Announcing the Winners of Island Health's 2025-26 Research Grant Programs

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Posted On: June 5, 2026

 

We're delighted to announce the successful applicants to the 2025-2026 Health Research BC-Victoria Hospitals Foundation Health Equity Grant Program, and the 2025-2026 KPMG Research Seed Grant Program.

Funding for the health equity grant program was generously provided by Health Research BC and Victoria Hospitals Foundation. Two grants of $12,500 each were awarded this year to projects that advance health equity and eliminate health disparities by improving outcomes or access to health care and services for equity-deserving groups.

The funded projects are:

  1. Equitable Access to Pelvic Health Care through the Perinatal Year (Project Lead: Maha Maryam-Killoran, Registered Midwife)
  2. Operationalizing Health Equity When the Infrastructure Does Not Exist (Project Lead: Paul Winston, Medical Director, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

 The KPMG Research Seed Grant Program is generously funded by the Victoria Hospitals Foundation through support from the KPMG Foundation. Four grants of $12,500 were awarded this year:

  1. Pregnancy Loss Rates in British Columbia: Pathways to Improved Care for Patients and Families Impacted by Pregnancy Loss (Project Lead: Cheryl Heykoop, Associate Professor, Royal Roads; Co-Lead: Rana Van Tuyl, Portfolio Leader​, Addiction Medicine and Substance Use​, Island Health)
  2. Database optimization to support evaluation of the impact of the Victoria Liver Care Clinic (Project Lead: Dr. Jessica McLellan, General Internal Medicine and Clinical Lead, Liver Care Clinic)
  3. Optimizing seclusion room use within acute mental health settings through a Learning Health System Approach (Project Lead: Clara Rubincam, Learning Health System Facilitator, Mental Health and Substance Use)
  4. Investigating the impact of cryoneurolysis on quality of life and lived experience among adults, children, and their parents (Project Lead: Paul Winston, Medical Director, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
     
Thank you to all this year's applicants and to our reviewers, especially our long-standing panel of patient and community partners.

Both the health equity and seed grant programs fund projects that:

  1. Align with Island Health's priorities and goals to improve care and services in our communities and achieve our vision of “Excellent health and care for everyone, everywhere, every time."
  2. Engage people in research to gain experience, foster strong teams, and increase competitiveness for future funding opportunities.