The Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc) congratulates the latest recipients of our grant programs.
These projects, supported through the Rural Global Health Partnership Initiative (RGHPI) and the Rural Physician Research Grant Program (RPRGP), highlight innovation in substance use care, simulation training for anesthesia providers, and more.
Learn how these grant recipients are making a difference in rural and global healthcare through impactful partnerships and research.
In the latest intake, three projects were awarded Rural Global Health Partnership Initiative (RGHPI) funds. There were also two research studies awarded Rural Physician Research Grant Program funds.
You can now learn more about the spring intake of grants worth up to $10,000, with a deadline of April 30, 2025. For more information visit the RCCbc grant webpage.
Congratulations to the RGHPI grant recipients.
- Dr. Jeremy Penner, from Gitlax̱t’aamiks, will be working with a local group in Kenya to carry out an assessment of the capacity of rural public health facilities in Kajiado County to identify and support children with neurodevelopmental needs. The result will be the creation of an action plan to address service delivery gaps. The project is entitled Capacity Assessment and Action Planning for Health Services for Children with Neurodiversity in Rural Kenya.
- Dr. Julian Barnbrook, from Prince George, will be working with people in Guatemala to train local facilitators to offer a simulation course called VAST (Vital Anesthesia Simulation Training). Specifically designed for low-resource settings, the course covers anesthesia and resuscitation for obstetrics, pediatrics, and trauma as well as safe general surgery and peri-operative care. The project is called Vital Anesthesia Simulation Training (VAST) for Anesthesia providers, Quiché, Guatemala: Enhancing perioperative care in underserved regions.
- Dr. Alison Hamilton, from Vancouver, will be producing a three-part podcast designed to highlight innovative care models in rural and remote areas. The podcast will offer rural providers practical insights for care in resource-limited settings. The project, part of the BC Centre for Substance Use’s Addiction Practice podcast, is called Profiling Rural and Remote Substance Use Innovations for Generalist Practices: A Three-episode Arc of the Addiction Practice Pod.
Congratulations to the RPRGP grant recipients.
- Dr. Ilona Hale, from Kimberley, working with co-investigator Dr. Clark Svrcek, will be conducting research into how primary care providers can promote the transition to a high-quality, low-carbon, environmentally sustainable healthcare. As part of a larger Canadian project to develop tools and resources to inspire and facilitate uptake of environmentally sustainable clinical primary care, the researchers will be hosting focus groups to better understand barriers and what types of support providers need, especially rural providers. The project is entitled Dashboard and Implementation Hub for Sustainable Primary Care – Needs Assessment.
- Dr. Tandi Wilkinson, from Nelson, will be conducting research into physicians’ relationships with affiliated organizations, such as regulatory agencies and education providers, to identify organizational qualities that positively influence their well-being. The broader objective of this research is to foster a provincial and national dialogue on shifting practices and cultures in affiliated organizations to support physician well-being. The project is entitled Qualities of Physician Friendly Health Care Related Organizations.
As part of the Rural Physician Research Grant Program, grants of up to $10,000 are available for rural physicians to pursue innovative rural research and knowledge translation projects contributing to advancing rural health in BC. The Rural Global Health Partnership Initiative, meanwhile, provides funding to support partnerships between rural BC physicians or medical trainees committed to rural service, and underserved communities in BC, Canada, and internationally. The goals of this initiative are to enhance capacity for generalism in rural BC and foster reciprocal learning in diverse health systems and community contexts. Another goal is to demonstrate how global health and planetary health (local and international) community partnerships can heighten awareness, create innovative solutions to address healthcare challenges, including, but not limited to climate change, and lead to improved health outcomes, especially for underserved, marginalized, and Indigenous populations.
