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University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. Since 1915, UBC’s West Coast spirit has embraced innovation and questioned the status quo. With close to 63,000 students from 160 countries and more than 5,400 faculty on two campuses in Vancouver and the Okanagan, UBC is a place where bold thinking develops into ideas that can change the world. Its entrepreneurial perspective encourages students, staff and faculty to challenge convention, lead discovery and explore new ways of learning.

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The boy who went viral: Nick Sandmann shown here in his MAGA cap with fellow students next to Indigenous elder playing the drum. Instagram/ka_ya11

Why the media loves the white racist story

Rima Wilkes, University of British Columbia and Howard Ramos, Dalhousie University

It’s easier to accuse someone else of racism than it is to challenge the racist and colonial systems we participate in.
In 2017, Saskatchewan’s auditor general showed that a private pay MRI program actually increased wait times for scans rather than the promised reduction. Here, an MRI machine is prepared at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital on May 1, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Why private, for-profit health care is a terrible idea

Sarah Giles, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Danyaal Raza, University of Toronto, and Rupinder Brar, University of British Columbia

A two-tier, for-profit health-care system will not end “hallway medicine” in Ontario or elsewhere; evidence from around the world shows that private payment increases wait times for the majority.
The Chronic Pain Association of Canada has received money from Eli Lilly Canada Inc., Purdue Canada Inc. and Merck Frosst Canada. A blog post on the association’s website contains messages favourable to increased opioid use. (Flickr/Ajay Suresh)

Why Big Pharma must disclose payments to patient groups

Itai Bavli, University of British Columbia and Joel Lexchin, University of Toronto

Evidence shows that opioid manufacturers fund patient advocacy groups in Canada, distorting policies to protect public health.
If citizens think they’ll personally and financially benefit from a carbon tax, maybe politicians would take action. Thomas Hafeneth/Unsplash

Want citizens to care about climate change? Write them a cheque

Abhishek Kar, University of British Columbia and Hisham Zerriffi, University of British Columbia

Millions of people worldwide are either indifferent to a carbon tax or opposed. If citizens were motivated by potential carbon dividends, maybe politicians would finally take action on climate change.
Are polyamorists hiding in your family? (Shutterstock)

When you have 2 lovers, the holidays can be tricky

Carrie Jenkins, University of British Columbia

Many people are ‘polyamorous’ — they have two or more romantic partners. Often they struggle to disclose this to family, making for challenges in the holidays.
The growing trend of sexualised injection meth use — colloquially referred to as ‘slamming’ — is a growing public health concern due to the dual risk of transmission of HIV and other blood-borne viruses via both injection and sexual transmission. (Shutterstock)

Gay men who use crystal meth need integrated care

Rod Knight, University of British Columbia

The sexualized use of crystal meth by gay men is one of the key drivers of rising HIV rates and has many negative mental health consequences. Integrated sexual and substance use care is vital.
‘Wait, we’re WHAT?’ Why laws that consider live-in couples to be married may be well-intentioned, but erode free choice and put pressure on relationships. Rawpixel/Unsplash

‘We’re WHAT?’ Why marriage default laws are misguided

Erez Aloni, University of British Columbia and Adam Vanzella-Yang, University of British Columbia

Reforming laws relating to unmarried couples is long overdue. But it can also represent an affront couples’ autonomy and erodes the freedom to choose to live in non-marital situations.
People living with HIV/AIDS all over the world are still struggling with stigma due to perceptions of the virus as dark and shameful. Here a Filipino man lights candles at a World AIDS Day even in Quezon city, Philippines in 2016. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

What you need to know about HIV/AIDS today

Nathan John Lachowsky, University of Victoria; Gbolahan Olarewaju, University of British Columbia, and Heather Armstrong, University of British Columbia

Researchers from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS share the latest research on HIV prevention, treatment and stigma.
Protesters are seen outside an event Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was attending in Calgary on Nov. 22, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Alberta oil communities need a transition plan, not new pipelines

Sandeep Pai, University of British Columbia; Hisham Zerriffi, University of British Columbia, and Kathryn Harrison, University of British Columbia

Canada has joined the international community in calling for a transition away from fossil fuels. There is no reason to wait for more painful disruption before planning for that transition.
New research indicates women are much happier when they work with other women, as opposed to men. Here a scene from the set of ‘Ocean’s Eight’ with Cate Blanchett and Rihanna looking happy working together.

Women feel better when they work with other women

Yue Qian, University of British Columbia

Men have defended gender segregation by treating women who cross over into male-dominated occupations with scorn and ridicule.
Mother Earth: Aataentsic is a woman in Wendat legend who falls from the sky and gives birth to humankind. Viv Lynch/Flickr

Who are Canada’s ‘most historically significant’ women?

Donica Belisle, University of Regina and Andrea Eidinger, University of British Columbia

Inspired by a recent poll that said Canadians don’t know enough about women’s history, some media outlets explored women’s history but they left out some important stories.
In this June 2017 photo, a coal barge is positioned as a backdrop behind U.S. President Donald Trump as he speaks during a rally in Cincinnati. A coal company executive said Trump personally promised to activate emergency legal authorities to keep dirty or economically uncompetitive coal plants from shutting down. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

The uncertain future of U.S. coal communities

Sandeep Pai, University of British Columbia and Hisham Zerriffi, University of British Columbia

Despite politically powerful coal communities helping elect a president who vowed guarantee their continued prosperity, their future remains more uncertain than ever.
A employee holds pre-rolled joints at Buddha Barn Craft Cannabis in Vancouver, Oct. 2, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Now that cannabis is legal, let’s use it to tackle the opioid crisis

Stephanie Lake, University of British Columbia and M-J Milloy, University of British Columbia

Cannabis legalization in Canada is a public health strategy. Let’s harness this opportunity to understand how cannabis could fit into a multi-faceted opioid prevention and response strategy.
Noble Prize winner Donna Strickland, right, is followed by media to her lab in Waterloo, Ont., on Oct. 2, 2018. Strickland is among three physicists who were awarded the prize for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

Why I’m not surprised Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland isn’t a full professor

Michelle Stack, University of British Columbia

What Strickland achieved is impressive. But it isn’t a sign that the patriarchy is being smashed.
A study published in the British Medical Journal Open reports that midwifery patients were 41 per cent less likely to have a small-for-gestational-age baby compared to patients of obstetricians. (Shutterstock)

Poor women who use midwives have healthier babies

Nazeem Muhajarine, University of Saskatchewan and Daphne McRae, University of British Columbia

New research shows that midwifery care is not just for the wealthy – it has health and cost benefits for vulnerable women and provincial governments must act to increase their access.
In France, nearly three-quarters of the children of divorced couples see their fathers only one weekend every fifteen days. Pixabay

Are joint custody and shared parenting a child’s right?

Michel Grangeat, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA); Edward Kruk, University of British Columbia; Malin Bergström, Stockholm University, and Sofia Marinho, Universidade de Lisboa

Families in the 21st century have changed, making it necessary to rethink what has been “traditional” ways of sharing the custody of children.
En France près des trois-quarts des enfants de couples divorcés ne voient leur père qu'un week-end par quinzaine. Pixabay

Résidence alternée, un droit de l’enfant ?

Michel Grangeat, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA); Edward Kruk, University of British Columbia; Malin Bergström, Stockholm University, and Sofia Marinho, Universidade de Lisboa

Une réflexion sur l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant adaptée aux conditions de vie des enfants du XXIᵉ siècle est nécessaire pour remplacer les pratiques « classiques ».

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