Health After 2020
Our understanding of the determinants and experience of health and wellbeing is changing.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated some existing trends and put a spotlight on others, and we are now addressing the challenge of responding to the broad effects of the pandemic. But this is also an opportunity to think differently about how we define and value health, how we understand the complex systems that produce health, and how we rise to the challenge of supporting equity in health across individuals, communities, and societies.
In response to this opportunity, UBC Health created Health After 2020—a program designed to support researchers to engage in interdisciplinary, cross-institutional collaborations that aim to create change in health and health producing systems and build a community of UBC Health Scholars. The program convenes and informs people at this inflection point in our society through the development of research collaborations, cross-campus conversations, and open dialogue sessions delivered as part of the UBC Health Dialogue Series.
More information
The objectives of Health After 2020 are to:
- Promote interdisciplinary collaborations that produce and disseminate new knowledge related to health and health equity
- Foster knowledge exchange and dialogue
- Create opportunities for engagement between researchers and the public
As part of the Health After 2020 program, researchers have the opportunity to lead dialogue sessions that bring together university and community partners to learn about and inform their research projects.
UBC Health Scholars
Program participants are given the title UBC Health Scholar and engage as a network of scholars to create connections, share knowledge, and develop ideas. UBC Health Scholars contribute to building an ongoing interdisciplinary research community of scholarship and mentorship and stimulating new health-oriented research collaborations. As part of this community, UBC Health Scholars inform a broader research agenda for—and advance our understanding of—health equity for individuals, communities, and societies.
Health in Unexpected Places
Health is not only the absence of disease but an attribute of individuals, communities, and societies that is vital for daily living. Health is shaped by a wide range of determinants, from individual genetics and risk factors (such as diet and physical inactivity) to social and environmental exposures (such as early childhood experiences), education, work, and—fundamentally—social and economic position.
Health-oriented research exists in surprising and unexpected places across every faculty, school, and department at UBC—demonstrating that improving health and wellbeing extends beyond the health disciplines. UBC Health invites interdisciplinary teams who are undertaking innovative health-oriented research in faculties, schools, or departments that stretches beyond the usual or expected to participate in Health After 2020.
Each cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary partnership will deliver a dialogue session. Dialogue sessions will be planned with and supported by UBC Health and delivered as part of the UBC Health Dialogue Series. They will be recorded and published on the UBC Health YouTube channel.
Program participants will also be interviewed by video to discuss the main points of the collaboration, to be published on YouTube.
Learn more about past dialogue sessions.
The Health After 2020 program offers funding of up to $10,000 to support starting or extending a collaborative relationship with a scholar from outside UBC. The program provides participants with a venue to disseminate their collaborative research.
Funds are offered to support:
- activities that build or extend the collaboration (e.g. travel, meetings, coordination) and/or
- the delivery of a dialogue session.
Applicants will be asked to propose a budget as part of their application to the program. UBC Health will review the budget and determine what is appropriate and feasible to be covered by program funds. In relation to travel expenses, a clear rationale should be provided as to how it will advance the collaboration or the delivery of a dialogue session. Activities related to conducting research will not qualify for funding.
THE CALL FOR PROPOSAL IS CLOSED
For an application to be considered, the proposal must meet the following minimum requirements:
- The principal applicant must be a faculty member at UBC-V or UBC-O.
- The proposal must include the involvement of (at least) one scholar or collaborator from outside UBC.
- Co-applicants must come from at least one other discipline and faculty to that of the principal applicant.
- Ideally, at least one trainee will be involved.
- Proposals must be feasible in the current context of COVID-19 and related activity restrictions.
Applications that meet the above minimum requirements will be evaluated as they come in based on the following differentiating criteria:
- A clearly defined proposal that is feasible and aligns with the intent and theme of Health After 2020.
- Clear plans for engagement with UBC faculty, staff, students, and surrounding community members.
- The depth of cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration.
- The inclusion of trainees.
- Equity, diversity, and inclusion are reflected in the collaboration.
What are the deadlines?
| July 15, 2022 | Call for proposals open |
| July 15 to September 15, 2022 | Applicant consulations (as needed) |
| September 29, 2022 | Deadline for proposal submissions |
| October 2022 | Applicants notified of decision |
| January to December 2023 | Dialogue sessions |
Where do I find the application form?
Download the Health After 2020 Proposal Form. (Revised August 23, 2022)
What constitutes a cross-faculty collaboration?
Collaborators should include individuals from different disciplines in different faculties at UBC or external partners from a different discipline. For example, collaborators should not be from different disciplines within the UBC Faculty of Medicine, unless the external collaborator is from a discipline not represented within this Faculty.
What is meant by the intent and theme of Health After 2020?
The intent of the Health After 2020 program is to support collaborators to think differently about how we define and value health, how we understand the complex systems that produce health, and how we rise to the challenge of supporting equity in health across individuals, communities, and societies in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is designed to convene and inform people at this inflection point in our society. In 2022/23, the program invites collaborations that align with the theme Health in Unexpected Places, i.e. interdisciplinary teams undertaking innovative health-oriented research in faculties, schools, or departments that stretch beyond the usual or expected.
Does the collaboration need to explicitly address a COVID-19 related issue?
Issues that align with the theme of the program are broad and may be related to the health, social, economic, cultural, and/or environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Can existing collaborations be accepted to the program, or must it be a new one?
Collaborations do not need to be new. The program supports both new and existing projects that may have been challenged by policies, procedures, or funding constraints. However, collaborations that have previously received Health After 2020 funding are not eligible.
Can I submit multiple applications?
Yes, but we endeavour to make this opportunity widely available and invite different collaborators to the program.
Are activities related to the collaboration able to occur throughout Canada and internationally?
Yes. Collaborations that have a provincial, national, or global impact are encouraged.
Are there a specific number of proposals that will be accepted to the program each year?
The number of projects accepted to the program will depend on the quantity and quality of applications that align with the program theme and UBC Health’s capacity to host dialogue sessions throughout the year.
What are some types of expenses that the funding can cover?
The funding can be used to support the delivery of a dialogue sessions (hybrid event) and travel expenses for external collaborators to travel to Vancouver or the Okanagan.
Can this funding be used in conjunction with other funding?
Yes.
What are the expectations of program participants in the delivery of the dialogue session?
The dialogue session will take the form of a public lecture delivered in partnership with UBC Health as part of the UBC Health Dialogue Series. Members of the UBC Health team will be available to assist with the overall event delivery, but all session content and the convening of a collaborative panel of speakers will be the responsibility of program participants.
When will the dialogue session be held?
Dialogue sessions will be delivered as part of the UBC Health Dialogue Series. These sessions are expected to begin in early 2023 and take place throughout the calendar year. Applicants have an opportunity to give an indication of preferred timing of the session as part of the application process. The UBC Health team will work collaboratively with program participants to determine and distribute event dates throughout the year.
Will dialogue sessions be held online only?
In 2023, Health After 2020 will host dialogue sessions as hybrid events (both in-person and virtual).
Who judges the applications?
The UBC Health Senior Leadership Team will recommend proposal selection and prioritization to the Associate Vice-President, Health, who will review the recommendations and make final decisions.
When will program participants be announced?
Program participants will be notified in October, but UBC Health will connect with participants on an ongoing basis to discuss the collaborations and potential timing of dialogue sessions.
Whom can I contact if I have questions?
If you have any questions, or would like to discuss your proposal, please contact Veronica Grant, Project Coordinator, UBC Health at veronica.grant@ubc.ca.