UVic Faculty of Health

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/

06/10/2026

Join UVic Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health for their inaugural Seed Funding Research Showcase.

When: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 5:30–7:00 PM
Where: Student Union Building (Upper Lounge), University of Victoria

This special evening will feature presentations from our three 2025 seed funding recipients, Dr. Farah Mawani (Assistant Professor, Public Health and Social Policy), Matilde Cervantes Navarrete (PhD Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies), and Sasha Zinovich (PhD Student, Sociology).

Each speaker will share their innovative work in a 25-minute presentation, followed by opportunities to engage with the IALH community.

We invite you to come learn about emerging research, enjoy light refreshments, and connect with colleagues and community members.

Register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/seed-funding-research-showcase-tickets-1989956803367

06/08/2026

Congratulations to Linnea Leist, who earlier this month was awarded the 2026 Canadian Association for Teacher Education (CATE) Recognition Award for her master’s thesis. 🏅

Leist, whose thesis was called “Exploring Teacher Wellness Using Poetic Representation with Teachers in their First Five Years”, likens her experience to a river journey.

“Receiving this award feels like a moment where the river pauses, briefly recognizing its own current as shaped by quieter meandering moments, unseen effort, and steady movement towards something larger,” Leist says.

She is now a PhD student in kinesiology in Ryan Rhodes’s Behavioural Medicine Lab.

06/04/2026

"This award is meaningful because it underscores the importance of relational, inclusive teaching in health education."

Warmest congratulations to UVic - School of Nursing's Kim Daly, who recently won the Faculty of Health's Teaching Excellence and Educational Leadership Award.

As associate director of the undergraduate nursing program and fulltime faculty member since 2018, Daly is known for a warm, humorous, ‘shoot-from-the-hip’ approach grounded in real-life nursing practice.

"I’m fortunate to work with colleagues and students who are committed to equity, collaboration, and transformative learning, and this recognition reflects that shared vision," she says.

Read more: https://www.uvic.ca/health/stories/health/kim-daly-wins-teaching-excellence-award.php

05/26/2026

How can health research connect community? On May 1, UVic's Faculty of Health and UVic Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health co-hosted an annual health research symposium.

The sold-out event included more than 30 presenters who explored the conference theme, advancing health through community, culture and change.

Open to students, faculty members, industry partners, and community members, presenters explored pressing issues including health care access and inclusion; mental health interventions; and substance use, harm reduction and policy.

“Health Research Day was an opportunity to show, from graduate level students up to seasoned faculty members, the depth and impact of research at UVic," Acting Associate Dean Research Sam Liu says.

We also celebrated an important milestone in the Faculty of Health—our first birthday!

Check out some photo highlights from the day. Read the full story:
https://news.uvic.ca/2026/health-research-connects-community/

05/25/2026

Congrats to UVic - School of Nursing, which celebrated its 50th anniversary recently. Check out the photos from the celebration.