Our recent Open House at GF Strong was a hit! 🪞 Visitors got to try the Smart Mirror, a full-length interactive mirror connecting stroke survivors with their physiotherapist in real time for at-home rehab. Thanks to everyone who came out to see the MATTERS Lab's work in action! 🎬

Meet Jason Fu — a biomedical engineering student focused on developing impactful technologies that support personalized care & improve outcomes for patients: www.vchri.ca/stories/2026... @vchhealthcare.bsky.social @ubcmedicine.bsky.social @agingsmart.bsky.social @sbmeubc.bsky.social

Huge congratulations to Dr. Isabelle Rash on successfully defending her PhD dissertation! 🎉 Her research explored how a "smart mirror" could improve telerehabilitation for stroke survivors, going beyond what Zoom can offer for lower-body rehabilitation. Proud to have hosted this work at GF Strong!

Don't miss this webinar with Dr. Jaimy Fischer, who is a past Aging SMART trainee with Dr. Meghan Winters!

This #StrokeAwarenessMonth, support investigators advancing brain health through evidence-based data, explore current recruiting studies & #ParticipateInResearch: www.vchri.ca/participate/... #YesToResearch #LendAHand

Exciting news: UBC has officially received the #AgeFriendlyUniversity designation and joined the Age-Friendly University Global Network. Learn about how we’ve contributed evidence through our project:

Which is riskier — a tackle on the football field 🏈 or a header in a soccer match ⚽? New research led by VCHRI researcher Dr. Lyndia Wu & PhD student Zaryan Masood found that the brain may experience some of those impacts in surprisingly similar ways: www.vchri.ca/stories/2026...

#ICYMI: Last week, more than 90 trainees from across the @ubcmedicine.bsky.social & @vchhealthcare.bsky.social research community joined VCHRI Trainee Career Day to advance their professional skills & learn practical strategies for navigating their future careers.

⚽ As The Match kicks off this week in Vancouver, VCHRI researcher Dr. Jackie Whittaker sheds light on what we can learn from elite athletes’ training to reduce injury risk & support safer sports experiences: www.vchri.ca/stories/2026...

Proud to see @ubc-vnursing.bsky.social @agingsmart.bsky.social PhD candidate Joey Wong and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Yi-Ting Chiu presenting their research at the CASN/ACESI 2026 Biennial Canadian Nursing Education Conference in Mississauga 🇨🇦

Join us at the West Vancouver Memorial Library on Friday, Oct 30 at 7pm for “Big Ideas: The Future of Aging,” featuring a World Café conversation on the future of aging and care. Come meet our robots and share your ideas for age-inclusive futures. Register for free: westvanlibrary.ca/event/big-id...

VCHRI PhD candidate Beverley Larssen is the 2026 Top Graduating Doctoral Student Award recipient. Her projects will advance stroke rehabilitation approaches & help individuals relearn movement patterns. @lboyd47.bsky.social

Put simply, care is research & research is care. As we recognize #ClinicalTrialsDay, @vchhealthcare.bsky.social VP Research Dr. Gavin Stuart highlights how clinical trials are shaping the future of health care by advancing innovation & improving patient outcomes across B.C. & beyond: buff.ly/oa3jNoJ

The economic costs of falls among older Canadian adults translates into nearly $7 billion annually. A new study by VCHRI researchers Drs. Jennifer Davis & Teresa Liu-Ambrose found that maintaining physical activity is good for both the body & the health care system: www.vchri.ca/stories/2026...

Congrats to VCHRI fellows Vivienne Yuetong Zhou, Callista Ottoni, Rishika Selvakumar, Sameh Mortazhejri on joining the CIHR 2026 Health System Impact Fellowship cohort! Learn more about these emerging research leaders: buff.ly/xpKsBsy @agingsmart.bsky.social

Hear from speakers, including Aging SMART faculty Dr. Molly Cairncross, who are conducting community-based research that’s shaping how brain injury is diagnosed, treated, and supported across BC

📢 Attention trainees across @vchhealthcare.bsky.social & @ubcmedicine.bsky.social! Join us on Jun. 5 for a full day of interactive, career-focused programming to strengthen your professional skills & support your next steps with confidence. Secure your spot:

A startup founded by VCHRI researcher Dr. Ilker Hacihaliloglu is transforming how chronic diseases are detected, using advanced software to enhance ultrasound imaging & improve diagnostic accuracy across health care settings: pulse2.com/pons-rutgers... @agingsmart.bsky.social

Join our May 27 session on TAE-BC, a secure platform designed to streamline access to linked health & government data. This session will guide participants through the transition to TAE-BC & provide practical insights on how to navigate the change:

📢 New funding available! Today, Health Research BC launches the Impact Pathways Program to strengthen collaboration between researchers and those who use research evidence across BC. The first opportunity under the program, the Engage Award, is now open. Apply before May 25: bit.ly/42xyEH7

On May 4, join @agingsmart.bsky.social for Care Anywhere Research Showcase — a multidisciplinary event fostering collaboration & innovation across the health care sector. Explore trainees projects, exchange ideas & contribute to the growth of the biosensor & digital health network: buff.ly/rZqLZDC

Registration is now open for the Care Anywhere Showcase on May 4! This annual event serves as a platform for industry leaders, healthcare providers, faculty members, and trainees to convene and explore advancements in biosensor technology and digital health careanywhere.ubc.ca/news-events/events/

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the screening yesterday! So many laughs, thoughtful questions, and inspiring experiences were shared. We are very grateful to our panel for their time and expertise. If you have the chance to see Silver Screamers, don't miss it!

We are excited to host this FREE public screening tomorrow! There's still time to register - buff.ly/8yC8LNh

NEXT WEEK on April 23 at VGH, we're hosting a free screening & discussion of the Silver Screamers documentary! This heart-warming film follows a group of spirited older adults as they embark on an adventure far outside their comfort zones — creating a horror film. Register at buff.ly/8yC8LNh

A new UBC course led by VCHRI research Dr. Peter Cripton aims to address the knowledge gap in how injuries affect women & men to equip future engineers with evidence-informed data for designing safety equipment: buff.ly/zmSpUbV @sbmeubc.bsky.social @ubcorthopaedics.bsky.social

Discover the importance of engaging people with lived experience in research in a new video from @idea.nursing.ubc.ca, spotlighting the journey of dementia care transitions: buff.ly/lTASe4l @nurselillian.bsky.social @agingsmart.bsky.social

Excited to share that I’ll be hosting @cspsc.ca’s new podcast, Social Rx, launching Thursday, April 2. Our first episode features Le-Tien Bhaskar, MPH, a health policy PhD candidate and co-founder of CSPSC. Click the notification bell on YouTube to get notified when it goes live:

🎼 Learning music together may help build confidence, connection & improve quality of life of people living with dementia, according to a new study led by VCHRI researcher Dr. Lillian Hung & @sbmeubc.bsky.social student Jason Fu: www.vchri.ca/stories/2026... #MusicTherapyAwarenessMonth #MTA2026

Our study on a 12-week community ukulele program co-led by a person living with dementia was recently featured by @VCHResearch.bsky.social’s Research Insider. Check it out:

Are you a trainee at a VCHRI research centre or program with a passion for science & a curiosity for cutting-edge research? 🙋 Join the VCHRI Trainee Committee for the Science Social Hour on Apr. 10! Register to attend: www.vchri.ca/ScienceSocia...

On Apr. 23, join the @agingsmart.bsky.social for a free screening & discussion of the Silver Screamers documentary that follows a group of spirited older adults as they embark on an adventure far outside their comfort zones — creating a horror film: buff.ly/8yC8LNh

Say #YesToResearch & help investigators advance brain health by informing prevention & treatment with evidence-based data. Explore recruiting studies & #ParticipateInResearch: www.vchri.ca/participate/... #LendAHand #BrainAwarenessWeek

Living well with rheumatoid #arthritis takes daily effort. Researchers, including AH scientist Dr. Linda Li,  found that combining wearable activity trackers, a mobile app, and remote physiotherapist coaching helped people better manage their condition. 👉 Explore more: https://lnkd.in/gzfpA-_H

To improve quality of life for stroke survivors, the Brain Behaviour Lab led by VCHRI investigator Dr. Lara Boyd is advancing research that can help recover brain activity damaged by stroke & enhance the brain’s neuroplasticity: www.vchri.ca/stories/2024... #BrainAwarenessWeek

We are thrilled to announce the Aging SMART CFI Innovation Fund 2025 project for the Mobility Innovation Core was successfully funded! This investment will fund impactful research to support older adults to live at home longer with quality of life and wellbeing by preventing falls. buff.ly/ONeM5Uk

Congrats to Aging SMART Trainee Jason Fu!

👏Congrats to VCHRI researchers Drs. Piotr Kozlowski, Cornelia Laule & Teresa Liu-Ambrose on receiving the CFI Innovation Fund awards! Through cutting-edge tools, these investments will support innovative research addressing global challenges to advance health benefits for Canadians: buff.ly/ONeM5Uk

What’s the role of robotic pets in hospitals? @nurselillian.bsky.social and UBC IDEA Lab trainee Victoria analyzed the case studies of PARO & LOVOT:

🧑‍🦽 VCHRI researcher Dr. Bill Miller & rehabilitation expert Dr. Emma Smith are investigating a novel CoPILOT wheelchair training protocol to make powered wheelchairs safer for both users & therapists: www.vchri.ca/stories/2026...

Great to see Aging SMART faculty as team members on 2 successful projects! Dr. Maureen Ashe: Implementing & Evaluating the Province-Wide Scale-up of Social Prescribing to Improve Older Adults’ Well-being in BC Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose: Small Care Homes at Vancouver Coastal Health

Registration is open! On Apr. 22, join the annual Interdisciplinary Conference in Rehabilitation Science of B.C. Engage in meaningful conversations aimed at enhancing research in rehabilitation, advancing collaborative care & improving the lives of individuals in our community: buff.ly/HdH1T1n

Meet Alvin — a biomedical engineering student in the Ultrasound Technology and AI for Healthcare Laboratory who is using AI to expand access to quality medical imaging in communities with limited resources: www.vchri.ca/stories/2026...

Please share! The Centre for Aging SMART is hosting a UBC Future Global Leaders pre-university course for students ages 15-18 to explore career options in physical therapy. Learn more about the mini school course "Empowering Movement, Inspiring Futures" at agingsmart.ca/physical-therapy-mini-school/

❤ This #HeartMonth, explore innovative VCHRI-led research that is transforming the prevention, diagnosis & treatment of heart conditions to improve the lives of Canadians. #HeartInnovations Vancouver Coastal Health @ubcmedicine.bsky.social Heart & Stroke Centre for Aging SMART

Happy Lunar New Year! Celebrate the year of the fire horse with events hosted at UBC and around Vancouver this week events.ubc.ca/lunar-new-ye...

At yesterday’s CIHR Implementation Science Teams Networking Forum, @nurselillian.bsky.social shared how our Learning Health System partnership with @vchhealthcare.bsky.social is improving dementia transitions through a Learning Community. Learn more here: idea.nursing.ubc.ca/2025/02/21/b...

#FundingOpportunity for students! 📢 Explore your health research interest & gain hands-on experience by undertaking a summer project with a VCHRI principal investigator. Apply for the VCHRI SPARKS program by Mar. 27: www.vchri.ca/service...

New research led by VCHRI investigator Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose shows that a home-based strength & balance exercise program can significantly reduce falls in older adults, particularly among those with slower walking speeds:

We worked with our collaborators at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to conduct a scoping review on the use of headphones in music programs for people living with #dementia in LTC homes @nurselillian.bsky.social @agingsmart.bsky.social @vchhealthcare.bsky.social @vchresearch.bsky.social