Register for INCREASE BC 2025 here
Abstract Submissions Closed
GF Strong Lectureship Panel
Beyond the “p-value”: Patient and Community-Partner Perspectives
Our panel features four patient and community-partners, each bringing their own unique experiences to the discussion.
This year, we are excited to introduce a panel discussion that puts the spotlight on those at the heart of rehabilitation research – our patient and community-partners.
The panel discussion will be chaired by Dr. Rajiv Reebye and moderated by Dr. Julia Hanes and Dr. Julia Schmidt.
Join us as our panelists share their journeys, challenges, and insights. Through their perspectives, we will explore how patient and community engagement can bridge the gap between research, clinical practice, and real-world outcomes.
Sharon Roman is a patient-partner for the UBC Pharmacoepidemiology in Multiple Sclerosis research group and writer for the British Medical Journal group. Sharon is a member of the Patient Advisory Board for the Canadian Medical Association Journal and Co-Chair of the Brain Wellness Program at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. She also served a full term on the Patient Editorial Board for the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry from 2018-2020 and is a past MS Society of Canada webinar host.
A dedicated cyclist, Christopher Jameson had raced around the globe and balanced a prestigious career as an accountant until he sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in 2017 from a cycling accident. He was treated at GF Strong Centre and through years of rehabilitation, determination and resilience returned as an accountant with KPMG. He is passionate to help with fundraising to improve health initiatives and is a patient-partner for the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation and the Wheel2Heal project.
Myrna Norman was diagnosed with Frontal Temporal Dementia in 2009 and her advocacy for people living with neurocognitive disorders is far reaching as she speaks on the topic with the Purple Angel Ambassadors, the Alzheimer’s Society of BC, various churches, and staff and residents of retirement and long-term care homes.
Janelle Breese Biagioni is a Registered Professional Counsellor and Master Practitioner in Clinical Counselling, specializing in life losses arising from a death or catastrophic injury, and the co-President of the BC Brain Injury Association. She is the widow of Constable Gerry Breese, who died within 1-year of sustaining a traumatic brain injury. Janelle’s advocacy work focuses on traumatic brain injury policies and practices across Canada.
Call for Abstracts
Deadline Extended: March 12, 2025
Our annual Interdisciplinary Conference in Rehabilitation Science of BC (INCREASE BC) event is on its way, and we want you to be part of it! We invite applications for presentations from clinicians, researchers, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and residents on projects for the rehabilitation community.
The keynote sessions will revolve around the theme of Patient and Community Partnered Research, though submissions from all fields of rehabilitation research are welcome!
This year’s INCREASE BC will be held at the Chan Auditorium, BC Children’s Hospital on April 30, 2025.
This year, you have the option to apply to present your research in a 3-Minute Thesis, oral, or poster format. A 3-Minute Thesis allows presenters the opportunity to creatively share your research and its significance in just three minutes using one slide. Please refer to the UBC 3-Minute Thesis for guidance and examples.
Each presentation format will have its own prize awarded to the best presenters!
All presenters must attend and present their research in-person.
Register for the conference here
Please use the following guidelines for all three presentation formats (oral, poster, and 3-Minute Thesis):
- Headings (oral and poster): title, background & aims, methods, results, conclusion
- Headings (3MT): title, background & aims, methods, significance
- The body of the abstract (background & aims to conclusion/significance) should be a maximum of 250 words
- Authors should be listed in the correct order (surname, first name; surname, first name) with superscript numbers
- Underneath the authors, superscript should follow the format: Affiliation, City, Country
- Correspondence at the bottom of the abstract (ie. Presenter; email)
Save the Date
April 30, 2025
This year’s conference will take place on April 30, 2025 at the Chan Auditorium, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
Interdisciplinary Conference in Rehabilitation Science of BC (INCREASE BC) is a collaborative initiative between the UBC Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rehab Research Program, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI), and the UBC Rehabilitation Sciences Executive Committee.
The mission of INCREASE BC is to improve research in rehabilitation, which enables us to advance collaborative rehabilitation care and improve the lives of people living with disabilities, injuries, and chronic health conditions in British Columbia.
This year’s conference will revolve around the theme of Patient and Community Partnered Research.