A new UBCO study found that microdosing psilocybin demonstrated greater improvements in mood, mental health and psychomotor ability for participants.

The latest study to examine how tiny amounts of psychedelics can impact mental health provides further evidence of the therapeutic potential of microdosing.

Published in Nature-Scientific Reports this week, the study followed 953 people taking regular small amounts of psilocybin and a second group of 180 people that were not microdosing. This research, led by UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Zach Walsh and doctoral student Joseph Rootman is the latest study to come from the Microdose.me project.

For the 30-day study, participants were asked to complete a number of assessments that tap into mental health symptomology, mood and measures of cognition. For example, a smartphone finger tap test was integrated into the study to measure psychomotor ability, which can be used as a marker for neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease.

Those microdosing demonstrated greater improvements in mood, mental health and psychomotor ability over the one-month period compared to non-microdosing peers who completed the same assessments.

“This is the largest longitudinal study of this kind to date of microdosing psilocybin and one of the few studies to engage a control group,” says Dr. Walsh, who teaches in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. “Our findings of improved mood and reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress add to the growing conversation about the therapeutic potential of microdosing.”

Large doses of psychedelic psilocybin mushrooms have a long history of use among some Indigenous peoples and are prized in Western culture for their psychedelic effects, explains Dr. Walsh. They were also labelled an illicit substance during the American-led “war on drugs.” But recent interest has expanded from large dose psychedelic use—known for creating dramatic alterations in mood and consciousness—to the potential therapeutic application of smaller microdoses. Amounts so small they minimally interfere with daily functioning.

The Microdose.me project is conducted by an international team including Dr. Pam Kryskow from UBC Vancouver, Maggie Kiraga and Dr. Kim Kuypers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, American mycologist Paul Stamets, and Kalin Harvey and Eesmyal Santos-Brault of the Quantified Citizen health research platform.

Microdosing involves regular self-administration in doses small enough to not impair normal cognitive functioning. The doses can be as small as 0.1 to 0.3 grams of dried mushrooms and taken three to five times a week.

The most widely reported substances used for microdosing are psilocybin mushrooms and LSD. Psilocybin mushrooms are considered non-addictive and relatively non-toxic—especially when compared to tobacco, opioids and alcohol.

“Our findings of mood and mental health improvements associated with psilocybin microdosing align with previous studies of psychedelic microdosing, and add to them through the use of a longitudinal study design and large sample that allowed us to examine consistency of effects across age, gender and their mental health,” says Rootman.

The comparisons of microdosers to non-microdosers over the one-month period of the study indicated greater improvements among microdosers when asked about their mood, depression, anxiety and stress, he explains. Analyses of the finger tap test showed that microdosers demonstrated a more positive change in performance than non-microdosers, particularly among people over the age of 55.

“Despite the promising nature of these findings, there is a need for further research to more firmly establish the nature of the relationship between microdosing, mood and mental health, and the extent to which these effects are directly attributable to psilocybin rather than participant expectancies about the substance,” says Dr. Walsh.

The study was not designed to investigate the potential influence of participant expectancy on microdose outcomes, but the authors note this is a necessary advancement in the field.

“Considering the tremendous health costs and ubiquity of depression and anxiety, as well as the sizable proportion of patients who do not respond to existing treatments, the potential for another approach to addressing these disorders warrants substantial consideration,” Rootman says.

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New research from Dr. Kyle Larson’s lab has been able to pinpoint a timeline of when the rocks atop the summit pyramid of Mount Everest were deformed as part of the growth of the Himalaya. Photo credit: Kyle Larson.

It’s been a topic of debate among geologists for years—when did the deformation of rocks at the top of Mount Everest take place?

Over the years, several theories have been proposed—but none have stuck—until now.

In a recent study led by UBC Okanagan researcher Dr. Kyle Larson, the team found evidence that shows, for the first time, that the rocks atop Everest were deformed as part of the Himalaya’s development. Dr. Larson explains the rocks were sheared in response to the collision more than 45 million years ago between India and the Eurasian landmass. This collision is responsible for the development of the 3,000-kilometre-long Himalaya range between India, Nepal and Tibet.

Dr. Larson is a professor in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science and Director of the Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element Research. His latest study, published in Terra Nova discusses what this means for the future of geological research. Dr. Larson is also UBCO’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Researcher of the Year.

Can you share some insight as to why determining when these rocks were deformed has been historically difficult?

Given the difficulties in just reaching the summit, including weather issues, the expense of an expedition—and the high altitude that affects physical performance and cognition—collecting samples from the top of Everest is not simple. And it can be potentially deadly.

Without the appropriate samples and the analytical techniques that can date the types of minerals in the summer rocks, as geologists, we’ve been scratching our heads for quite some time trying to figure out which of our theories made the most sense.

Some studies propose the summit rocks were deformed as part of the Himalayan collision, while others suggest it likely happened 500 million years earlier during the formation of the supercontinent, Gondwana. The bottom line is there was never a definitive answer.

What did your results reveal?

Our study shows these rocks were deformed as part of the development of the Himalaya range, specifically about 45 million years ago.

Interestingly, the rocks at the top of Everest were deformed at the same time as the rocks at the base of the Himalaya, more than 50 kilometres below Earth’s surface. This is very rare because typically deformation happens in discrete zones—it takes a lot of energy to deform rocks and it usually follows specific horizons of weakness in Earth’s crust.

Deformation of the entire crust at once indicates a large-scale change—or event. And if you look at what was happening regionally at this time, there was a plate tectonic reorganization in the South Pacific including a significant bend in the Emperor/Hawaiian seamount chain. This can be easily seen on Google Earth. This is why we argue that the top of Everest provides a “plate tectonic view” as it seems to record the time at which all this regional plate tectonic shift was happening.

How were you able to come to this conclusion?

We applied a relatively new method for dating rocks that was not previously possible. It looks at the amount of uranium and lead in the mineral calcite. Uranium is unstable and radiogenically decays to lead. Because we know how fast this happens, we can measure how much uranium versus how much lead was in the rocks to calculate its age exactly.

How will your results affect future research in this area?

Getting access to rocks from the summit of Mount Everest is rare, so this research is an excellent example of how we can take a small bit of rock and use the information we obtain through dating techniques to tell a massive plate tectonic story—it’s a pretty extraordinary process.

Researchers have determined the rocks at the top of Everest were deformed at the same time as the rocks at the base of the Himalaya, more than 50 kilometres below Earth’s surface. This is a very rare occurrence and indicates a large-scale geographic change took place. Photo credit: Kyle Larson.

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UBCO doctoral student Ahmadreza Ghaffarkhah uses a 3D printer to create small and highly-accurate sensors that can be integrated into clothing and equipment.

The creation of high-resolution extrusion printing—think 3D printing but with ink that conducts electricity—has enabled UBC researchers to explore the potential of wearable human motion devices.

Wearable technology—smartwatches, heart monitors, sleep aid devices, even step counters—have become part of everyday life. And researchers with UBC Okanagan’s Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites Laboratory, have created even smaller, lighter and highly-accurate sensors that can be integrated into clothing and equipment.

In collaboration with Drexel University and the University of Toronto, the UBCO research team is exploring a high-resolution extrusion printing approach to develop tiny devices with dual functionality—electromagnetic interference (EMI) shields and a body motion sensor.

Tiny and lightweight, these EMI shields can have applications in the health care, aerospace and automotive industries, explains Dr. Mohammad Arjmand, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Advanced Materials and Polymer Engineering at UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering.

Using a two-dimensional inorganic nanomaterial called MXene, alongside a conductive polymer, Dr. Arjmand’s team has customized a conductive ink with a number of properties that make it easier to adapt into wearable technologies.

“Advanced or smart materials that provide electrical conductivity and flexibility are highly sought-after,” he says. “Extrusion printing of these conductive materials will allow for macro-scale patterning, meaning we can produce different shapes or geometries, and the product will have outstanding architecture flexibility.”

Currently, manufacturing technologies of these functional materials are mostly limited to laminated and unsophisticated structures that don’t enable the integration of monitoring technologies, explains doctoral student Ahmadreza Ghaffarkhah.

“These printed structures can be seeded with micro-cracks to develop highly sensitive sensors. Tiny cracks in their structures are used to track small vibrations in their surroundings,” says Ghaffarkhah. “These vibrations can monitor a multitude of human activities, including breathing, facial movements, talking as well as the contraction and relaxation of a muscle.”

By going back to the drawing board, the UBCO researchers were able to address a major challenge encountered by extrusion printing. Previously, the technology didn’t allow for high-enough printing resolution, so it was difficult to manufacture highly precise structures.

“Compared to conventional manufacturing technologies, extrusion printing offers customization, reduction in materials waste, and rapid production, while opening up numerous opportunities for wearable and smart electronics,” explains Dr. Arjmand. “As extrusion printing techniques improve, it is opening the door to many unique innovations.”

The researchers continue to investigate additional applications for extrusion printing inks that go beyond EMI shields and wearable electronics.

The research was published in Carbon, with financial support from a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Alliance Grant and Zentek Limited.

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While it is recommended toddlers have less than one hour of screen time per day, UBCO researchers suspect that number might be higher. They are investigating how screen time might affect a child’s sleep.

Young children and the amount of screen time they enjoy has always been a controversial issue. And now, after living with COVID-19 for more than two years, a team of UBC Okanagan researchers is taking a second look at how much screen time young kids are getting and how this impacts their sleep and the family dynamics.

There’s no doubt screen time has increased in households across North America during the pandemic, says Associate Professor Dr. Susan Holtzman. After two years of living in isolation and dealing with remote work, home learning and socialization through video chats and gaming, it is time, she says, to take a fresh look at screen habits and how it’s impacting lives.

Dr. Holtzman, who teaches psychology in the Irving K Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Dr. Elizabeth Keys, an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing have launched a new study to determine how screen time and sleep habits may have shifted during the pandemic. They want to know what this means for families now, and in the future.

Dr. Keys explains why this research matters and why parents should tune in.

According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, children between the ages of two and five should use screens for less than one hour per day. But you suspect screen time is much higher, especially since the pandemic began. What’s changed?

Many parents have shifted temporarily or permanently to working from home. While this has had a number of advantages, it has also put parents in the tricky position of balancing work with caring for children who could not attend school or daycare due to actual or potential COVID-19 symptoms.

As a parent myself, I know that everyone has been doing the best they can. But some young children may have gotten used to having more screen time. Now that restrictions are lifting significantly, this is a good time to take another look at the habits that may have formed over the past two years to see how we can better support parents of young children.

What is the connection between a child’s screen time and sleep?

How screen time impacts the sleep of children is a fascinating area of research that is relevant to so many families. Some studies have linked more screen time with less sleep. One reason is that screen time can delay bedtimes. Another possible reason is that screen time can replace daytime physical activity—and we know being more active during the day can help with getting better sleep at night.

This new research looks at mothers and children aged two to five. Why that specific age?

Early childhood is a critical period for physical, social and emotional development—as well as the development of healthy habits. My research focuses on improving sleep health to promote healthy relationships in children and their families, starting in early childhood.

Sleep difficulties are very common in families of children under the age of five. These sleep difficulties can often disrupt parental sleep. In particular, we know the COVID-19 pandemic has been quite hard on mothers, who are already at increased risk of having sleeping difficulties. We all know how important a good night’s sleep is for our mental and physical wellbeing.

Why now?

We did a similar study in 2019 and more than 450 local parents participated. We are doing the survey again to look at the impact that COVID has had on the lives of families with young children. We are especially interested in looking at changes to sleep, screen time and family relationships. Are people less concerned about screen time? Is it seen as more normative? Has sleep changed in children and their mothers, who have had to juggle so many stressors over the last two years? What has been the impact on our family relationships?

To help with our research, we are looking for about 200 mothers of children aged two to five in the Central Okanagan to fill out a brief online survey located at: www.familyscreentime.ca.

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Artist Manual Axel Strain uses a variety of materials and methods including plywood, spray paint, a metal and video to create an immersive and multisensory installation. The above 2021 image is called qné7e says tá7a.

What: UBC Okanagan Gallery hosts Artist in Residence
Who: Manuel Axel Strain
When: Various events from June 8 to June 11, exhibition until June 30
Where:  University Theatre and the FINA Gallery, UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC Okanagan Gallery is hosting its second Artist in Residence with a special performance and display by Manuel Axel Strain.

Strain is a two-spirit artist from the sacred lands and waters of xʷməθkʷəyəm, Simpcw and nk̓maplqs and lives on the traditional homelands of their q̓ic̓əy̓ and qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ relatives. Their work and practice are guided by Indigenous ways of knowing, embodied epistemologies, and ancestral collaborations that incorporate performance, painting, photography, sculpture, video, sound and installation.

As the gallery’s 2022 Artist in Residence, Strain will give an talk at the annual Indigenous Arts Intensive on Wednesday, June 8 at 2 pm in the University Theatre, 1138 Alumni Avenue.

Strain’s solo exhibition, puti kʷu alaʔ opens at UBCO on Saturday, June 11 at 3 pm in the Creative and Critical Studies building’s FINA Gallery. There will be an outdoor performance that day at 3:30 pm which features a collaboration between the artist, their family, drummers, the land and guests.

Using materials and methods such as plywood, spray paint, a chainsaw, metal, video, and petroglyphs, along with fir, sage and wild rose relatives, Strain’s new work is an immersive and multisensory installation. The exhibition is curated by UBCO Gallery curator Dr. Stacey Koosel:

“Manuel Axel Strain’s exhibition tells the story of a violent, yet absurd, act committed against the artist’s family when they inherited a building on Syilx Okanagan nation territory,” says Dr. Koosel. “What is particularly cool and unique about Manuel’s practice is the way they work with their family to remind us that ‘we are still here.’ It’s a simple but powerful statement.”

Strain’s work has been featured in the Vancouver Art Gallery, Richmond Art Gallery, Surrey Art Gallery and across Turtle Island. They are longlisted for the National Gallery of Canada’s 2022 Sobey Art Award and their exhibition We go to the Mountains, we go to the Big Water is now on display in Kelowna at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Arts’ main gallery until June 25.

Artist residencies are supported by the BC Arts Council, and Strain is the second Artist in Residence since UBCO Gallery launched the program last year with Carrier Wit’at artist Whess Harman. The gallery is working in collaboration with the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art and the Indigenous Art Intensive.

Strain’s exhibition, titled puti kʷu alaʔ, runs from June 11 to 30 in the FINA Gallery at UBC Okanagan. The exhibit is free and people are also welcome to participate in an opening reception and performance on Saturday, June 11 at 3 pm.

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Getting medical help as quickly as possible is vital for stroke patients. A UBC Okanagan researcher uses mathematical modelling to investigate pre-hospital patient transfer policies.

Minutes matter when a stroke patient is being rushed to hospital—any delay in care can impact that person’s chance of survival and recovery.

Knowing how vital every second is for these patients, UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Amir Ardestani-Jaafari and Dr. Beste Kucukyazici from Michigan State University have analyzed transportation procedures and triage protocols to ensure stroke patients get the right level of care at the right time. Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari is an Assistant Professor in UBCO’s Faculty of Management and he specializes in health-care operations and logistics.

“Strokes, which are an attack on the brain, are a time-sensitive medical condition with only a short window available to administer therapeutic interventions,” says Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari. “Currently, patients are transported to the nearest stroke centre, following specific protocols. Yet, these protocols do not consider many factors, including the spatial variation in population density, the stroke’s severity, the time since stroke onset and the congestion level at the receiving stroke centre.”

His research, published recently in Management Science, presents a modelling framework that generates the optimal primary transport destinations for suspected acute stroke patients through an optimization model. The work also evaluates the impact of these destination decisions on patient outcomes and compares the performance of alternative policies through a simulation model.

“In our paper, we model the flow of patients in pre-hospital as well as hospital care and we examine the interactions between these two components of the stroke care continuum,” says Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari. “To be more specific, we investigate the impact of pre-hospital patient transfer policies on stroke unit congestion.”

Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari’s methodology uses mathematical modelling, including data analytics, along with discrete-event simulation, predictive and prescriptive analytics, to first understand why there is a problem in stroke transport in any urban city and what is the magnitude of the problem.

Recent medical advancements include the development of a new stroke treatment called endovascular therapy (EVT) for acute patients with a large vessel occlusion, explains Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari. Patients with this type of stroke, which is quite common, can have more complications and poor short- and long-term outcomes, he explains.

However, an EVT can remove the clot by sending a catheter to the blocked blood vessel in the brain and this can improve health outcomes.

But an EVT must be conducted in a matter of hours, meaning the patient must get to the right level of care as quickly as possible. When a destination hospital is fully congested, a patient might have to wait for admission and this wait for emergency care can have a negative impact including mortality and a person’s ability to function as they recover.

Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari’s modelling looks at whether it’s best to send a patient to a specialized stroke care facility, which may be a longer journey, instead of the closest emergency room. Getting to an emergency room that is backlogged and can’t take a patient, or cannot perform an EVT, could prove disastrous for the patient, he adds.

“The aim of this research is to find the connection and provide a solution between the delay of pre-hospital care and in boarding into a care unit,” he says. “We want to prevent any delay with the goal to improve the patient functionality at the time of discharge. This could help the patient’s recovery and their chance of returning to society and, hopefully, their ordinary lifestyle as soon as possible.”

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Getting medical help as quickly as possible is vital for stroke patients. A UBC Okanagan researcher uses mathematical modelling to investigate pre-hospital patient transfer policies.

Minutes matter when a stroke patient is being rushed to hospital—any delay in care can impact that person’s chance of survival and recovery.

Knowing how vital every second is for these patients, UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Amir Ardestani-Jaafari and Dr. Beste Kucukyazici from Michigan State University have analyzed transportation procedures and triage protocols to ensure stroke patients get the right level of care at the right time. Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari is an Assistant Professor in UBCO’s Faculty of Management and he specializes in health-care operations and logistics.

“Strokes, which are an attack on the brain, are a time-sensitive medical condition with only a short window available to administer therapeutic interventions,” says Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari. “Currently, patients are transported to the nearest stroke centre, following specific protocols. Yet, these protocols do not consider many factors, including the spatial variation in population density, the stroke’s severity, the time since stroke onset and the congestion level at the receiving stroke centre.”

His research, published recently in Management Science, presents a modelling framework that generates the optimal primary transport destinations for suspected acute stroke patients through an optimization model. The work also evaluates the impact of these destination decisions on patient outcomes and compares the performance of alternative policies through a simulation model.

“In our paper, we model the flow of patients in pre-hospital as well as hospital care and we examine the interactions between these two components of the stroke care continuum,” says Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari. “To be more specific, we investigate the impact of pre-hospital patient transfer policies on stroke unit congestion.”

Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari’s methodology uses mathematical modelling, including data analytics, along with discrete-event simulation, predictive and prescriptive analytics, to first understand why there is a problem in stroke transport in any urban city and what is the magnitude of the problem.

Recent medical advancements include the development of a new stroke treatment called endovascular therapy (EVT) for acute patients with a large vessel occlusion, explains Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari. Patients with this type of stroke, which is quite common, can have more complications and poor short- and long-term outcomes, he explains.

However, an EVT can remove the clot by sending a catheter to the blocked blood vessel in the brain and this can improve health outcomes.

But an EVT must be conducted in a matter of hours, meaning the patient must get to the right level of care as quickly as possible. When a destination hospital is fully congested, a patient might have to wait for admission and this wait for emergency care can have a negative impact including mortality and a person’s ability to function as they recover.

Dr. Ardestani-Jaafari’s modelling looks at whether it’s best to send a patient to a specialized stroke care facility, which may be a longer journey, instead of the closest emergency room. Getting to an emergency room that is backlogged and can’t take a patient, or cannot perform an EVT, could prove disastrous for the patient, he adds.

“The aim of this research is to find the connection and provide a solution between the delay of pre-hospital care and in boarding into a care unit,” he says. “We want to prevent any delay with the goal to improve the patient functionality at the time of discharge. This could help the patient’s recovery and their chance of returning to society and, hopefully, their ordinary lifestyle as soon as possible.”

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Wine grapes are particularly sensitive to drastic changes in temperatures. Even minor weather variations can jeopardize flavour and aroma development, making wine production vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Elizabeth Wolkowich photo.

In all wine-producing regions of the world, climate change is disrupting the traditional science of winemaking.

Devastating frosts and periods of intense drought and heat, combined with the danger of wild fires and smoke, have forced wine-producing regions from Bordeaux to Napa Valley to British Columbia to constantly adapt to changing and volatile conditions.

The sensitivity of wine grapes is what makes wine production so vulnerable to the effects of climatic shifts. Even minor variations in temperature can jeopardize certain flavour and aroma development, explains Dr. Jacques-Olivier Pesme—Director of UBC’s Wine Research Centre (WRC).

Dr. Pesme is moderating the Canadian portion of this week’s French Ameri-Can Climate Talks (FACT-B). Established in 2015 by the French Embassies in the United States and Canada, FACT-B is a series of high-level conferences that bring scientists, wine growers, consumers, associations and public authorities together to proactively discuss climate change and how it is affecting the wine industry.

This week, Fact B will welcome both French and local leaders to Kelowna, Vancouver and San Francisco. Dr. Pesme discusses sustainability and how wine producers may consider new practices to adapt to the forecasted climactic shifts to wine production.

How do changes in environmental conditions affect winemaking from grape to glass?

Climate change affects all aspects of our day-to-day life.

Naturally, wine does not escape the rule. The changing environmental conditions can provoke an earlier phenology/flowering which can be good in certain regions.

But not always, and this can have an impact for all aspects of wine production and in particular the harvest period. For instance, in many wine regions climate change will have an impact on higher levels of sugar and alcohol as well as lower levels of acidity in the grapes. This combination is undesirable because it will favor the production of wines that are less sharp, less bright, heavier and highly concentrated—which isn’t what consumers are looking for.

Are specific grape varieties, or wine regions, in danger?

Some wine regions may actually benefit from the forecasted shifts of climate. Typically, northern regions didn’t have the right conditions to growing grapes. For instance, the United Kingdom is interesting in that respect as we have seen the development of a new sparkling wine industry, inspired by Champagne.

However, in some parts of South Australia, around Riverland—the largest Australian winery region—it is the opposite. Heat and droughts are now so intense it raises the question of the sustainability of maintaining the production of wine grapes in some wine regions across the world.

These types of changes present significant challenges to growing grape varieties in many regions around the world. They’re not in danger per se, but as a wine region’s environmental conditions change, formerly successful varietals will no longer thrive. Take for instance, Merlot, which is the main varietal grown in Bordeaux. With climate warming, the Bordeaux region is becoming less suitable for the Merlot grape.

However, these changes could be seen to present opportunities to innovate and has led to the rediscovery and testing of long-forgotten and discarded native grape varieties—a kind of viticultural archaeology. The late ripening, acidity and resilience to climate stress of several of these ancestral varieties could withstand potentially extreme environmental conditions.

How is UBC’s Wine Research Centre (WRC) working with Canadian wine producers to help adapt to climate change?

The WRC’s mission is to support the development of a competitive and sustainable BC wine industry. We see our role is to co-create knowledge with the wine producers—knowledge produced by the B.C. region but also through collaboration with leading institutions around the world such as the Universitie de Bordeaux.

Working together with industry and researchers the work of the WRC is wide-ranging. Our group of researchers assess the effect of climate and specific environmental factors on grape ripening and composition, investigate smoke odour compounds in grapes and wines caused by wildfires, and also explore the impacts of climate change on phenolic compounds.

What could global consumers expect to see as a result—will there be higher prices or a lower quality of wine in response to environmental changes?

If we take the right measures, in a place like BC, climate change could be seen as both a challenge and an opportunity. With great conditions for producing premium wines, BC has an opportunity to invest in the wine industry in ways which are better for both for the environment and for the consumer.

One thing is for sure, climate change in BC is a game-changer, and our Centre is hoping to work alongside industry to be best prepare to adapt to those changes.

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A new study from UBC Okanagan suggests that women and racialized faculty members were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March 2020, the usual buzz of collaboration and creativity in research spaces at Canadian universities suddenly went silent.

COVID-19 was on the rise in Canada—and researchers were forced to cease all in-person research activities in the interest of public health.

While most would agree that all members of university communities were affected by the pandemic in some way, a new study from UBC Okanagan suggests that women and racialized faculty members were hardest hit.

Dr. Jennifer Davis, a Canada Research Chair in Applied Health Economics and lead author of a study published recently in the journal Gender, Work and Organization. Dr. Davis, an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Management, shares her research findings and insights on how to advance equity in academia.

How did this research come about?

During the onset of COVID-19, several important changes were quickly felt by those working in academia. These included the closure of research labs, the shutting down of trials, transitions to virtual classrooms and limitations on how resources were used.

While all of this was happening, I began to wonder what shifts were being felt across faculties and institutions, and how these may affect the health, wellbeing and productivity of faculty members in Canada.

What type of information were you hoping to uncover and what did you find?

I was looking to identify who was most significantly affected by these research curtailments and whether or not some groups were disproportionately affected.

My team and I rolled out a survey across public academic institutions in Canada following the initial lockdown to gauge the consequences. The data we gathered demonstrated that women and racialized faculty members said they were experiencing higher levels of stress, social isolation and lower levels of wellbeing.

Fewer women felt their health and wellness were being supported, and one example given was that they had an increased caregiving burden at home that was affecting their research productivity.

These effects were most exacerbated among pre-tenured faculty.

What did you find most interesting about your findings and how will they inform research going forward?

While our study focused on those in academia, it’s interesting to note that other studies had similar findings, particularly related to women and increased caregiving responsibilities due to COVID-19.

This illustrates that these issues were not limited to folks working in academia, as they were reported across other sectors too. In this study, we provide some recommendations for moving forward that I hope will create positive change and prevent further exacerbation of systemic inequities. 

What do you suggest to prevent a worsening of these inequities?

One of our key recommendations is to increase the use of narrative and storytelling to share the experiences of faculty members. We propose examining ways to collect and understand stories about individual repercussions of the pandemic on faculty members who conduct research.

Our research supports the idea that sharing individual experiences of the consequences of COVID-19 will foster more understanding in academia and hopefully support a sense of community among women and racialized faculty.

I’d like to think our work can also provide a path for senior administrators, or managers in other sectors, to connect directly with the experiences of marginalized faculty members or employees and engage with disparities in an effort to create more inclusive work environments.

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The MEDTalks health education speaker explores current and emerging trends in medicine, such as technologies that help provide more treatment approaches for health care professionals.

What: The Southern Medical Program presents MEDTalks: Innovations in Stroke Prevention and Management
Who: UBC Professor Dr. Janice Eng and UBC Assistant Professor Dr. Brodie Sakakibara
When: Tuesday, May 17, 7 to 8 pm
Venue: Reichwald Health Sciences Centre, 1088 Discovery Avenue, UBC Okanagan. Virtual option also available.

Globally, one in four adults will experience the effects of a stroke. And over the next 15 years, the number of Canadians living with the effects of stroke is anticipated to increase by 78 per cent.

Technology—such as the internet, computers, tablets and wearable sensors—is providing even more treatment approaches for health care professionals.

UBC Okanagan is hosting an evening with stroke recovery experts where participants can learn how technology is helping transform rehabilitation for patients and can help support their long-term recovery.

Dr. Janice Eng is a world leader in stroke recovery research—from neurophysiology to novel clinical interventions and treatment programs—and has implemented these programs globally. Dr. Eng is the Canada Research Chair Tier 1 in Neurological Rehabilitation, has been recognized for excellence in mentoring early-career faculty, and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

She is one of six UBC faculty recently honoured as a University Killam Professor. Recognized for her outstanding research and teaching career, it is the highest honour UBC can bestow on its faculty.

Dr. Brodie Sakakibara is an Assistant Professor with the UBC Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and an investigator with the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management based at UBC Okanagan. Dr. Sakakibara’s primary research focuses on telehealth and self-management of behavioural risk factors to minimize morbidity and mortality associated with stroke and cardiovascular disease.

MEDTalks is a health education lecture series exploring current and emerging trends in medicine. Hosted by the Southern Medical Program at UBC Okanagan, researchers and health professionals share their insights and expertise on how to enhance your overall health.

The event is free and open to the public with in-person and virtual options available.

To register, or find out more, visit: smp.med.ubc.ca/community-engagement/medtalks

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