Family Medicine Residency Site: Abbotsford-Mission

“A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life – SUGARCANE, the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie – is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. Set amidst a ground-breaking investigation into abuse and death at an Indian residential school, the film empowers participants to break cycles of intergenerational trauma by bearing witness to painful, long-ignored truths – and the love that endures within their families despite the revelation of genocide.  

In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves near an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada sparked a national outcry about the forced separation, assimilation, and abuse many children experienced at this network of segregated boarding schools designed to slowly destroy the culture and social fabric of Indigenous communities. When Kassie- a journalist and filmmaker- asked her old friend and colleague, NoiseCat, to direct a film documenting the Williams Lake First Nation investigation of St Joseph’s Mission, she never imagined just how close this story was to his own family. As the investigation continued, Emily and Julian traveled back to the rivers, forests and mountains of his homelands to hear the myriad stories of survivors. During production, Julian’s own story became an integral part of this beautiful multi-stranded portrait of a community. By offering space, time, and profound empathy the directors unearthed what was hidden. Kassie and NoiseCat encountered both the extraordinary pain these individuals had to suppress as a tool for survival and the unique beauty of a group of people finding the strength to persevere.”

Learn more here.  

For those interested in how AI is emerging in healthcare and our clinical learning environment, UBC is hosting a session on The Health CARE-AI Framework: A New Guide for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare
Presenter: Dr. Lyn K. Sonnenberg, University of Alberta and Dr. Babar Haroon, Dalhousie University
Date: Tuesday March 24, 2026
Presentation 1: 9:00-10:00am (PST)
Presentation 2: 12:00-1:00pm (PST)

Register here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4P05jpLQcEDe2eq

“Background: Canada has historically been among the world leaders in hypertension care, but hypertension treatment and control rates have regressed in recent years. This guideline is intended to provide pragmatic primary care–focused recommendations to improve hypertension management in adults at the population level.

Methods: We employed Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation and ADAPTE frameworks in accordance with Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) quality and reporting standards to develop recommendations on managing hypertension for adults aged 18 years and older. We used the HEARTS framework — a model of care developed by the World Health Organization to improve hypertension control and reduce cardiovascular burden — to integrate these recommendations into streamlined, pragmatic, and evidence-based algorithms. The guideline committee predominantly comprised primary care providers and also included patient, methodology, and hypertension specialist representatives. Our process for managing competing interests adhered to Guidelines International Network principles.

Recommendations: The 9 recommendations for managing hypertension in adults are grouped under the categories of diagnosis and treatment. Diagnostic recommendations include a standardized approach to measuring blood pressure (BP) and confirming hypertension, as well as providing a uniform definition for hypertension of BP ≥ 130/80 mm Hg. Treatment recommendations include targeting a systolic BP < 130 mm Hg, implementing healthy lifestyle changes, and providing stepwise guidance on optimal medication choices for patients requiring pharmacotherapy.”

Read more on Hypertension Canada guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in adults in primary care via cmaj.

“The government of Alberta recently announced legislative changes allowing patients to self-refer and pay out of pocket for diagnostic and testing services covered by publicly funded health care. Alberta subsequently passed Bill 11, which allows physicians to engage in “dual practice” — that is, to work in and bill the public system while also taking on private work and charging other patients directly (https://www.alberta.ca/supporting-a-world-class-health-care-system).

Initially, the focus is on elective surgeries. The Alberta government says the new legislation, which is unique within Canada, is intended to increase flexibility for patients, encourage innovation, and decrease wait times as patients willing to pay out of pocket remove themselves from the public wait-list and physicians choose to move to Alberta to practise.

Other jurisdictions in Canada have experimented with allowing physicians to offer surgeries to patients willing to pay privately, and one-third of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries allow surgeons to work in dual public and private practice. We discuss how such systems have affected access to services.”

Read more on A parallel private-pay system will worsen access to publicly funded surgery via CMAJ.

AI’s expansion in the academic and clinical learning environment is raising questions about the role of advanced technologies in education and patient care. This panel explores how primary care clinicians and medical educators are exploring the application of AI, in addition to its tensions, opportunities, and concerns in its current and future use.

The focus of this conversation is to share insights, research, perceptions, and experiences with the use of AI in our academic and healthcare settings. 

Learn more and register here: https://familypractice.ubc.ca/april-2026-research-rounds-a-in-family-medicine/

Submit and vote on questions you’d like to see during this Q&A: https://www.questionwave.com/q/ej0Yjkkf79

Hello Simulation Community! I’m sharing the request below on behalf of Respiratory Therapists Without Borders, a volunteer-run Canadian charity currently supporting a 200-bed mission hospital in rural Nepal.

The organization is primarily seeking simulation-related supplies and equipment to help strengthen local healthcare education and build simulation capacity in a training-focused hospital setting. In addition, there is interest in connecting with simulation labs or educators in Canada who may be open to hosting an observer visit or site visit this summer.

If you or your organization have the capacity to support this initiative, whether through equipment donations, advice, mentorship, or an opportunity to observe simulation programming, please reach out directly using the contact information in the email below.

Thank you, everyone, for considering how you might support this meaningful global health education effort.

Contact Information:
Eric Cheng, RRT, CRE, FCSRT
Simulation Based Education MSc Candidate 2028
Co-Founder & Co-Culture Creator
Respiratory Therapists Without Borders
Registered Canadian Charity
eric@rtwb.ca || www.rtwb.ca
+977.980.473.9485 (Nepal)
+1.778.807.9117 (Canada)

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Best,

Jacqueline

For my upcoming presentation on AI in medical education, I have posted a set of practical materials to support preceptors with narrative assessment and coaching language, including guidance on when AI support can be helpful, and when it should not be used. These resources were developed for our upcoming faculty development retreat, and are now available for our physicians to access anytime.

What’s included

• A short narrative assessment exercise (two scenarios) to practice rewriting “meh” comments into specific, actionable coaching language
• A structured activity that explores using AI as a data analyst for resident feedback (themes, patterns, and what can go wrong)
• A “Minimum Evidence Scorecard” to support thoughtful, defensible decisions about AI tools in clinical education

How to access the materials

You can view and download the package here:
Materials link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VP0ZahYwtkGVhuFsuwkAFvRIinWmROmc/view?usp=sharing

See you on Friday!

Dr. Jacqueline P. Ashby, EdD, MSc
Assessment and Evaluation Co-Lead, UBC Family Medicine Residency Program
Faculty Development Coach, Team-Based Primary Care Learning Centre

Quick reminder that The 11th Annual Women’s Health Research Symposium is fast approaching! Registration slots are still available for virtual attendance.

The theme for the 2026 WHRI Symposium is “From Science to Solutions: Building Bridges from Discovery Science to Women’s Health.”

March 6, 2026
8:00am to 3:45pm
Register here: https://lnkd.in/gPxABYXd

Celebrate local investigators who are driving research excellence in the discovery, basic, and life sciences within women’s health — improving women’s health in the long term. Whether you’re an established researcher, trainee, clinicians, or a patient or community partner, we invite you to participate in this forum for sharing new scientific knowledge, knowledge translation, and cultivating collaborations among those passionate about women’s health research.

You are invited! Register for our virtual session on Patients as Teachers: Who’s teaching whom? Part of the Research and Reflections on Teaching: A Medical and Health Education Series. Cross-cutting topics. Expert speakers. Attend one, two or all three of the sessions offered yearly.

Title: Patients as Teachers: Who’s teaching whom?
Date & Time: Tuesday, May 26, 2026; 5:30-7:00pm; Register here
Panel members: Bonnie Sawatzky, Carolyn Canfield, and more to come
Location: Zoom

Join us for an engaging session exploring how patient perspectives can enhance teaching and enrich learner experience. At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Describe how patients can be engaged in health education across the spectrum
• Elevate patient voices within teaching approaches  
• Consider how your experiences as a patient or caregiver can improve your teaching approaches 

All faculty who teach in the medical and health professional programs in the Faculty of Medicine are invited. 

Read more about the Research and Reflections on Teaching (R&R) Series, by visiting the Office of Faculty Development website.