The Knowledge Exchange: A Partnership-in-Action Podcast

In this episode, Jacqueline Wright, founder of Namastables Wellness, Kirstin Hargreaves, Associate Professor and Registered Clinical Counsellor, and Jonathan Boudin, Animal-Included Clinical Counsellor, explore the philosophy and practice of animal-included therapy. Drawing on their work at Namastables Wellness, an animal-included wellness centre and nonprofit in the Lower Mainland of British Colu...

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Skye Barbic and Dr. Julia Langton from Foundry, which offers integrated youth services through a province-wide network of health and social services for young people and their families in British Columbia. Skye is an Associate Professor in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Foundry’s Head Scientist...

This episode is Part 2 of a special two-part feature from the Centre for the Study of Services to Children and Families’ annual Transformative Child Welfare Panel, held on February 27, 2026.   In this second half, we move into an open and unstructured Q&A with panelists Kayla Kenney, Kristi Pinderi, Marko Aguilar Maurer, Emma McIlroy, and Kyle Turone. Building on the research and reflections s...

This episode is a special edit of the Centre for the Study of Services to Children and Families’ annual Transforming Child Welfare Panel event which was held on February 27, 2026. This year, the panel presentation focused on queering child welfare and child well-being, and featured researchers and graduate students whose research examines the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ children and youth. The topics...

In this episode, we’re joined by Gary Thandi and Dr. Nitasha Puri. Gary is a social worker with over twenty years of experience in social services and counselling, and he is the Executive Director of Moving Forward Family Services, a non-profit counselling organization. Dr. Puri is a family physician with training in addiction medicine. She works with Fraser Health, and she is also a Clinical Asso...

This episode features Mandy Young, parent of a medically and behaviourally complex child and a long-time partner with the University of British Columbia’s Patient and Community Partnership for Education (PCPE). Mandy has volunteered for over a decade in the Interprofessional Health Mentors Program, both as a Health Mentor for health care students and as a Community Engagement Coordinator. Joining...

In this episode, the 2025 Inspiring Social Worker of the Year Award Winner, Brandon Wong, joins the podcast. Brandon Wong, a mental health social worker within the Vancouver Coastal Health authority, practicing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. He reflects on his journey from a health sciences background in Australia to frontline social work in complex mental health and substance use settings. He...

Dr. Barbara Lee, Host, welcomes us back to The Knowledge Exchange: A Partnership-in-Action Podcast for a second season! This upcoming season will expand beyond our UBC community to bring you inspiring stories from across the province. We have an exciting line-up of partnerships who will share their projects and shine a light on how communities and researchers are co-creating knowledge to advance e...

Dr. Barbara Lee, Host, celebrates and concludes the first season of The Knowledge Exchange: A Partnership-in-Action Podcast. Over 12 episodes, this season has discussed inspiring community-engaged research, knowledge mobilization, and collaborative partnerships in the University of British Columbia’s School of Social Work. Dr. Lee also announces Season 2 of the podcast which will highlight communi...

In this episode, Nicole Corrado, Sandra Nakata, Tina Wilson and Meg Gibson discuss their community-led research project that explores autistic people's perspectives and experiences of elopement, which is when autistic individuals depart suddenly from supervised settings and relationships without permission or notice. Rooted in lived experience and informed by a participatory action research ap...

Dr. Donna Baines, Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Social Work, and Dr. Bindi Bennett, Professorial Research Fellow at Federation University discuss yarning, the Indigenous practice of preserving the oral cultures of storytelling. Reflecting on their international grant, Emancipatory Dialogue, with academics and non-academics across Canada, Australia and Taiwan, Dr. Baines...

This episode features Dr. Christiana Bratiotis, Dr. Sheila Woody, and Jana Sasaki. Dr. Christiana Brotiotis is Associate Professor in the UBC School of Social Work. Her research focuses on hoarding treatment and intervention, particularly in the contexts of affordable and community-based housing. Dr. Sheila Woody is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Director of the Centre for Col...

This episode features Dr. Grace Mwangi, a health psychologist and addiction specialist at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in Nairobi, where she serves as Deputy Registrar of Student Affairs, supporting the college’s mission to train healthcare professionals in Kenya. Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, an Assistant Professor at the UBC School of Social Work and a Michael Smith Health Research BC Schola...

Antoine Coulombe, Assistant Professor of Teaching at the UBC School of Social Work, and Lama Mugabo, community planner and Founding Director of Building Bridges with Rwanda, discuss their collaborative work in education focused on community organizing and participatory learning. Their efforts aim to help students build reciprocal and respectful relationships with communities, with students gradual...

Funded by Immigration, Refugee, Citizenship Canada, the Innovative BC Settlement Case Management Service Model Project (Project) aimed to develop an evidence and outcome-based Settlement Case Management Model. The overarching goal of this project is to support new members of Canadian society to fully participate and contribute to society in a meaningful way. The Project enhances approaches and too...

In this episode, Dr. Barbara Lee talks with Shari Monsma (President) and Gail Moilliet (Vice President) of Fairness for Children Raised by Relatives - a 100% volunteer-run non-profit society made up of kinship caregivers who advocate for equitable rights and support for the children in their care. They discuss the ongoing process of collaboration, developing research evidence to advocate for equit...

In this episode, Dr. Barbara Lee and Michelle O’Kane, course instructor for UBC School of Social Work, are joined by Shea Karst, Research Coordinator at MCFD, and Dr. Peter Rudiak-Gould, Manager of Research at MCFD. Together, they discuss the innovative partnership between the UBC School of Social Work and the Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) which is centred around a Masters of Soc...

Dr. Tim Stainton, Professor Emeritus at the UBC School of Social Work and co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship, and Karla Verschoor, Executive Director of Inclusion BC, discuss their collaborative work advancing inclusion for individuals with disabilities in British Columbia. They reflect on the evolution of the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship, inclu...

Karen and Lily discuss their experiences collaborating on research projects at the  UBC IDEA Lab  related to aging and dementia in different settings, such as long-term care and the hospital. One example they raise is the dementia-friendly video project which introduced dementia-friendly videos to older adults with moderate to severe dementia in care settings to support their psychosocial well-bei...

Vivica Ellis from the Centre for Family Equity and Dr. Lea Caragata from the UBC School of Social Work discuss how their participatory action research has helped to address family poverty in British Columbia (BC). They speak to several projects, like the Making Mothers Matter project which explored how low-income mothers’ health and wellbeing are affected by childcare access, and the Justice at Wo...

As a Professor Emeritus at UBC's School of Social Work, Dr. Vedan reflects on his career, from his beginnings in the Canadian military to his academic achievements and community leadership. He discusses the ongoing impact of intergenerational trauma, the importance of addressing systemic inequities, and the complexities of Indigenous identity in contemporary Canada. This episode offers a power...

Dr. Barbara Lee, Host, introduces our new podcast called The Knowledge Exchange: A Partnership-in-Action Podcast, which highlights community-engaged partnerships. This season will showcase the inspiring work within and outside the University of British Columbia’s School of Social Work. We have an incredible line-up of faculty members and their community partners who will share their projects and t...