UVic Faculty of Health

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

07/24/2026

We're proud to see four health faculty members on this list! Congrats to Ingrid Handlovsky (Nursing), Sam Liu (Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education), Christine Ou (Nursing), and Brianna Turner (Clinical Psychology) for receiving Social Sciences and Health Research Council funding for their respective research projects.

Read more:

More than $5 million awarded to UVic researchers through federal SSHRC 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

06/16/2026

Early bird registration closes Friday for the 5th International Indigenous Nursing Research for Health Empowerment Summit, which will be held Oct 6-9 at UVic.

Don't miss your chance to hear from keynote speakers Ursula Knoki-Wilson, Kathleen Bird and Lynore Geia.

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

06/16/2026

Check out this important paper about the link between alcohol consumption and pancreatic cancer from the School of Medical Science's Tim Naimi, who is also director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research.

Does alcohol increase the risk of pancreatic cancer?

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently links seven types of cancer including breast, colon, and mouth cancer with alcohol consumption. Pancreatic cancer is currently not on that list.

However, a new study out of UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) contributes to mounting evidence of alcohol’s link to this particularly deadly form of cancer. After controlling for “former drinker” bias in an analysis of multiple previous studies, researchers found that drinking more than 24 grams of alcohol per day (a little under two standard Canadian drinks) was associated with a 10-30 percent increase in risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

💬 “After rigorously analyzing the existing evidence, we strongly believe it’s time to add pancreatic cancer to the list of alcohol-related cancers.” - Tim Naimi, CISUR director and an author of the study.

🔗 Learn more: https://ow.ly/CX6850ZcmYW

📸 Photo: Tim Naimi, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) director.

06/12/2026

Happy convocation day! Join us in congratulating three health graduates who are receiving certificates of distinction today for earning the highest graduating grade point average in their respective area of study.🏅

Fiona Howarth, School of Health Information Science, UVic
💬"I am deeply honoured to be awarded this Certificate of Outstanding Academic Distinction. It is a wonderful feeling to be recognized for all of my hard work throughout my academic journey, and I am grateful to the University of Victoria for this recognition. I look forward to bringing the same drive and dedication that guided my studies into the next stage of my career."

Jenny Olsen, UVic - School of Nursing
💬"I am excited to be completing my second degree and launching my career as an oncology nurse at BC Cancer. Attending full-time university as a mature student and mother of two has been both challenging and rewarding. I am thrilled to have made it out the other side and look forward to the path ahead as a registered nurse. I truly appreciate the recognition of this award."

Siskin de Balasi Brown, UVic School of Social Work
💬"This award represents so much more than my academic accomplishments. During my years of study, I raised a child from infancy to seven, survived devastating illness and dynamic disability, and much more. Honouring the complexity of my own experience forms the foundation of my ethical social work practice. Each individual and community I work alongside demonstrates incredible strength in the face of structural barriers, inter/personal challenges, and systemic injustice."

We wish all graduating health students the best as you move forward in your careers and life! 🎓

06/12/2026

It's convocation day for the Faculty of Health! 🎓

Meet Mathew Hupfield, who is graduating with a BA in public health from UVic’s School of Public Health and Social Policy (PHSP).

A father of two children who worked in health-related roles for more than a decade before he applied to UVic, Hupfield now works full time for his home community, Wasauksing First Nation, in northern Ontario.

"One of the most meaningful parts of the program was completing my practicum with my own First Nation, Wasauksing First Nation," he says.

"It was a special opportunity and a homecoming after so much time away. I was able to reintroduce myself, reconnect with community, reconnect with culture and reconnect with ceremony."

Congratulations to Mathew and all those attending convocation today!

Read more: https://news.uvic.ca/2026/distance-program-helps-public-health-grad-prioritize-family-and-community/