End-of-Year Letter from the Participant Advisory Committee
Dear BC Brain Wellness Program participants,
The mission of the Participant Advisory Committee (PAC) is “to provide a participant perspective towards a comprehensive and integrated approach to brain wellness by guiding future BC Brain Wellness Program (BWP) program delivery, research and education.”
Established in 2021 by Team Leads Yundi Wang and Chelsea Smith, the PAC consists of 11 program participants passionate about making a meaningful difference in brain health: Co-Chairs Shirley Kepper and John Peirce; Ann McAfee, Callie Wong, Jackson Mooney, Josee Menard, Margaret Sarkissian, Nicole Eaton, Peter Kerr, Ruth Major and Sharon Roman. Looking forward to the 2022-2023 year, we welcome new members Teresa Trainer, Wayne Reeves, and Team Lead Brianna Bristow.
In its inaugural year, the PAC advised on inclusivity, accessibility, and operations of exercise programs as well as creative expression and care partner classes. Feedback from the PAC also supported a new website design. Testimonials from PAC members describing their positive experience with BWP and the profound improvements in their lives because of program participation were shared, invaluable in past, present and future grant applications. As an ongoing project, the PAC is assisting in seeking fundraising opportunities to continue providing participants with free access to BWP programs, expand the program province-wide, as well as reduce barriers to educational seminar outreach and clinical research participation for patients with neurological disorders, care-partners and healthy-agers.
If you are a present or past participant and have suggestions/testimonials that you would like to share or if you are interested in joining the PAC for the 2023-2024 year, please contact us at brain.wellness@ubc.ca.
On behalf of the BC Brain Wellness Program, the PAC wishes to congratulate all participants on taking an invested interest in their health by attending program classes and educational seminars as well as reading past blogs and viewing archived Wellness Wednesdays.
Thank you dedicated BWP leadership team and staff, instructors, researchers, and volunteers.
Happy Holidays to all!
Cheers,
Participant Advisory Committee
