Author: UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program

THEME: MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
For this hackathon, we are focusing on the theme of mental health and wellbeing. We are encouraged when we hear about efforts and initiatives designed to reduce the stigma of mental health and promote a culture of wellness among our faculty. Unfortunately, we also hear that sometimes the degree of wellness required for participation in these initiatives poses a barrier to the faculty who are more significantly impacted by mental health conditions. Therefore, in order to more broadly support and develop all of our clinical faculty members, this hack will focus on the tools, resources, or approaches that UBC can develop or build upon in order to support the mental health and wellbeing of all our clinical faculty, particularly and including those who struggle in significant ways.

Learn more & join us here!

If you’re feeling fine and have no symptoms of COVID-19, you can still have sex. If you’re feeling sick, skip sex.

Learn more here on COVID-19 and Sex via the BC Centre for Disease Control.

“’Efforts to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus have resulted in extreme social exclusion for people in prison, which negatively and unfairly impacts the mental health and wellbeing for people inside,’ explains project co-lead Kelsey Timler, a PhD student in interdisciplinary studies at UBC. ‘Since mid-March, people in prison have not had access to in-person visits from friends, family and religious and spiritual leaders, and almost all programming has been cancelled. Time passes very slowly, which adds to the stress and anxiety of being incarcerated during a global pandemic. COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing inequities and finding ways to support community building and belonging is incredibly important right now.’

‘Work 2 Give gave us the idea of assembling art and reciprocity kits that people in prison can use to produce something personal and meaningful to them,’ said Helen Brown. ‘They can share the resulting art or writings with their family, or they can take part in a reciprocal sharing with the wider community. They can express themselves while still observing physical distancing, and art and writing shared between people in prison and people in the community can support social inclusion and a sense of belonging, of not being alone. In the future, we hope to expand this project to include a job creation program that provides dignified living wages for people leaving prison.’”

More here on UBC team launches art initiative to promote mental health of men in prison by Lou Corpuz-Bosshart.

#UBC #ArtInitiative #MentalHealth #SupportOurIncarceratedMen #COVID19

“Applications are now open for entrepreneurship@UBC’s Lab2Launch venture building program, designed for UBC scientists and researchers looking to mobilize innovation into viable startup companies that can thrive.

The Lab2Launch venture building program is for UBC researchers and scientists who are focused on the development of a scientific or technological innovation which is unique, proprietary and difficult to reproduce, propelling them through venture creation, team building, investment and growth. The program provides research-led and high-potential ventures with the industry expertise, practical business training and deep mentorship to develop discoveries into viable ventures.”

How to Apply

Apply by August 10 at entrepreneurship.ubc.ca/lab2launch.

Would be great to get our MDs involved!!

“The people right now getting infected during this surge are young people, about a decade and a half younger, than the group that got infected in the first couple of months in the outbreak. We’ve got to convince them that just because they get infected, and the likelihood that they’re not gonna get seriously ill, doesn’t mean that their infection is not a very important part of the propagation of the outbreak. So you’ve got to think not only out of your vacuum, and think of not only your personal responsibilities, but your societal responsibilities.” ~ Dr. Anthony Fauci

Stanford Medicine’s Dean Lloyd Minor and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and member of the White House coronavirus task force, discuss COVID-19’s recent resurgence, tracking and testing efforts, and our path to overcoming the pandemic. Recorded July 13, 2020.

The next AMEE presentation in the Spring Webinar series will be presented by:

Claire MacRae
“Sorry you are not a winner. Please try again”
Tuesday, July 14, 2020 at 1400 hrs UK (GMT+1).

As of 2019, the AMEE webinar series will be entirely free. Please register here.

“Most people who work with medical educators will be familiar with complaints that the role of the teacher is not valued as highly as other roles such as a clinician, researcher, or manager, and the teachers frequently report feeling that their efforts go unrecognised and unrewarded. A typical first response is to introduce annual ‘teaching awards’ which often have a disappointing impact, despite initially positive feedback.

The aim of the webinar is to open up a discussion about: what constitutes ‘recognition’; what we are trying to achieve through recognition schemes; who should be recognised and why; and, perhaps most importantly, how we could get better at recognising teaching.”

“The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is collaborating with frontline healthcare workers with a rendition of ‘All You Need is Love’. Dr. Holden Chow, violinist, family physician, and Co-Medical Director of the Abbotsford COVID Assessment Unit explains how he became involved.” Watch here!

Congratulations to our Co-Site Director, Dr. Holden Chow, for his recent appearance on Global News! Learn more on the Abbotsford Division of Family Practice COVID-19 Response Centre and how to self-assess for the virus.

“The social stigma, discrimination, and denial of rights faced by LGBTQ individuals have been associated with health disparities such as higher rates of substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, and suicide. LGBTQ youth are more likely to be homeless and to attempt suicide, while LGBTQ older adults may experience isolation and a lack of social services and culturally competent providers. To make matters worse, experiencing intolerance, bias, or discrimination from health care providers may cause LGBTQ patients to delay care or avoid it altogether.

By addressing LGBTQ health needs and working to eliminate disparities, nurses can help reduce disease transmission and progression; increase mental health, physical well-being, and longevity; and decrease health care costs. The following list includes free educational resources and reports related to the care of LGBTQ individuals, plus resources nurses can share with patients and their families.”

More here on Improving LGBTQ Health & Well-Being: Free, evidence-based resources for health care providers, individuals, and families (June 2020) by Dr. Tracy Ortelli via Nursing Resources.

Congratulations to our recent graduate, Dr. Ellie Parton, who is featured in the Wei Wai Kum Times! We are incredibly proud of her and her colleagues who have embraced the discomfort that learning creates, continued to pursue their goals, and aimed for mountain peaks.