Rural Physician Research Grant Program

The Rural Physician Research Grant Program empowers rural physicians—or new aspiring researchers—to pursue innovative rural research projects that advance rural health in British Columbia.

Dr. Jenny Retallack, one of the physicians awarded funding for their research grant

Achievements

Five Physicians Grant Recipients

The following five physicians were awarded research grants in 2023:

Dr. Denise Jaworsky – Physician perspectives on psychological safety and retention challenges in rural BC
Dr. Anotnio Menezes – Does artificial intelligence enhance adenoma detection rates during colonoscopy in a community hospital setting
Dr. Jenny Retallack – READAPT-Kids BC: Clinical ChaRacteristics and outcomEs of hospitAlized chilDren with Acute resPiratory infecTions in British Columbia
Dr. Stefan Grzybowski – The Team is Breaking Down: Healthcare Providers’ Lived Experiences of Teamwork in the Rural Emergency Department
Dr. Denise Jaworsky – Bringing clinical trials to the East Kootenay Region

Other projects awarded grants from previous application rounds are still ongoing. 

Advancing collaboration and innovation

To ensure alignment with the core mission of the RPRG program, we engaged in wide-ranging discussion deliberations within the grant committee to explore avenues for collective progress and enhancing applications, resulting in:

Ongoing development of a rejuvenated communications strategy for both the short term and long-term health of the program
Support of an unsuccessful but enthusiastic applicant to develop their promising research project into a fundable application for the next round of applications (Spring 2024) with the support of the RCCbc Research Associates and partners at Interior Health.
Encouraging co-applications from physicians and their medical students/residents in order to foster research interest and capacity among the next generation of rural physicians

Increase research support within Island Health

Co-appointment of a new Research Associate with Island Health to support the development of rural research on the Island.

Explore the numbers

5 Grants receipients

Topics range from physicians investigate rural BC's psychological safety, AI's impact on colonoscopy, pediatric respiratory outcomes, rural emergency teamwork, and clinical trials in East Kootenay

$44,250 Funded

Grants totaling for the Physician Research

$2,000 Awarded

Two stipends, $1000 each to support the involvement of medical students in the development of research capacity in the East Kootenay region

Making a Difference

Research supports & funding for rural physicians

RCCbc grant kickstarts virtual palliative care education for rural providers

Plans for the Future

The team will be running another two intakes of proposals for rural physician research grants, deadlines will be April 30, 2024 and October 31, 2024.

A new communications plan will attempt to address the Calls to Action by seeking to reach more Indigenous researchers and physician researchers with the opportunity and support in developing their applications.

The team will be seeking to invite at least one Indigenous physician and/or researcher to join the grant committee at the earliest opportunity with a view to further balancing of perspectives over time.

We will be attempting to encourage joint applications between physicians and their medical students to further, aiming to foster future physician research interest and capacity from the outset.