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We are currently updating our website. Please excuse any inconsistencies in our content or temporary disruptions during this time. Thank you.
The BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU) is located at BC Children’s Hospital and is a core research program within the Evidence to Innovation theme at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
With the goal to reduce the social and economic burden of injury in BC, the Unit was established as a strategic entity, supporting the development of policies and programs through research, surveillance, and the translation of evidence and knowledge to researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and the public.
Blending the need for research and evidence with best practices and the development of policies and programs to reduce injury in BC, BCIRPU advises the Ministry of Health, the Provincial Health Services Authority, and provides leadership and coordination to health authorities and other provincial stakeholders. BCIRPU leaders are members of the faculty at the University of British Columbia, and train and mentor future health care professionals, researchers, policy makers, and injury prevention practitioners.
To be a leader in the production and transfer of injury prevention knowledge and the integration of evidence-based injury prevention practices in the daily lives of those at risk, those who care for them, and those with a mandate for public health and safety in British Columbia.
To reduce the societal and economic burden of injury across all age groups in British Columbia through research, surveillance, education and knowledge transfer, public information, and the support of evidence-based, effective prevention measures.
To serve as a provincial “hub” to provide research-based leadership and coordination to stakeholders in order to reduce the societal and economic burden of injury among all age groups in British Columbia.
Together with core activities essential to an applied injury research unit, the four strategic focus areas of BCIRPU align with and support the priorities and objectives of, BC’s Population and Public Health Framework: Non-Communicable Disease and Injury Prevention.
BCIRPU was established in August 1997 as a province-wide partnership to address gaps in injury prevention in BC, such as the need for quality and comprehensive data, the need for quality injury prevention research, and the need to coordinate injury prevention efforts.
In 2023/2024, BCIRPU celebrated 25 years of injury prevention. We held a day-long symposium and published a timeline detailing our work in BC and beyond.
BCIRPU operates as a province-wide partnership between the BC Centre for Disease Control at Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), Evidence to Innovation research theme at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and the Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia. BCIRPU is supported by core funding from PHSA, and competes for peer-reviewed research grants and contracts.
BCIRPU plays a central role in coordinating communication between injury prevention leads in BC, facilitating opportunities for networking and collaboration. BCIRPU faculty and staff collaborate with national and international partners on various injury prevention topics and timely issues.
Below is a selection of our committee work; please see our Annual Report for a comprehensive list.
The BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit is a leader in the production and transfer of injury prevention knowledge and the integration of evidence-based injury prevention practices in the daily lives of those at risk, those who care for them, and those with a mandate for public health and safety in British Columbia.
