About

Message from the Director

Based at the Southern Medical Program, the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management is the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s first research centre located outside of the Lower Mainland.

The CCDPM is committed to health science that enhances the lives of people living in the Interior Health region and beyond. Our definition of health science includes basic research, clinical research, quality improvement, program evaluation and knowledge translation.

Since the Centre first launched in 2019, our team of investigators has achieved exponential growth in external research funding, fostered new industry and community partnerships, and developed new laboratory space to support increased research capacity.

We have secured over $1.4M in grant funding including two substantial Canadian Foundation for Innovation grants earmarked for lab construction projects at UBC Okanagan. Our dedicated group of trainees has obtained multiple Tri-Council Fellowships that will advance their work as early career scientists.

Thanks to the tremendous support of the Reichwald Family and the establishment of an endowed chair, we are building a foundation of community-engaged research that focuses on management and prevention of chronic health conditions.

Our Clinical Research and Quality Improvement Incubator Program has cultivated new partnerships between researchers and clinicians from across the BC Interior. It has also increased opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from across UBC Okanagan campus to get involved in research that will have a direct and local impact.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a dramatic shift in the need for research operations to be flexible and adaptable in an uncertain environment. Our research team has responded creatively to ensure our important work can continue.

We would like to acknowledge the continued support of our advisory board, program partners, granting organizations, and private donors as we strive to foster innovations that improve the health and well-being of British Columbians.

Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis
Director, Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
Professor, Faculty of Medicine Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Faculty of Health and Social Development, School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Reichwald Family UBC Southern Medical Program Chair in Preventive Medicine