2026 Poster Syllabus

Presenting Authors: Jane Ryan, MD, FRCPC. and Christine Tomori, M.Sc.

The Raising Resilient Kids (RRK) Parenting Group is an 8-week, virtual Group Medical Visit developed to provide early intervention for parental distress and family mental health in primary care. Delivered through Mind Space (www.mind-space.ca), a physician-led, non-profit organization providing accessible GMVs across British Columbia, RRK integrates attachment-informed, cognitive, behavioural, dialectical, and mindfulness-based approaches. The program supports parents of young children experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges. Evaluation using validated measures shows increased parenting confidence, improved satisfaction with care, enhanced self-management, and reduced parental stress, demonstrating RRK as an effective, scalable intervention to strengthen caregiver-child relationships.

Presenting Authors: Melissa Roumanis and Dr. David Kennedy

Persistent pain is a complex health issue, particularly in rural settings with limited access to specialized services and education. This study examined rural healthcare providers’ knowledge, beliefs, and barriers to implementing biopsychosocial (BPS) pain care. A cross-sectional survey of 24 providers in British Columbia and the Yukon found most lacked prior BPS or pain neuroscience education (PNE) training. While participants recognized the importance of BPS approaches, fewer felt confident applying them. Responses emphasized biomedical strategies, with limited integration of BPS concepts. Key barriers included insufficient knowledge, training, time, and patient resistance. Findings highlight an implementation gap and the need for accessible, practical education to support BPS-informed pain management.

Presenting Authors: Josephine Nana Abena Powell Neonatal Outreach Specialist, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and UK Co-author: G. Ede, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar

This poster presents a rural workforce innovation aimed at improving maternal and neonatal emergency referrals in underserved communities. The project explores re-engaging retired nurses and midwives as stabilisation and transport team members to support timely transfers, continuity of care, and local workforce resilience. In settings where a single clinician may staff an entire facility, this model addresses referral delays while preserving community access to skilled care. Drawing on emergency obstetric care experience, it proposes a low-cost, scalable approach that uses untapped clinical expertise to strengthen rural health systems and improve maternal-newborn outcomes.

Presenting Authors: Dr. Suzanne Campbell and Michelle Roberge

Multiple barriers exist in accessing primary care in our rural community of Vanderhoof. These barriers disproportionately affect youth and were likely contributing to suboptimal support for mental health, high rate of youth pregnancy, and greater instances of youth accessing the ER for issues better managed by primary care. To improve access to primary care for youth in Vanderhoof, the medical team along with partners opened a clinic located within the public high school. Using EMR data to compare the 5 years before and after the clinic opening, results show improvement in all areas of youth primary care.

Presenting Author: Victoria Bleecker, BHSc

Saving Lives with Pride aims to break down barriers that prevent LGBTQ+ individuals from becoming donors across blood, stem cells, and organs and tissues. The initiative runs an annual campaign to increase LGBTQ+ engagement in stem cell donation and works toward a more inclusive transfusion and transplantation system for LGBTQ+ patients. Led by LGBTQ advocates, we collaborate closely with community partners to advance equity in donation. In 2024, we expanded beyond major urban centers to include more northern including an event in Prince George. This work focuses on evaluating the 2025 campaign, and recruitment in rural and northern contexts. 

Presenting Author: Kiranpreet Ghag

Recent years have seen a growing shift toward collaborative research approaches that actively include diverse patients and community members, especially from rural communities. However, further research is needed to explore and understand the factors that contribute to research partners feeling valued within teams. Our research project attempts to understand what makes patients and community partners feel valued in the patient-oriented research (POR) process. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 participants and five themes emerged from our data analysis. Our findings identify factors that should be considered to facilitate productive knowledge exchange in POR with patients from diverse communities.

Presenting Authors: Taryn Murray and Ayra McCarthy 

Although nearly 20% of British Columbians live in rural and remote communities, specialist care remains inequitable. Therefore, our study aimed to explore the facilitators and barriers through semi-structured interviews with specialists and rural family physicians. We identified persistent administrative and logistical barriers: travel coordination, clinic scheduling, limited infrastructure, and complex health authority processes, including privileging, EMR access, and reimbursement. Although virtual care has largely expanded access, participants agreed it cannot replace longitudinal in-person care. Furthermore, they emphasized strong motivation to provide outreach and highlighted the need for centralized provincial coordination to sustain rural specialist care. 

Presenting Author: Chloe Hewitt 

Access to specialist care is a constant challenge for patients living in rural BC. A review of recent primary literature found that most initiatives involved virtual health and demonstrated challenges in creating sustainable models of in-person specialist care for rural communities. To address this gap, we designed an innovative specialist outreach clinic program in collaboration with an oversight committee of experienced providers and health systems partners. This program provides: 1) practice support resources (e.g. guidebooks); 2) mentorship; 3) formal connection between specialists and communities; and 4) sessional funding for relationship-building and administrative work to establish an outreach clinic. 

Presenting Author: Benjamin Coutu and Keegan Marchand 

Indigenous Peoples in rural and remote communities face significant barriers to accessing timely, effective, and culturally safe cardiovascular care. This pilot program co-developed with Carrier Sekani Family Services brought a mobile health unit directly to six First Nations communities in Northern BC, delivering cardiology consultations, echocardiograms, stress tests, and point-of-care lab work to 104 patients over nine days. New diagnoses were made in 29.5% of patients, management changes in 83%, and an average of 691 km and over nine hours of travel saved per patient. Community acceptability exceeded 93%. Mobile, in-community cardiac care is feasible, impactful, and wanted. 

Presenting Author: Anika Shelrud 

Concussion care in northern, rural, and remote communities within northern British Columbia is not well understood, despite having the highest concussion rates in the province and facing unique geographic and system-level challenges. This study aims to explore how concussion care is experienced and to identify strengths and gaps in current care and support efforts. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with community members, health-care providers, and brain-injury support organizations to explore knowledge, beliefs, behaviours, and barriers related to accessing concussion care. Findings will help inform equitable, contextually relevant strategies to improve access to concussion education and care across northern British Columbia.  

Presenting Author: Sarah Kelly 

To facilitate a more effective use of rural data, the Rural Health Services Research Network of BC (RHSRNbc) has developed a catchment approach for rural health services planning. The creation of catchments provides the foundation for the Rural Birth Index (RBI) and the Rural Generalist Provider Services Index (RGPSI), which describe a catchment population’s need for maternity and generalist services respectively. Our catchment approach and associated needs-based indices allow the opportunity to examine system efficacy and provide a framework for quality improvement projects designed to achieve better health outcomes. 

Presenting Author: Sarah Kelly 

Rural communities in BC are especially vulnerable to climate change due to their proximity to nature, reliance on natural resources, and limited access to health services. Yet, they remain strong centers for grassroots activism. Building Climate Resilient Rural Communities is an online platform that shares innovative solutions to build resilience to climate threats. The site features case studies on food sovereignty, ecosystem restoration, climate education, and health impacts from heat and wildfire smoke, and has reached over 5,000 users. This work is evolving as our team continues to research and publish on a wide range of climate- and health-related topics. 

Presenting Author: Jonathan Doyon 

As climate change intensifies health impacts, there is a growing need for responses beyond large population centres. In rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, health is inseparable from land, culture, and identity. This poster shares findings from collaborative research that identify innovations in healthcare through place-based adaptive capacity. Drawing on literature and practice, it underscores the importance of care, connection, and local knowledge, and highlights adaptation as multidimensional, shaped by existing assets, relationships, and ongoing learning. Findings reinforce calls to strengthen existing capacities, support culturally grounded, relationship-based approaches, and encourage community-led, cross-sector efforts to enhance resilience and health outcomes. 

Presenting Authors: Anna Riminchan and Rachael Geiger 

Rural British Columbia experiences lower bystander CPR rates and longer emergency response times compared to urban areas. Since 2022, the UBC medical student-led Rural CPR Outreach Project (RCOP) has provided free bystander CPR training to secondary students in rural, underserved communities. RCOP delivers 1.5-hour workshops featuring didactic teaching, hands-on practice, and team-based simulations. From 2022–2025, RCOP (N=2736) significantly improved average CPR knowledge from 52.5% to 92.2% and perceived comfort from 43.5% to 81.0% (p<0.01). This year, RCOP will expand to Northern BC, incorporate the J-stroke manoeuvre, and aim to assess how exposure to mentorship by medical students may influence rural youth interest in healthcare careers, supporting long-term rural health system resilience. 

Presenting Authors: Luke Greidanus and Niel Strydom 

This project is a scoping review analyzing the potential for virtual care to be used as a recruitment and retention tool in rural communities. Results revealed that little research is available at present, highlighting the need for further investigation. Additionally, the changing landscape of virtual care and technology in healthcare is evident in the literature. The range of perspectives regarding what telehealth represents creates a clear need for future research to encompass current applications of technologies in virtual care, and how these may play into the recruitment and retention strategies for rural communities. 

Presenting Author: Matthew Leyenaar 

We sought to examine peer-reviewed literature to determine the key characteristics describing rural, team-based, primary care in Canada. Our findings will inform research and policy directions by highlighting key characteristics necessary to strengthen rural, team-based, primary care and to evaluate system change over time – always with the goal of improving patient care and experience. Others have recognized that the foundational functions of primary care are evolving through team-based models. We build upon their work by highlighting rural constraints and enablers, identifying features necessary for embedding research within team-based practice, and considering a temporal lens to account for system evolution. 

Presenting Author: Stephanie Quon 

This scoping review explores models and innovations in rural and remote palliative care. Six main domains were identified: community-based outreach, telehealth palliative consultations, hospice-at-home care, symptom protocols and prescribing initiatives, advance care planning, and rapid-access pathways. Effective models emphasize primary care integration and system-level coordination to improve access and continuity. The findings highlight the importance of locally adapted, scalable approaches and sustained funding structures to support equitable palliative care delivery for rural populations. 

Presenting Author: Neelam Dhaliwal 

Experiential learning comprises 25% of the UBC Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy program; students participate in 2-, 4-, or 8-week practicums across BC. Given these short timeframes, students experience challenges with relocation, developing meaningful connections, and exploring career options in their practicum areas, particularly rural and remote regions.  Inspired by longitudinal integrated clerkship models in medical education, our goal was to design and implement a pilot Regional Practicum Model (RPM). 

Presenting Author: Tamara Stephens 

The CHANGE BC Program, launched by the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice, supports patients with metabolic syndrome through team-based care. As the program expanded, data tracking challenges were addressed through collaboration with Doctors of BC and the Health Data Coalition. Foundational EMR optimization and standardized templates enabled consistent data capture, while integration with the HDC Discover platform provides real-time visualization of metabolic indicators. This approach reduces administrative burden, supports quality improvement, and enables clinicians and communities to use data to strengthen chronic disease prevention and improve population health outcomes. 

Presenting Author: Tamara Stephens 

Practice Improvement Coaches with Doctors of BC support rural primary care teams by addressing foundational practice needs prior to formal quality improvement. Supports include optimizing EMR use, improving clinic workflows, clarifying team roles, strengthening onboarding processes, and enhancing practice operations. Using a facilitative, "meet practices where they are" approach, coaches help reduce administrative burden, stabilize clinic environments, and build readiness for QI. This foundations-first approach improves efficiency, supports provider well-being, and advances patient care outcomes aligned with the Quintuple Aim. 

Presenting Authors: Yonabeth Nava de Escalante, Alexandra Blair and Dawn Wedman 

Northern and rural communities continue to face disproportionate barriers to timely, consistent primary care. The B-FR3IEND study explored the factors influencing recruitment and retention of rural immersion residents and family physicians in Northern BC. We used a mixed-method approach and surveyed residents, preceptors, and leaders within the rural immersion sites. The study found that community belonging, positive workplace culture, flexibility, and scope of practice were stronger drivers of retention than financial incentives alone. Key barriers included isolation, access to childcare, housing, and limited educational capacity. 

Presenting Authors: Yonabeth Nava de Escalante, Bron Finkelstein and Landon Sayler 

Many people delay IUD placement due to fear of pain, particularly in rural settings where advanced pain control options are limited. This study evaluates whether combining topical lidocaine-prilocaine (EMLA) cream with supportive education improves the experience of IUD insertion. Pain and satisfaction are assessed immediately after and one week later. For those with prior IUDs, experiences are compared to previous insertions. By addressing pain and fear, this approach may reduce barriers to reproductive care and improve access across rural British Columbia. 

Presenting Authors: Aman Sharma and Megan Komori Kennedy 

Many ICU survivors experience persistent physical, cognitive, and psychological impairments known as post‑intensive care syndrome (PICS). A significant gap remains in our understanding of patient‑reported outcomes after ICU survival, particularly in rural areas where healthcare resources may be limited. The Critical Care Recovery Program (CCRP) in Northern British Columbia aims to provide longitudinal recovery support and patient‑centred research in an underrepresented community setting while evaluating patient-reported outcomes after ICU discharge. 

Presenting Authors: Yousef Shahin and Chris Rafiaa 

This study implemented office-based AAA screening using PoCUS in rural British Columbia, and evaluated the associated cost-savings to the healthcare system (in Canadian Dollars). 46 participants (mean age = 69, 73.9% male) were scanned during the six-month study period. 34 (73.9%) were determinate scans, and one (2.2%) was a determinate positive AAA (size 6.4 cm). The estimated net healthcare-system savings was $15,707.50 CAD for this study population. This suggests that using PoCUS as an initial screening tool saves on average $341.48 CAD per patient scanned. 

Presenting Author: Barinder Kaila 

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined rural–urban disparities in head and neck cancer outcomes. Across 18 studies (over 700,000 patients), rural residence was associated with poorer overall survival and a higher likelihood of advanced disease at diagnosis. These findings suggest that geographic factors, including access to timely diagnosis and specialized care, may significantly impact patient outcomes. This work highlights important gaps in cancer care delivery and emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to improve access and reduce disparities for patients living in rural communities. 

Presenting Authors: Miriam Gladstone and Dr. Kirsten Miller 

This population-based study examines geographic variation in pediatric ICU admissions in British Columbia from 2014–2023. Using linked administrative data, we explored how rates differ by region, rurality, and admission type. We found higher incidences of pediatric critical care admission in Vancouver Island, Northeast and Northwest BC, particularly in rural and small population centres, driven largely by urgent admissions. These findings highlight important geographic disparities in pediatric critical illness and support the need for strengthening rural healthcare capacity. 

Presenting Authors: Dr. Tandi Wilkinson and Ievgeniia Rozhenko 

Physicians are struggling to maintain their professional responsibilities within a strained health care system. In spite of the recognition that organizational changes are needed to address stressful working conditions, prior research has been limited to organizations that employ physicians. However, physicians regularly interact with many ‘affiliated’ organizations, who also influence practitioner workload and job satisfaction. This research project aims to identify organizational qualities of affiliated organizations that positively influence physician well-being. Using an appreciative inquiry framework, we have conducted focus groups with physicians, and will interview organizational leaders, to identify qualities that make affiliated organizations ‘physician friendly’. We will generate recommendations for affiliated organizations to reduce the burden they impose on physicians. 

Presenting Authors: Dr. Melissa Aragon, Jason Curran , Amy Ertel, Maria Gabriela Ruiz, Dan Harper and Dr. Launette Rieb 

This mixed‑methods study evaluated a low‑barrier, on‑site primary care clinic embedded within supportive housing in a semi‑rural community (Squamish, BC) serving structurally vulnerable adults. Participants reported longstanding barriers to care, including geographic, bureaucratic, and stigma‑related challenges. Embedding care on site improved perceived access, relational continuity, emotional safety, and trust, with higher Trust in Physician Scale scores compared to external providers and reduced reliance on emergency departments. While engagement and trust increased, quantitative outcomes such as preventive screening, vaccination, and opioid agonist therapy adherence did not improve. Findings suggest trust‑building and proximity enhance engagement, but sustained structural supports may be needed to influence preventive health behaviors. 

Presenting Author: Dr. Sean Maurice 

In this project, we piloted the use of live anatomy broadcasts as a means to provide a relevant anatomy refresher to rural clinical faculty, while also highlighting the opportunities and realities of rural practice, and engaging medical learners across the vast geography of our province. These broadcasts were well received, and taught us several things related to the logistics required to make this happen. This presentation will outline the context, the approach, and the findings of our first two broadcasts. 

Presenting Author: Dr. Jennifer Kask 

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy cause substantial maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Many affected individuals develop chronic hypertension and later cardiovascular disease. Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) improves detection and can reduce admissions and postpartum visits to emergency departments. In Campbell River, a five-cuff BP Monitor Lending Library launched in March 2024 and supported 37 individuals from 10 communities through October 2025. Building on this success, PHAB-MOM—a Virtual Health–supported, self-managed postpartum monitoring program—launched November 2025. Participants log BP and symptoms twice daily for two weeks, then three times weekly to six weeks. Patient and provider feedback indicates increased support, empowerment, and easier follow-up. 

Presenting Authors: Dr. Kirk McCarroll and Ben MacDonald 

Strong evidence supports the benefits of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) compared to standard treatments with systemic opioids for preoperative analgesia in patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with a hip fracture. However, PNBs are currently performed in only 11% of hip fracture presentations in EDs across Interior Health (IH). This project seeks to identify the barriers preventing administration of PNBs and develop a standardized approach to ensure that patients presenting with hip fractures at rural hospitals receive a PNB prior to transport to a surgical center. 

Presenting Authors: Dr. Arthur Cogswell, Tom Carne, Alicia Nicklen and Kirstie Stewart

Transport decisions in rural, remote, and First Nations communities are complex and time-sensitive, shaped by distance, weather, staffing, geography, and limited diagnostics. Providers lack a centralized, up-to-date resource outlining transport pathways and local capabilities. An interactive map of BC’s Rural Subsidiary Agreement communities is being developed to identify nearby diagnostic and treatment resources, with expansion to include transport options, logistics, and real-time conditions. A centralized resource with decision support tools and escalation guidance is also in development. Our aim is to share progress and get feedback, insights, and suggestions to guide ongoing development. 

Presenting Authors: TJ Grewal and Alexandra Lazarou 

Open EMR is the world's leading small and medium clinic EMR. Vistacan has been contributing code as modules to introduce foundational Open Source EMR options for Canadian patients and providers. This year's highlights include integration of Open Source video platform Jitsi and Open Source AI model Whisper for transcription. This demo will include the entire stack running on a mac mini. 

Presenting Author: Aiden Winkel 

This project examines a hospital-based hybrid psychiatry model to support child and adolescent mental health care in Northern British Columbia. Drawing on an established program at Timmins and District Hospital in Ontario, it considers how remote child psychiatrists can be integrated into regional hospital settings to provide consultation, ongoing care, and clinical support to local providers. Through case comparison and literature review, the project explores how this model may strengthen continuity of care, reduce travel burdens, and better support high-acuity cases in underserved communities. 

Presenting Author: Meghan Brennan 

The Drone Transport Initiative (DTI) is an established partnership guided by the Partnership Pentagram Plus model, exploring the use of drones to transport medications in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in Northern British Columbia. This project explores DTI partners’ initial experiences, motivations, values, principles, and strategies for supporting meaningful engagement through thematic analysis of participant interviews. Project results are guiding the co-creation of shared principles and provide practical insights and resources to support meaningful engagement in health innovation projects within and beyond the DTI.  

Presenting Authors: Cameron Ardiel and Dr. Femke Hoekstra

Limited access to timely health services remains a challenge in rural and remote regions. Drones are emerging as a potential solution for transporting medical supplies and improving care delivery. This rapid review of reviews synthesized evidence on their use, feasibility, acceptability, barriers, implementation strategies, and outcomes. A total of 1,451 records were identified, with 19 reviews included. Drones were used to deliver vaccines, medications, defibrillators, diagnostic tests, and biological samples. While feasibility and benefits—such as faster delivery and improved access—were well supported, implementation is constrained by regulatory, financial, and technical barriers. Addressing these challenges is key to enabling broader adoption. 

Presenting Author: Dr. Femke Hoekstra 

This project describes the co‑design, delivery, and evaluation of an online training program for rural health and exercise professionals focused on supporting physical activity among adults with spinal cord injury (SCI). It teaches theory‑ and evidence‑based best practices for effective physical activity conversations. The training uses a holistic, relational approach that values multiple forms of knowledge and is co‑delivered with people with SCI. More than 45 professionals (e.g., physiotherapists, occupational therapists) have participated. Findings are highly positive, highlighting the value of lived experience integration and the program’s potential to improve physical activity support for adults with SCI in rural British Columbia. 

Presenting Author: Vienna Nguyen 

While exercise is an effective treatment for the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, challenges exist in prescribing exercise in rural primary care settings. To address this gap, the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice partnered with Metabolic Syndrome Canada to deliver the Canadian Health Advanced by Nutrition and Graded Exercise (CHANGE) Program, integrating Clinical Exercise Physiologists (CEPs) across two Primary Care Networks (PCNs). The success of this program underlines the importance of clinical exercise care in the prevention and management of chronic conditions and led to one of the first PCN CEP roles in BC. 

Presenting Author: Kylie Peake 

This project explores how rural training opportunities are represented and experienced within Canadian postgraduate specialty programs. A national review of residency program websites was conducted to examine how rural training is described, alongside interviews with specialty program directors at University of British Columbia. By combining national-level data with in-depth, provincial perspectives, this work aims to better understand how rural training is structured, communicated, and prioritized, and to identify opportunities to strengthen rural exposure in specialty training. 

Presenting Authors: Brook Haight, Dawn Wong and Jennifer Zadorozniak 

The Community Physician Health and Safety (CPHS) Program addresses workplace safety challenges faced by physicians, including those in rural and remote settings, where access to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) resources is limited. Developed by SWITCH BC with Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health, this free and confidential program provides tools, education, and in-person clinic assessments to help physicians meet OHS standards. Since 2024, CPHS has supported over 100 community clinics across British Columbia, achieving high satisfaction and sustained improvements. By strengthening workplace safety, CPHS enables physicians and their staff to focus more effectively on delivering patient care. 

Presenting Author: Stephanie Quon 

This scoping review explores the roles of family and informal caregivers (FICs) in rural health systems. Five key domains were identified: care coordination, medication management, telehealth facilitation, clinical monitoring and triage, and cultural/linguistic brokerage. While FICs function as essential extensions of the healthcare system, particularly in resource-limited settings, their contributions are often under-recognized and under-supported. Findings from this review include fragmented communication and limited caregiver resources, and emphasize the need for formal recognition, caregiver-inclusive models, and targeted supports to improve equity and care continuity in rural health.  

Presenting Author: Dr. Diana Bark 

This quality improvement project sought to improve equity in oral health access. Interventions included drop-in clinics tailored for newcomer families, promotion through community partners and businesses, and translation services on clinic days to address language barriers. Outreach materials, including posters, were developed and refined using feedback from clients and partners. An estimated 44 children aged 0–6 were identified as the denominator for tracking improvements. Newcomer parents and community organizations were integral in co-designing and refining clinic setup, messaging, and culturally appropriate practices. The project achieved a 50% increase in SDF program enrollment among newcomer children during the two-month period. It also highlighted the psychological barriers families face in accessing dental care and the importance of nonjudgmental, welcoming clinical spaces.