Research

Active Projects


Amplifying caregivers’ voices

February 4, 2026

This study aims to better understand which universal public health promotion and prevention services are most needed from the perspectives of caregivers in British Columbia.

What works and for which children? Preventing early adversities

February 3, 2026

Nurse-home visiting programs are a promising approach to preventing early adversities. We are conducting secondary analyses of data from a landmark nurse-home visiting trial to explore differences in program benefits for diverse families.

Fraser Health Enhanced Family Visiting Program evaluation

January 28, 2026

With our longstanding Fraser Health Authority partners, we are conducting an evaluation of Enhanced Family Visiting, an intensive nurse-home visiting program that serves diverse families experiencing disadvantage.

Promoting healthy beginnings for Indigenous children

January 27, 2026

This forthcoming report aims to identify effective universal maternal and early child health programs developed and implemented by and within Indigenous communities.

Identifying research priorities to support the evaluation of “upstream” health promotion initiatives in British Columbia

December 5, 2025

This project brings together researchers, practitioners and policymakers to tackle the challenge of evaluating “upstream” public health interventions.

Early indicators of BC children’s mental health and well-being

December 4, 2025

We are analyzing evidence from BC’s population-based child development monitoring data to identify early mental health indicators, common trajectories and mental health promotive factors.

School-based prevention programs addressing substance use

December 3, 2025

We conducted a systematic review of school-based substance use prevention programs to determine which programs were most effective.

Adapting an early intervention behaviour program for BC children and families

December 3, 2025

This project gathers evidence on the effectiveness and health service delivery impacts of adapted early behaviour intervention programs, including telehealth and group-based delivery models.

Examining the intergenerational transmission of social inequities across parenthood and the early life course

December 2, 2025

This international collaboration investigates the extent to which things that happen in a person’s life before they became a parent predict their children’s early health and development.



Select Past Projects


BC Healthy Connections Project

February 4, 2026

The purpose of the BC Healthy Connections Project (BCHCP) trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), a nurse-home visiting program, in improving child outcomes.

EFry Voices: Honouring mothers’ perspectives to inform system change

November 30, 2025

Conducted with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver (EFry), this study centred mothers’ expert voices as they identified barriers to accessing support services and proposed solutions to address them.

Effective home visiting programs for children and mothers experiencing adversities

December 11, 2024

In this report, we identified research evidence for British Columbia (BC) policymakers on the best options for nurse-home visiting interventions with children and mothers experiencing adversity.

Mental health of transgender and nonbinary children and youth: Informing service needs

August 7, 2024

This report investigated the prevalence of mental health concerns for trans and nonbinary young people with the aim of informing efforts to improve service planning, delivery and equity.



Collaborations


The CHIRP (Children with IncarceRated Parents) study

February 2, 2026

Using data from Statistics Canada, this study estimated the number of children in Canada who experience parental incarceration and examined available health status indicators. The research team worked with community stakeholders to develop future research and policy work.

Centre for Research into the Processes, Outcomes, and Impacts of Incarceration (CRPOI)

February 2, 2026

CRPOI is a connected research community that aims to increase evidence about the impacts of incarceration in Canada on individuals, families, communities and society.

DIVERT Mental Health

February 2, 2026

DIVERT Mental Health is a transdisciplinary mental health training platform dedicated to changing the course of mental health research and practice in Canada with children, youth and their families.

Honouring voices and visions: Illuminating incarcerated Indigenous womxn’s sexual, reproductive and maternal-child health and wellness

February 2, 2026

This project seeks to address knowledge gaps about the sexual, reproductive and maternal-child health experiences of Indigenous people experiencing incarceration, with the goal of making a difference in care and outcomes.

British Columbia Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research: The next five years

February 2, 2026

The British Columbia Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research creates supportive research environments for Indigenous health research led by, and grounded in, Indigenous communities in BC.

Hishuk-ish tsawalk (everything is one, everything is connected): Using two-eyed seeing to optimize healthy early life trajectories for Indigenous Peoples

February 2, 2026

This project builds on the Nuu-Chah-Nulth First Nations’ strengths and aims to improve child health and wellness using both Indigenous knowledge and Western scientific methods.

Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY)

February 2, 2026

The Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth explores issues that have an impact on the physical and mental health of children and youth, with the goal of informing child health policy and monitoring.

Healthy Foundations Study of the BC Healthy Connections Project (completed)

October 10, 2025

This sub-study of the BC Healthy Connections Project that examined the impact of Nurse-Family Partnership on biological outcomes in women and their infants.