UFV CHASI Hub

Jennifer Martel is our June CHASI Champion!

Jen’s role is the Sustainability Manager in the UFV Office of Sustainability.

Jen has led multiple collaborations with CHASI, including the annual Pride Tea Dance (returning June 17, see our previous post). Jen serves our UFV community by keeping us all aware of the impacts of our work on the sustainability of the community and nature around us. By working with collaborative partners like Jen, CHASI’s work is amplified and our impact is bigger. Jen is also a decorator extraordinaire, who keeps the Tea Dance looking amazing!

A CHASI champion is someone who has been pivotal to CHASI’s success, and embodies changemaking, community, collaboration, and student support. We will be highlighting a new champion each month!

University of the Fraser Valley - UFV UFV College of Arts UFV Research Office James Mandigo, UFV President

Don your favourite apparel and join us for a celebration of community joy at the 4th Annual Pride Tea Dance! This UFV tradition is returning to the Abbotsford campus on Wednesday, June 17, and everyone is invited to celebrate and party in an inclusive, welcoming community.

This year, we’re putting the emphasis on the DANCE part of tea dance, so get ready to move and groove to a live DJ! There will also be free barbecue, $5 drinks at the bar, prizes, and more!

When: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, from 4:00–7:00 PM
Where: Abbotsford Campus K Building, south patio

This is an all-ages event and is open to UFV students, staff, faculty, and community members. Vegan and gluten-free food options will be available while supplies last! This is a gold-certified sustainable event.

The Pride Tea Dance is a hosted in collaboration between CHASI, UFV Office of Sustainability, and the UFV Faculty & Staff Association, with support from the UFV President’s Inclusive Community Fund. If you have any questions or would like to support this event, please reach out to [email protected]!

University of the Fraser Valley - UFV UFV College of Arts James Mandigo, UFV President UFV Research Office UFV Student Union Society (UFVSUS) UFV Alumni Association

Congratulations to the entire Food and Agriculture Institute team on a thought-provoking event with yesterday's Grounded Innovation 3.0! We were appreciative of the opportunity to learn from the speakers, and for the inclusion of CHASI Director Dr. Martha Dow for the panel discussion of One Health.

Learn more about FAI's work at https://www.ufv.ca/food-agriculture-institute/

Ana Adamik is our May CHASI Champion!

Ana’s role is Operations Manager in the office of Research and Graduate Studies (UFV Research Office).

Ana supports CHASI with all things operational, but in particular keeps our contracts and finances in order. These are critical pieces that allow CHASI to do our community work and provide research experiences for our students. Ana is patient and goes the extra mile to help us understand budgets and always makes every opportunity a learning one. Thank you Ana for your support of CHASI — we couldn’t do it without you!

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A CHASI champion is someone who has been pivotal to CHASI’s success, and embodies changemaking, community, collaboration, and student support. We will be highlighting a new champion each month!

University of the Fraser Valley - UFV UFV College of Arts James Mandigo, UFV President

In today's , Len Garis and Todd Schierling discuss managing cancer risk in Canada’s fire service: both what the data says, and what a path forward could look like.

blogs.ufv.ca

Indigenous people in Canada experience:
- 2.5 times more residential fires
- 3.2 times higher hospitalization rates for burns
- Up to 10.4 times higher fire‑related mortality

These disparities are not random — they reflect structural conditions. In the return of , today's article explores the targeted interventions that can dramatically reduce that risk.

Read more:

blogs.ufv.ca

Since 2023, CHASI has worked in close partnership with Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association — a perfect example of how research done at UFV can be directly applied for real-world positive impact.

Read more: https://blogs.ufv.ca/blog/2026/04/chasi-research-supports-restorative-justice-work-in-abbotsford/

UFV Research Office James Mandigo, UFV President UFV School of Criminology and Criminal Justice UFV College of Arts

We're highlighting the people who help CHASI do what we do, and we're excited to begin by announcing that Deanna Devitt is our April CHASI Champion!

Deanna is the Work-Integrated Learning Coordinator at the UFV Centre for Experiential and Career Education. She is a tireless supporter of CHASI, assisting us in securing Canada Summer Jobs grants for the last few years and working with our work-study students to make sure their experience as seamless as possible. Deanna is a problem solver, a team player, and we are so appreciative of her kind heart and helpful attitude.

Thank you, Deanna, for all that you have done to help CHASI operate over the past 5+ years!

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A CHASI champion is someone who has been pivotal to CHASI’s success, and embodies changemaking, community, collaboration, and student support. Watch this space next month to see another highlighted CHASI Champion!

University of the Fraser Valley - UFV UFV College of Arts UFV Research Office James Mandigo, UFV President

For firefighters facing difficult diagnoses, early detection is the fire alarm of cancer prevention

We wrap up (for now!) with an article on prostate cancer trends in the firefighter community. Watch this space for more guest articles on the topic in the future.

Read the article on CHASI's blog:

blogs.ufv.ca