Heading to Dr. Yeeun Archer Lee’s talk on #SocialConnection at Trinity Western University today! Grateful to have just joined Yeeun’s team as a research assistant to help turn knowledge into action.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, I’m absolutely devastated by the Tai Po apartment fire that has killed 55 and displaced thousands. 36% of residents in this public housing estate are older adults (65+), many with limited mobility. Thinking of the seniors, families, and kaifongs tonight.

COP30 overpromised, underdelivered, empowered distractions, backtracked on issues and once again gave big oil and big ag a free pass. Unfortunately, the suspicions of climate scientists (here in Brazil and abroad) were confirmed again.

New qualitative study coming out of @oxprimarycare.bsky.social explored factors surrounding #SocialPrescribing link worker retention in the UK. As a community connector in Canada, I see similar ambiguities here at home.

If you haven’t already, make sure you subscribe to @medsky.social! It’s a Bluesky network and labeler for healthcare folks that adds little topic labels (like “Primary Care” and “Public Health”) under your name. You can DM them and they’ll help you get started!

So proud to contribute to the Canadian arm of the IAIC study on perceptions of aging and aging well with colleagues from @idea.nursing.ubc.ca. Great to see @nurselillian.bsky.social repping 🇨🇦 to share our results in Singapore.

New blog post on Bioethics Today by Hana Abbasian and Perisa Ashar responds to our recent LOVOT reflection paper, raising ethical questions about #AlgorithmicIntimacy and #EmotionalAccountability when using social robots in dementia care.

Featured in Canadian Healthcare Technology, a new study by VCHRI researcher Dr. Lillian Hung reveals how accessible, AI-enabled robot companions foster emotional engagement & social connection for residents of long-term care homes: ow.ly/gHZ850XnXP5

New #nursesky pub alert! Our research team at @idea.nursing.ubc.ca (led by @nurselillian.bsky.social) captured perspectives of people living with dementia and family partners on the potential, limitations, and ethics of implementing #LOVOT in long-term care homes:

There are higher priorities for 50$million Vancouver tax dollars. Like, housing. And schools. And parks.

Vancouver has a councillor who can’t even vote in Vancouver—but that’s fine with Ken Sim’s ABC majority. If you don’t live with the consequences, you shouldn’t write the rules.

Great week of learning and connecting at #CAG_2025 in Montréal with @nurselillian.bsky.social and the @idea.nursing.ubc.ca team. Presented posters on a seated dance pilot in LTC and a scoping review on social support for 2S/LGBTQ+ older adults in Canada :)

Great discussion (and pizza) at @agingsmart.bsky.social’s Lunch & Learn on #SocialPrescribing and social supports for older adults in rural Canada with Prof. Maureen Ashe.

Pop-up roller skating rink near the Chelsea section of the High Line celebrating LGBTQ+ activists like Marsha P. Johnson

Proud moment today! Our research assistant @jeffrey.cspsc.ca and patient partner Lynn Jackson presented our poster “Co-Designing Immersive Virtual Reality With Indigenous Communities” at the TWU CREATE Conference 2025.

Whether they're blaming vaccines and Tylenol, or selling dubious "remedies," what they're really doing is promoting the perception that families (and especially mothers) can prevent and treat Autism. And thus also the perception that people with Autism and their families don't need social support.

Thanks for raising this important point, @evafain.bsky.social. Our study at @idea.nursing.ubc.ca explored older adults’ experiences w/ social robots, co-created with people with lived experience, to understand how they may support emotional and social wellbeing (commenting in a personal capacity):

Today is #WorldAlzheimersDay. At the UBC IDEA Lab, we believe our work matters because people living with dementia matter. Through co-created research, we’re working toward a kinder, more compassionate future for dementia care 💜

🤖 A new study led by VCHRI researcher Dr. Lillian Hung reveals how accessible, AI-enabled robot companions foster emotional engagement & social connection for residents of long-term care homes:

Researchers quantified what people with lived experience have been saying for years: street sweeps harm people, increasing their risk of violence and overdose. My latest for @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/09...

@cisp-icps.bsky.social hosted a series of webinars exploring evidence, policy, priority population perspectives, and co-design approaches with leading researchers in the field of social prescribing. Check out the series here: www.socialprescribing.ca/webinar-seri...

Our new scoping review in Digital Health (@journals.sagepub.com), led by @nurselillian.bsky.social, explores what helps and hinders co-designing #SocialRobots with older adults living with #Dementia. Read here:

Healthcare decision-making requires diverse evidence beyond studies of effectiveness. #EvidenceSynthesis #EBHC www.youtube.com/shorts/1aFMy...

@nurselillian.bsky.social #nursesky and UBC IDEA Lab patient partner Mario Gregorio recently joined Mark Niu @beingpatient.bsky.social to chat about how #SocialRobots like PARO and LOVOT are transforming #DementiaCare. Check it out:

Today is #EmancipationDay, marking the beginnings of the abolition of slavery in “Canada” in 1833. This history is not well known—I learned all about slavery in the US but didn’t even know that there’s similar history here until today. Hope you’ve learned something new too.

Our July 2025 newsletter is out now! If you haven’t already, subscribe to stay in the loop with UBC IDEA Lab team spotlights, project updates, upcoming events, and more: eepurl.com/ilKMy6

“If Medicare was about guaranteeing access, then the next legacy must be about building health differently: through prevention, through connection, and through community.” —Dr. J.R. Baker, via @croakeynews.bsky.social

Troubling to see federal cuts targeting Indigenous Services and scientific research under PM @mark-carney.bsky.social. Share your voice and push for a budget that reflects our values: canada.ca/yourbudget

Join @cisp-icps.bsky.social on August 6th to learn how Social Prescribing Connectors are bridging health and social care to: ✅ Address social determinants of health ✅ Improve equity and access ✅ Strengthen relationships between people and their communities 🔗 Register now: lnkd.in/gcXvRFsH

Just registered for the @jbiebhc.bsky.social Comprehensive #SystematicReview Training this October through @uvic.ca. Excited to strengthen my evidence synthesis skills as I dig deeper into #SocialPrescribing and #SeniorCare research to help build the evidence base!

Had a great time learning from #SocialPrescribing community connectors and evaluators at @cisp-icps.bsky.social’s Canadian Social Prescribing Exchange this morning. Can’t wait for the next one in November!

I work in a large organization (UBC), so from time to time, people trying to reach another Jeffrey Wong accidentally email me. So far, I’ve been an OB/GYN and a tech manager… who knows how many more Jeffrey Wongs are out there lol

Came across this opinion piece on patient engagement in research in @bmj.com just now—thank you so much for sharing your perspective, @dawnrichards.bsky.social.

Excited to be presenting at our @idea.nursing.ubc.ca Research Day 2025! If you’re in Vancouver on August 13, make sure to swing by and check out our work :)

Fresh off the press—new paper led by PhD candidate Karen Wong and @nurselillian.bsky.social explored how dementia-friendly videos can support the psychosocial needs of people with moderate to severe dementia in care settings. Check it out: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” —Malcolm X

Wrapped up our #NWRS2025 presentation on LOVOT in LTC—honoured to share voices of older adults, people living with dementia, and their carers. Thank you to Arwen for being a wonderful co-presenter, @idea.nursing.ubc.ca for the support, and SFU Computing Science for hosting.

I’ll be presenting on the #LOVOT social robot with the UBC IDEA Lab (@idea.nursing.ubc.ca) team at the Northwest Robotics Symposium at SFU Harbour Centre later today—it’s a free to attend so come say hi if you’re around!

Based in the GTA? Interested in facilitating a #SocialPrescribing workshop? Reach out to Nicole Cormier at @cisp-icps.bsky.social by Sunday!

At #AWepic2025, Dr. Jim Mann (patient partner living with dementia) and PhD student Lily Haopu Ren shared lessons from Canada 🇨🇦 & the Czech Republic 🇨🇿 on implementing VR in long-term care. Watch (starting at 27:44):

Just published🚨 Our protocol for an ongoing scoping review focused on exploring best practices for co-designing virtual reality with Indigenous peoples. Check it out:

Me when there’s food @idea.nursing.ubc.ca 🤓 Thank you so much for the delicious meal @nurselillian.bsky.social 🫶🏼

What is going on

Our first IDEA Lab #SushiMonday of the summer at UBC—we enjoyed DIY sushi, connected with new and returning lab members, and discussed exciting lab projects for the summer!

Social prescribing is making waves in health care across Canada! This new @medscape.com article highlights how #socialprescribing is lightening the load for clinicians & improving patient outcomes by connecting people to the community supports they need most. 🧭 📰 Full article: bit.ly/3S4JGyp

Thomas presented our rapid review on the role of volunteers in diabetes self-management and social prescribing at #INCREASEBC today! Greatful to be a co-author on this work.

Had a wonderful day presenting at #INCREASEBC 2025, held at @bcchresearch.bsky.social! Our students, trainees, and patient & family partners shared posters and oral presentations on our #PatientOrientedReseaech on VR, AI, dementia care, and more.

It was lovely to have met some of our dedicated members at the March General Meeting. For those who have missed Tarek's fascinating talk on the role of pharmacists in social prescribing, it will be uploaded to our YouTube channel soon.

After finishing my 91-hour human services practicum supporting #AgingInPlace through #SocialPrescribing at the Langley Senior Resources Society, I’m excited to be staying on with the team this summer as a part-time Seniors Community Connector 🥳

Belated #WHD post. Health, to me, means giving users of health and social care systems: • Dignity & self-determination—ask “what matters to you” @cisp-icps.bsky.social #SocialRx 💊 • Social connection and belonging 🫂 • Systems that recognize intersectional needs—incl. 2SLGBTQ+ older folks 🏳️‍🌈