UBC Okanagan faculty recognized for leading BC’s health research
2024 Michael Smith Health Research BC recipients, Carla Hilario and Natasha Haskey.
Michael Smith Health Research BC has recognized two UBC Okanagan researchers through the Scholar and Health Professional Investigator programs that make up their 2024 Health Research BC Awards.
Dr. Carla Hilario, an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development is a Scholar award recipient. The Scholar competition supports early career health researchers, helping them form their own research teams, train the next generation of scientists and develop world-leading research programs.
Her research addresses the structural and social determinants of young people’s mental health, with an aim to develop information about the broader social factors and forces that shape youth mental health.
“This research will generate needed information about youth mental health, racial discrimination and other social factors that can inform changes in practice and policy, to improve mental health outcomes for diverse youth,” says Dr. Hilario. “This Scholar Award will enable me to significantly advance and expand this important work, while also connecting me to a community of scholars in BC.”
Her program focusses on bridging knowledge gaps in what diverse youth identify as facilitators and barriers to accessible, safe and inclusive mental health services and systems.
Dr. Natasha Haskey is a Health Professional-Investigator award recipient. The Health Professional-Investigator competition supports health professionals actively involved in patient care to build research programs.
A researcher in the biology department of the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, Dr. Haskey focusses on precision nutrition, providing diet recommendations specifically tailored to individuals with Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
“I’m so honored to receive this award. It is truly an exciting next chapter for me. Embracing the latest technological advancements, I seek to standardize nutrition approaches to IBD management, ensuring a comprehensive and state-of-the-art strategy for patient care,” she says.
Dr. Haskey’s research project aims to bridge the gap in understanding how diet can treat inflammation and symptoms, leading to better disease management, improved nutritional health, and reduced symptoms.
Both Dr. Hilario and Dr. Haskey will receive $90,000 a year for five years, for a total of $450,000 each.
Michael Smith Health Research BC is British Columbia’s health research agency. They have funded 23 new Scholars and 14 Health Professional-Investigators (HP-I), through the 2024 competitions.
Across both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, 27 UBC researchers were funded through the 2024 competition.