UVic Faculty of Health

10/02/2026

Indigenous nurses, nursing students, Knowledge Holders, researchers, educators, community leaders, and health system partners from across Canada and internationally are coming together at UVic next week for the 5th Indigenous Nursing Research for Health Empowerment Summit.

Don't miss your chance to hear acclaimed researchers Kathleen Bird, Odette Best, Lynoregeia Presentat, and Ursula Knoki-WIlson share research findings and approaches that address the health and well-being of Indigenous populations worldwide.

The Summit takes place on the traditional territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples, including the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, and the W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples.

The deadline to register for the hybrid option closes Monday.

More info: https://www.ihnr.ca/

09/22/2026

Please join us next week, on Sept 29, as we come together at UVic to honour Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities, and remember the children who never made it home. Details below.

09/16/2026

Congratulations to Social Work's Jenny Morgan, whose research project, Gitxsan Climate Storywork: Weaving Knowledge, Art, and Relationships with Land, was one of eight UVic projects to receive funding through the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS).

We'll be sharing more in the future about this project, which is led by the Gitxsan community.

Read more: https://lnkd.in/gqZ2J5cA

09/08/2026

It's official—the new academic year has started! Welcome to all new health students, and welcome back to those returning.

We asked recent School of Health Information Science, UVic graduate Zeina Ebeid, who now works as a data analyst in Edmonton, to share some advice.

"Your degree is what you make of it. While much of it will be lectures, assignments, and exams, the experiences you seek outside of that are just as important," she says.

"Your undergraduate years are a chance to try new things and discover what actually excites you. Finding that balance is essential for avoiding burnout and reminding yourself that you are, in fact, a human being and not a machine!"

Thanks for your words of wisdom, Zeina. Read our full Q&A: https://lnkd.in/g_F6T_7H

09/04/2026

Registration for the 5th International Indigenous Nursing Research Summit closes Sept. 15.

Learn about the health and wellbeing of Indigenous populations worldwide and network with nurse researchers who are working to improve the health and lives of Indigenous people.

Indigenous and non-Indigenous health leadership, Elders, Healers, and Knowledge Keepers, faculty, researchers, policy makers, and students are welcome to attend. Seats are being held for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students interested in health careers.

Register here: https://www.ihnr.ca/

09/01/2026

Meet Karen Urbanoski, our inaugural Lansdowne Scholar in Public Health, whose research on substance use is influencing policy in the midst of a toxic drug crisis that has killed more than 56,000 Canadians.

As we mark International Overdose Awareness Day this week, Urbanoski reflects on her research on prescribed safer supply, the enormous toll of the toxic drug crisis, and what motivates her work.

"This is an incredibly challenging area to study. At the same time, it’s rewarding to be doing science in an area that is so topical and needs solutions so badly," she says.

"We get into these lines of research because we care about the injustices and because of our own lived experiences. It takes an emotional toll, but I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else."

Read the full story: https://www.uvic.ca/health/stories/health/meet-karen-urbanoski-healths-new-lansdowne-scholar.php

08/13/2026

How can technology help older adults remain safely at home and in their communities?

Health Information Science's Claudia Lai will be examining that question after being appointed to a Council of Canadian Academies' expert panel on supporting the use of technologies for aging in place.

More info: https://www.cca-reports.ca/cca-appoints-expert-panel-to-examine-technologies-to-support-aging-in-place/

08/06/2026

UVic PhD graduate, Patrick Cormier worked behind the scenes of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada's men's national team.

08/05/2026

We have more research grant success to share!

Congrats to Lisa Bourque Bearskin (Nursing), Mariko Sakamoto (Nursing), Brianna Turner (Clinical Psychology), and Karen Urbanoski (Public Health and Social Policy and Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research) for receiving grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

More than $8.4 million awarded to UVic researchers through federal CIHR programs

06/18/2026

Farah Mawani is featured on the Courageous Public Health podcast, speaking about her public health research and her family's intergenerational experiences of systemic racism and health inequities.

"My families and communities are dying from systemic racism. I have to make it possible to dismantle systemic racism. It's a matter of life and death for us," says Mawani.

Mawani is a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at UVic.

Listen:
🎧 CPH 59 — Speaking Truth to Power: A Conversation with Dr. Farah Mawani - https://linktr.ee/courageouspublichealth