Each year, the YWCA of Metro Vancouver Women of Distinction Awards recognize and celebrate extraordinary women in Metro Vancouver. This event shines a spotlight on the outstanding achievements and contributions of women who significantly impact their communities and beyond. The Active Aging Research Team’s co-principal scientist, Dr. Joanie Sims Gould, is among this year's nominees. Her nomination is in the Research, Sciences, and Technology category. We congratulate and celebrate Joanie for this well-deserved nomination. She dedicates herself to advancing science and community-based work t ..read more

The world has made both science and gender equality a priority. According to the United Nations, both are “vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” While there have been important advancements to include women in science, at the moment less than 30 percent of researchers globally are women. We celebrate that our team, the Active Aging Research Team at the University of British Columbia, is female-led and driven. So, today, we celebrate the women of the Active Aging Research ..read more

By: Thea Franke, PhD Images have been used throughout history as a way for people to express themselves and their needs. Humans have been drawn to this form of expression, from prehistoric cave paintings that feature big game animals to the explosion of photo-driven social media. Images captured through the photovoice research method reflect the realities that influence participants’ lives, making this method a unique way to better understand people and their experiences. What is Photovoice? In the mid-1990s, Dr. Wang and colleagues[1] developed the photovoice method as a creative appro ..read more

By Sarah Lusina, Director of Strategic Partnerships, AART; Executive Director, Active Aging Society Special feature: The Active Aging Society works closely with the UBC Active Aging Research Team (AART) to implement and adapt Choose to Move with community-based seniors’ service (CBSS) organizations across British Columbia. In this blog we start to unpack the role of the Society in the scale-up of Choose to Move. Stay tuned for more blog posts that feature the Active Aging Society. Summary:  In this blog we showcase how we celebrate the success of our partners in the delivery of Choose ..read more

By: Johanna Dingle As life expectancy gradually increases, a question to ask is, “whether the added time comprises years of healthy life and promotes a high health-related quality of life into old age” (Langhammer et al., 2018, p. 1). Throughout my undergrad as a health sciences student, my professors and the curriculum often emphasized the topic of older adult health and the societal implications of this growing demographic in Canada. This subject resonated with me and piqued my interest in geriatric health. I believe that everyone should be able to access healthcare to help them lead healthy ..read more

By Joanie Sims-Gould, Thea Franke & Heather McKay To implement comprehensive, evidence-based programs at scale truly ‘takes a village.’ So often, evidence-based interventions are not effectively implemented or sustained, as community organizations receive very little support or ongoing training during the implementation process. This conceptual model of factors that both act independently and converge to support effective implementation was outlined by Dr. Abe Wandersman (Distinguished Professor Emeritus, South Carolina) in 2008. We have visually adapted this figure from the original (view ..read more

By Callista Ottoni As we are well aware, the Canadian Government has requested everyone limit social contact, or as we prefer, physical proximity, to stop the spread of COVID-19. How then, can we stay active, and not feel too isolated? Here are 6 simple tips from the Active Aging Research Team. 1. Call someone to be your activity buddy: Research shows that being accountable helps us stay active. Recruit a friend (on the phone), with whom you will share your physical activity goals for the week. You could even arrange to go for a walk at the same time and chat on the phone as you walk. O ..read more

By Victoria Mah   Lab coats, cubicles, flasks.The image of a scientist pouring contents from one flask to the other was my perception of all research. Working as a Research Assistant with the Active Aging Research Team at the University of British Columbia quickly dismantled this perception. As an undergraduate student, I was curious about what was in this black box labelled ‘research.’ I wondered whether this mysterious field aligned with my overly simplistic perception of research. So when I had the opportunity to join this research team, I jumped at it. During the interview for the pos ..read more

…and we hope to inspire other women and girls to join us. The world has made both science and gender equality a priority. According to the United Nations, both are “vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” While there have been important advancements to include women in science, at the moment less than 30 percent of researchers globally are women. This year, the UN declared that the theme for Women and Girls in Science Day 2021 is “Women Scientists at the forefront of the fig ..read more

By Thea Franke, PhD, with Rebecca Collett Loneliness: the silent killer. It is not something many of us like to discuss openly. On a societal level, we have not addressed it, even as we begin to recognize loneliness as a growing concern within our communities. We often view it as reserved for a select few individuals in our population, however this couldn’t be further from the truth. We can all think of a story. I think about my friends’ grandma who is 99 and lives alone in a senior’s residence. Her grandma has been absolutely miserable since the pandemic began. Her seniors’ residence has be ..read more