Research Training Awards
Research Training Awards are designed to foster the development of occupational health and safety research expertise in B.C. We support the training of new researchers today who will be able to help answer the critical research questions of tomorrow.
- Who can apply
- Funding and duration
- Funding opportunities
- Research Training Award recipients
- Related articles
Who can apply
Research Training Awards are available to highly qualified graduate students at the master’s and doctoral level. To qualify, applicants need to be engaged in a full-time graduate studies program with a B.C. university. International students who are attending a B.C. university are welcome to apply. These awards enable students to undertake research training with a focus on workplace health and safety.
Funding and duration
Master’s students receive $22,500 for one year and doctoral students receive $40,000 per year for two years. Recipients can apply to renew their award for an additional year.
All standard terms and conditions apply to projects funded through Research Services. Please refer to the General Guidelines and Conditions for details.
Funding opportunities
The Research Training Awards grant competition is now closed. The next competition is anticipated to launch in November 2024.
To learn about new opportunities, you can sign up to receive automatic email notifications.
The forms and resources provided below are for reference only.
Required forms:
Resources:
Research topics
Research projects should align with our research priorities and any of the topics below:
- Occupational injury and disease
- Workplace exposures
- Prevention of injury or disease
- Treatment of injury or disease
- Disability management, vocational rehabilitation, and return-to-work
- Workers’ compensation
In making funding decisions, we consider academic standing, the proposed research project, the research training environment, and letters of reference.
Research Training Award recipients
Select a year below to view the list of previous award recipients:
| Award Recipient | Title of Project | Degree/program/ institution |
Award Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamila Kalimullina | FashionABLE: Developing an adaptive clothing and fashion resource for people with spinal cord injury to support self-esteem and independence | MSc, UBC |
$22,500 |
| Alexandra Lane |
Mental health outcomes and psychosocial risk factors in wildland firefighters | MSc, UNBC | $22,500 |
| Shanrong (Helen) Wu | Determining the extent chemical exposures contribute to hearing loss (ototoxicity) in BC workers | MSc, UBC | $22,500 |
| Tuan Ngo |
Developing a standardized protocol for wipe sampling for detection of antineoplastic drugs contamination | MSc,SFU | $22,500 |
| Mariah Allyson Banal |
The impact of COVID-19 on work-related mental health claims of healthcare workers in British Columbia: an interrupted time series analysis | MSc, UBC | $22,500 |
| Jasleen Grewal |
The effectiveness of using virtual reality for vocational rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury | PhD, UBC | $45,000 |
| Justin Kian Ming Wyss |
Development of a fully autonomous prevention device for pressure ulcers | PhD, UBC | $45,000 |
| Xiaocong Guo |
Heat-related illnesses and injuries among workers with pre-existing chronic health conditions | PhD, UBC | $45,000 |
| Award Recipient | Title of Project | Degree/program/ institution |
Award Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atieh Razavi Yekta | Exploring psychosocial and systemic factors that influence the occupational health and well-being of gig workers in Metro Vancouver | PhD, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, UBC | $45,000 |
| Thomas W. Service | Potential off-label use of desloratidine to mitigate inflammation caused by PPE-induced heat stress | PhD, Kinesiology, University of Victoria | $45,000 |
| Thalia Otamendi | Studying the impact of mental health care services on return-to-work outcomes after concussions | PhD, Rehabilitation Sciences, UBC | $45,000 |
| Award Recipient | Title of Project | Degree/program/ institution |
Award Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Lawrason | Enhancing physical activity participation among people with spinal cord injuries who ambulate to improve work outcomes | PhD, Health and Exercise Science, UBC Okanagan | $45,000 |
| Pascal Fricke | Understanding mental health challenges among first responders | PhD, Organizational Behavior and Human Resources, UBC | $45,000 |
| Kohle Merry | Development of a home based physical therapy intervention for individuals with Achilles tendinopathy | PhD, Rehabilitation Sciences, UBC | $45,000 |
| Marisa Harrington | Comparison of response to shift work in pre- and postmenopausal nurses | Master’s, Exercise Science, University of Victoria | $22,500 |
| Elizaveta Mojaeva | The effect of rigid tape on wrist postures during tree planting tasks | Master’s, Rehabilitation Sciences, UBC | $22,500 |
| Award Recipient | Title of Project | Degree/program/ institution |
Award Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juliano Schwartz | Wildland fire centre - novel approaches to understanding risk factors for coordinator administrative staff | PhD, Medicine, UBC Okanagan | $45,000 (2 years) |
| Prashant Pandey | Ultrasound-based surgical navigation for iliosacral screw insertions in pelvic fractures | PhD, Mechanical Engineering, UBC | $45,000 (2 years) |
| Jessica McDougall | Does aeorbic activity improve symptoms in subacromial pain syndrome? | PhD, Rehabilitation Sciences, UBC | $45,000 (2 years) |
| Juma Orach | A dose response study to identify the human bio signature of diesel exhaust exposure | Master’s, Medicine, UBC | $22,500 (1 year) |
| Kaela Cranston | A community based partnership approach to develop a diabetes prevention program for Indigenous Peoples | PhD, Health and Exercise Science, UBC Okanagan | $45,000 (2 year) |
| Kendra Todd | Determining if tailored exercise programs reduce chronic pain and increase work rates for persons with spinal cord injury | PhD, Kinesiology, UBC Okanagan | $45,000 (2 year) |
| Award recipient | Title of project | Degree/program/ institution |
Award amount |
| Cory Coehoorn | The impact of rate of thermal acquisition on brain blood oxygenation, decision making and salivary cortisol concentration | Doctoral/Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education/University of Victoria | $45,000 (2 years) |
| Megan MacPherson | Prompts to action: improving workplace accessibility of a diabetes prevention program through push notifications | Doctoral/Health and Exercise Science/UBC | $45,000 (2 years) |
| Avisa Abbasi | Development of a novel bio-engineered skin substitute for pressure ulcers - combination of adipose micro fragments and MeshFill for treatment of delayed wounds | Doctoral/Experimental Medicine/UBC | $45,000 (2 years) |
| Sana Javaheri | Determinants of contamination levels of anti-neoplastic drugs in cancer care setting | Masters/Occupational and Environmental Hygiene/UBC | $22,5,000 (1 year) |
| Award recipient | Title of project | Degree/program/ institution |
Award amount |
| Evan Finnamore | Can Achilles tendon tissue dysfunction be directly assessed during routine clinical examination? Clinical validation of a new method to quantify tendon health | Masters/Physical Therapy/UBC |
$22,500 (1 year) |
| Gurkaran Singh | Improvement of Self-Management Skills among People with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) | Masters/Rehabilitation Sciences/UBC | $22,500 (1 year) |
| Denise J. Wooding | Effects of Occupational Diesel Exhaust Exposure on Lung Inflammation: The Role of Neutrophils | Masters/Medicine/UBC | $22,500 (1 year) |
| Kimberly M. Sharpe | Examining regional variation in health care services in five Canadian workers’ compensation systems and its relationship to work | Doctoral/School of Population and Public Health/UBC | $45,000 (2 years) |
| Award recipient | Title of project | Degree/program/ institution |
Award amount |
| Jesse Cooper | Bioaerosol Generation in Hospital Bathrooms and the Efficacy of Ultraviolet C Irradiation | Masters/Occupational and Environment Hygiene/UBC | $22,500 (1 year) |
| Amir Pourghadiri | The Use of a Combination of Autologous Meshed Graft with Shelf Ready Powdered Reconstituteable Liquid Skin Substitute for Treatment of Burn Injuries in a Pig Model | Masters/Experimental Medicine/UBC | $22,500 (1 year) |
| Kelvin Joon-Bin Choi | Risk of Violence and Return-to-Work Outcomes among Healthcare Staff Working in Night Shifts and Shift Work | Masters/Occupational and Environmental Hygiene/UBC | $22,500 (1 year) |
| Michael Eadie | Investigating the Effects of Occupational Exposure to Smoke on Respiratory Health in Wildfire Fighters | Masters/Health Sciences/UNBC | $22,500 (1 year) |
| Min Hyung Ryu | Past Smoking and COPD as Risk Factors in Diesel Exhaust Inhalation Toxicity: A Model for Determining the Effects of Occupation Exposure to Air Pollution. | Doctoral/Medicine/UBC | $7,500 (2016) |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Andrew Jeklin |
Novel Approaches to Understanding Risk Factors of Cognitive Fatigue in Wildland Firefighters |
Masters/Kinesiology/UBC |
$22,500 |
|
Mohammadreza Pakyari |
Development of Non-Rejectable Allogeneic Skin Grafts by Induction of Local Immune Suppression |
Doctoral/Experimental Medicine/UBC |
$45,000 |
| Andrea Jones | Injured Workers and Mental Health: Exploring How Mental Health Diagnoses and Mental Health Services Impact Return to Work Following Workplace Musculoskeletal Injury | Doctoral, School of Population and Public Health, UBC | $45,000 |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Sherri Ferguson |
The Effect of Normoxic Dives on Narcosis and Heart Function in Human and Cellular Models |
Masters/Faculty of Science, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology/SFU |
$22,500 |
|
Amy Hall |
Shiftwork: Developing Evidence to Reduce Adverse Health Outcomes and Guide Workplace Policies |
Doctoral/School of Population and Public Health/UBC |
$45,000 |
|
Rachel Cliff |
Peripheral Blood Markers of Central Nervous System Effects Following Controlled Human Exposure to Diesel Exhaust |
Masters/School of Population and Public Health/UBC |
$22,500 |
|
Sanam Salimi Elizei |
Therapeutic Evaluation of an Anti-Inflammatory Factor (FS2) in a Pre-clinical Burn Fibrotic Animal Model |
Doctoral/Surgery/UBC |
$45,000 |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Ali Farrokhi |
Evaluating the Therapeutic use of IDO Expressing Sheets of Allogenic Bi-layer of Skin Substitute as a Coverage for Large Wounds in Pig Model |
Doctorate/Department of Surgery/UBC |
$45,000 |
|
Gholamreza Safaee-Ardekani |
Role of ING Tumor Suppressors in the Repair of UV induced DNA Damage in Outdoor Workers |
Doctorate/Department of Dermatology/UBC |
$45,000 |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Kim McLeod |
Workplace Safety Regulatory Activities in British Columbia: The Effect of Prevention Activities on Workplace Injury Rates |
Doctorate/School of Population and Public Health/UBC |
$45,000 |
|
Jeffrey Nichol |
A New Evaluation of Sorbent Media for Sampling Airborne Antineoplastic Drugs |
Masters/School of Population and Public Health/UBC |
$22,500 |
|
Rouhollah Mousavizadeh |
Investigation of Angiogenic Factors and Related Events Involved in Overuse Tendon Injuries |
Doctorate/Department of Medicine/UBC |
$14.500 |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Terry-Ann Curran |
Novel Approach to Prolong Survival of Allogeneic Skin Grafts using Specific Regulatory T Cells Response Therapy |
Masters/Department of Surgery/UBC |
$22,500 (1 year) |
|
Elise Huisman |
Identification of Biochemical Markers of Early Tendon Degeneration |
Doctorate/Department of Rehabilitation Science/UBC |
$45,000 (2 years) |
|
Eric Carter |
Exercise and Diving |
Doctorate/School of Human Kinetics/UBC |
$45,000 (2 years) |
|
Bianca Malouf |
Exhaled Breath Condensate and Diesel Exhaust Exposure |
Masters/School of Environmental Health/UBC |
$22,500 (1 year) |
|
Chaojie (Daniel) Song |
Determining the Association between Exposure to Occupational Noise and Cardiovascular Disease using Canadian Community Health Survey Data |
Masters/School of Environmental Health/UBC |
$22,500 (1 year) |
|
Hazel Hollingdale |
Safety Compliance & Gender: Initiatives and Development Guidelines for Occupational Safety in Male Dominated, High Hazard Work Environments |
Masters/Department of Sociology/UBC |
$22,500 (1 year) |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Ladan Mohammadi |
Developing Atmospheric Fuzzy Risk Assessment for Mine Reclamation Sites |
Doctorate/NBK Institute of Mining Engineering/UBC |
$22,500 (one year) |
|
Lois Lochhead |
Association of Past Hysterectomy with Work-related Low Back Injury among Healthcare Workers |
Doctorate/Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy/UBC |
$14,000 (two years) |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Elham Rahmani-Neishaboor |
Development of a Multi-functional Wound Dressing for Treatment of Burn Injuries |
Doctorate/ |
$45,000 (two years) |
|
Marci Regambal |
Factors that Predict Return to Work for Individuals with PTSD |
Doctorate/ |
$45,000 (two years) |
|
Daniel Sarkany |
Certification in Hazardous Occupations: A Focus on the B.C. Faller Certification Program and Injury Rates |
Masters/ |
$22,500 (one year) |
|
Pearl Siganporia |
B.C.'s Outsourced Hospital Workers: An Occupational Health and Safety Perspective |
Masters/ |
$22,500 (one year) |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Chun-Yip Hon |
Healthcare Workers and Antineoplastic Drugs: Identifying the Determinants of Exposure and Current Challenges to Reducing Exposure |
Doctorate/ |
$45,000 (two years) |
|
Bin Ge |
Efficacy of Composting to Decontaminate Cryptococcus gattii-colonized Plant Material |
Masters/ |
$22,500 (one year) |
|
Cristian Barzan |
Inhalation Hazards of Aerosolized Cyclophosphamide During Routine Handling |
Masters/ |
$22,500 (one year) |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Gholamreza Emad |
Reduction in Shipping Accidents, Injuries and Fatalities in British Columbia's Waters through Knowledge Transfer to Workplace |
Doctorate/ |
$45,000 (two years) |
|
Kim Reeves |
Screening for In-patient Violence in Emergency Rooms: Decreasing Violence Toward Healthcare Workers |
Doctorate/ |
$45,000 (two years) |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Carla MacLean |
Can Psychology Save Lives? The Influence of Tunnel Vision on Industrial Investigations |
Doctorate/Department of Psychology/UVic |
$45,000 (two years) |
|
Christian Turner |
Work Related Risk Factors for Asthma and Chronic Lung Disease |
Masters/Experimental Medicine/UBC |
$22,500 (one year) |
|
Jennifer Walinga |
Pain and Perception: Predicting and Overcoming Barriers to Return-to-Work |
Doctorate/Public Administration/UVic |
$22,500 (one year) |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Abul Alamgir |
Incidence, Trends and Costs of Occupational Injuries Requiring Hospitalization in the BC Sawmill Industry |
Doctorate/ |
$44,000 (two years) |
|
Geoffrey Desmoulin |
Lumbar Mechanics from Ultrasound Imaging: a Study of Low Back Pain |
Masters/Kinesiology/SFU |
$22,000 (one year) |
|
Zehra LeRoy |
Identifying, Measuring and Predicting Safety-Oriented Behaviours |
Masters/Department of Psychology/ |
$22,000 (one year) |
|
Catherine Trask |
Peak and Cumulative Back Muscle Activation in Heavy Industry: Examining Methods for Exposure Assessment |
Masters/ |
$22,000 (one year) |
|
Ron Do |
Investigating Biomarkers in Exhaled Breath Condensate in Association with Grain Dust and Endotoxin |
Masters/ |
$22,000 (one year) |
|
Award recipient |
Title of project |
Degree/program/ |
Award amount |
|
Crystal Whitney |
Hemodynamic and Endothelial Response of Firefighters Before and After Sudden Strenuous Exercise Training |
Doctorate/School of Human Kinetics/UBC |
$44,000 (two years) |
|
David Du |
Development of a Powered Upper-Limb Orthosis Device |
Masters/Mechanical Engineering/UBC |
$22,000 (one year) |
|
Mary Heppner |
A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on the Role of Self Efficacy in the Use or Abandonment of Assistive Technology in the Workplace |
Masters/Department of Physical Education, |
$22,000 (one year) |
|
Shannon van Wiltenburg |
Nurses' Experience of Violence in the Workplace |
Masters/School of Nursing/UBC |
$22,000 (one year) |