BCIRPU 2025 Year in Review
As we approach the end of 2025, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on some of our accomplishments over the past year.
Here are some highlights that we’d like to share.
1. Vision Zero Grant Program promotes safety
On April 23, the Government of BC announced funding for 50 projects across the province, totalling $794,991, through the BC Vision Zero in Road Safety Grant Program. This included 15 projects in First Nations communities. View the list of funded projects at visionzerobc.ca.
2. New fall prevention resources for older adults
BCIRPU and the BC Ministry of Health’s Population and Public Health Division completed all components of STrength and Balance for Life (STABL), a set of activities designed to support the well-being and independence of older adults by reducing their risk of falls and fall-related injuries. These resources are available on HealthLinkBC and on Finding Balance BC's YouTube page.
3. 30 km/h speed limits save lives
BCIRPU researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, published a study comparing British Columbia and Victoria, Australia perspectives on the implementation of 30 km/h speed limits. This work contributed to the adoption of new legislation in Victoria that allows local councils to reduce speed limits to 30 km/h in school zones and on city streets. Read the publication.
4. Recommendations to prevent youth suicide and self-harm
BCIRPU members Drs. Shelina Babul and Mojgan Karbakhsh contributed to a report outlining actionable recommendations to prevent suicide deaths among youth and young adults. Read the report, including its five recommendations, on the BC Coroners Service website.
5. Improving injury surveillance
After successfully developing the injury surveillance mart within the PANDA platform, where multiple linkable injury datasets are made available, BCIRPU has been working closely with observatory epidemiologists within the BC Centre for Disease Control and the regional health authorities. These data support updates to the Injury Data Online Tool© and address data needs for the health authority injury prevention leads, allowing them to implement initiatives and work on advancing injury prevention efforts within their health authorities.
6. New eLearning course on infant crying
Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC (PSBSBC) supported the Northern Health Authority in promoting infant soothing strategies through the distribution of purple toques, helping raise awareness of traumatic head injury due to child maltreatment (THI-CM). In partnership with Perinatal Services BC, a new eLearning module on infant crying (Module 11) was developed and is now available on the new Pregnancy and Parent Learning Centre.
7. Team-building activities
The BCIRPU participated in several team-building activities this year. In May, staff took part in UBC’s Annual Faculty and Staff Sports Day, where they tried Zumba, played wheelchair tennis, and navigated inflatable obstacles. In June, the BCIRPU team tried swordplay and axe throwing at Academie Duello.
8. Concussion education in Colombia
Dr. Babul travelled to South America in May to improve concussion care and education in Colombia. Read more about her trip.
9. Happy retirement, Ian!
Dr. Ian Pike retired on June 30, 2025, after a long and successful career in injury prevention research, advocacy, and public education. Learn more about Ian’s career.
10. Director receives two prominent awards
BCIRPU Director Dr. Shelina Babul received two prominent awards recognizing her contributions to advancing concussion education in 2025: a Certificate of Merit Award from the Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME), and the Global Citizenship Award from Alumni UBC.
- distress when a child was in pain and when a family was grieving; and
- sadness in the event they were not able to save a child in their care.
- concern for the injured child and the child’s family;
Particularly traumatic events, such as those involving vivid sights and sounds (e.g., families holding each other and having extreme reactions), stuck with the practitioners, having long-lasting impressions on them and causing them to re-live these events in the years following their exposure.
Even after their shift was over, practitioners said that they changed how they approached parenting and how they perceived safety during play as a result of witnessing these traumatic events. They reported having more knowledge of the causes and consequences of severe injuries, such as those that require hospitalization or emergency care. For example, practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, such as by forbidding their child to play near busy streets. They also were more likely to tell their child about safe play environments and equipment, and put this equipment on their child before play, such as explaining the benefits of using helmets while riding bikes.
Practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, and use safety equipment, such as bike helmets.
Practitioners also described being concerned about their children’s play near open windows, around large bodies of water unsupervised, and in environments where firearms were present. They also expressed worry about their children’s play on trampolines and on motorized vehicles, such as ATVs. Findings related to trampoline play safety concerns were published in the journal Injury Prevention.
Observing family grief due to child injury or death affected the mental well-being of health care practitioners, drawing attention to the need for mental health supports for those involved in caring for severely injured and dying patients.
"Raise more resilient children through play...watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away." —Dr. Michelle Bauer
Building resilience through play
How can parents help their children build resilience? By letting them play!
The experiences that practitioners witnessed encouraged them to support their children in building resilience through play; specifically, by supporting children in learning to cope with failure, overcome fear, build self-confidence, develop distress tolerance, and regulate negative emotions. Findings related to building resilience through play were published in the journal Child: Care, Health, and Development.
Parents fostered resilience in their kids by:
- helping their kids get back on bikes after they fell off and wanted to try again;
- sitting on their hands so they did not instinctively reach for their children when their children fell down; and
- encouraging participation in challenging and thrilling activities in forests and water while safety equipment was used.
"There are a few ways that parents can raise more resilient children through play that are supported by literature and our study findings," said Dr. Bauer. "One: watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away."
"Two: Ask your child how they want you to help—let them tell you what makes them feel safe and happy during play. Let them lead. And three: make play both safe and exciting by encouraging risk-taking, teaching them how to avoid hazards, and using safety equipment.”
This research was supported through Drs. Bauer’s and Gilley’s receipt of a clinical and translational research seed grant from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), Dr. Bauer’s BCCHR postdoctoral fellowship award, and additional training provided to Dr. Bauer through her participation in the Programs and Institutions Looking to Launch Academic Researchers (PILLAR) program through ENRICH, a national organization training perinatal and child health researchers.
Learn more about the study through two infographic posters:
Graphics and posters by Milica Radosavljevic
