Community Research Division

Our community division research program was established in 2018, through a generous seed grant from WorksafeBC. The program has a research affiliation with the UBC School of Audiology and Speech Sciences as well as a partnership faculty appointment with the UBC School of Population and Public Health.

Our program is a unique, innovative community-based clinical program that involves the collaborative participation of clinicians, counsellors, academic researchers, and clients with hearing loss. This research program promotes knowledge translation activities that improve the use of health research evidence in practice.

These activities engage:

1. partnerships between university researchers and community based clinicians and health care professionals
2. research studies that include outcome measures meaningful to clients and clinicians
3. research participants that are representative of the population and not limited to select groups that volunteer for laboratory-based research
4. studies that are planned by clinicians, academic researchers and clients together
5. studies that address particular challenges and opportunities identified by funders

Our program is headed by Dr. Brenda Poon, Senior Research Fellow and Program Lead. Dr. Poon is also an Assistant Professor with the UBC School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine.

Upon our move to our new facility in fall 2019, the program will work to expand its research projects and partners. Currently, there are several projects taking place that have a focus on noise-induced hearing loss and accommodations in the workplace.

For more information, please contact community.research@wavefrontcentre.ca