6 | 1:00 pm-3:00 pm | In-person: UBCO

This panel brings together expert panellists for a candid, practical conversation on exactly how AI is reshaping what we teach and how we teach it. Register.

For a full list of events, visit https://events.ctlt.ubc.ca/2026-celebrate-learning-week/

Download a full PDF schedule.

Hi Team! This short faculty development discussion session will focus on two important practice supports: the Faculty Feedback and Support Form, and the transition to One45 for Coaching Notes.

The session will provide a practical overview of both tools, clarify their purpose, and create space for questions and discussion.

The goal is to support preceptors and residents in documenting feedback clearly, using program processes more confidently, and strengthening the quality of coaching information that supports resident learning.

Please join us on Friday, May 22, 2026, from 7:00 to 7:45 am PT.