SFU admission letter offering conditional admission to the Health Sciences MSc program for Fall 2026, with conditions related to final transcript submission, maintaining a 3.00 term GPA in the first two terms, and guaranteed minimum funding of $21,000 per year for 2 years.

Excited to share that I’ll be starting my MSc in Health Sciences @sfu.ca studying #SocialPrescribing this fall.

I’m really grateful for the mentors, collaborators, and communities who’ve supported me along the way. Special thanks to @nurselillian.bsky.social, @idea.nursing.ubc.ca, and @cspsc.ca.

Journey Through Dementia Care Transitions We are building a Learning Community by bringing people together who care deeply about improving dementia care transitions. Together, we share stories, listen deeply, and learn what truly supports…

Discover the importance of engaging people with lived experience in research in a new video from @idea.nursing.ubc.ca, spotlighting the journey of dementia care transitions: buff.ly/lTASe4l @nurselillian.bsky.social @agingsmart.bsky.social

Visiting students, researchers, and partners pose together in the UBC IDEA Lab around the Aether robot, which is decorated with a purple skirt and colorful flowers. The visiting students on the left are holding ice cream.

UBC IDEA Lab team posing for a picture at a long-term care site visit, holding VR headsets and controllers, with tables, devices, and project materials visible in the foreground.

We recently hosted two visiting high school students through UBC STEM Fellowship’s Research Exploration Opportunity. They spent the week exploring our lab through hands-on work with our industry and patient partners, as well as clinical site visits for our Indigenous VR & Digital Companion projects!

One chord at a time: Community ukulele program builds connection for people living with dementia Over 700,000 people currently live with a neurocognitive disorder or dementia in Canada. With 61% of them living in a community setting, there is a growing need for equitable, person-centred…

🎼 Learning music together may help build confidence, connection & improve quality of life of people living with dementia, according to a new study led by VCHRI researcher Dr. Lillian Hung & @sbmeubc.bsky.social student Jason Fu: www.vchri.ca/stories/2026... #MusicTherapyAwarenessMonth #MTA2026

Exploring the Cognitive Aspects of Walking in the Neighbourhoods among People Living with Dementia AbstractBackground and Objectives. The population living with dementia has been growing globally. Supportive neighbourhood environments are essential for m

Excited to share our new study with @SFUGero.bsky.social where we present our qualitative findings from walk-along interviews in the neighbourhood with 26 participants living with mild to moderate dementia, with insights for dementia-friendly #BuiltEnvironment. Read here:

One chord at a time: Community ukulele program builds connection for people living with dementia Over 700,000 people currently live with a neurocognitive disorder or dementia in Canada. With 61% of them living in a community setting, there is a growing need for equitable, person-centred engagemen...

Our study on a 12-week community ukulele program co-led by a person living with dementia was recently featured by @VCHResearch.bsky.social’s Research Insider. Check it out:

Behind the Scenes of Participation: Ethical Reflections on Power Dynamics in Co-Designing a VR Program in Long-Term Care - Joey Oi Yee Wong, Karen Lok Yi Wong, Albin Soni, Mary Van, Sena Kholmatov, Ka... Introduction Participatory research (PR) has been found to have a positive impact on people living in long-term care (LTC). Yet, limited attention has been paid...

Our reflection paper published in @ijqmonline.bsky.social, led by our newly minted PhD candidate Joey Oi Yee Wong, examines the ethical complexities of co-designing a VR program in long-term care and introduces the PARTNER framework for more inclusive #ParticipatoryResearch.

I am honoured to have been invited to join The Social Worker Podcast, produced in celebration of the Canadian Association of Social Workers’ 100th anniversary. 😊 thesocialworker.riverside.com/e/the-social...

Join researchers, designers, developers, manufacturers, service providers, and policy makers from around the world as we explore innovative solutions to enhance the health, well-being, and independence of older adults through technology.

We are proud to be one of the collaborating institutions of #ISG2026 and are looking forward to delivering 12 presentations at the SFU Harbour Centre from March 26-29, 2026 🇨🇦

Robotic Pets in Hospitals: Fostering Connection Acute care hospitals often fail to meet the relational needs of older adults with dementia, for whom many environmental stressors can exacerbate behavioral symptoms. Using clinical reflection, we anal...

What’s the role of robotic pets in hospitals? @nurselillian.bsky.social and UBC IDEA Lab trainee Victoria analyzed the case studies of PARO & LOVOT:

On this #InternationalWomensDay, we celebrate the women whose knowledge, leadership, and care are shaping innovation in dementia, aging, and senior care research. Today and every day, we honour your contributions to creating a better world.

A screenshot from a CIHR virtual networking event with a slide titled “Revolutionizing Dementia Care Transition through the Learning Health System (LHS) model at Vancouver Coastal Health.” It lists research goals, implementation progress (patient journey mapping, system mapping, EDI advisory, learning community education), knowledge mobilization strategies, the population of interest, and challenges/opportunities. A small video tile shows Dr. Lillian Hung speaking.

At yesterday’s CIHR Implementation Science Teams Networking Forum, @nurselillian.bsky.social shared how our Learning Health System partnership with @vchhealthcare.bsky.social is improving dementia transitions through a Learning Community. Learn more here: idea.nursing.ubc.ca/2025/02/21/b...

GPA training for dementia education The passion of my participants fuels my teaching. ♥️ @vchhealthcare.bsky.social

Frontiers | Use of headphones for the delivery of music programs for people with dementia in long-term care homes: a scoping review ObjectiveTo examine the evidence regarding to the use of headphones in music programs for people with dementia in long-term care homes (LTC) and identify ena...

We worked with our collaborators at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to conduct a scoping review on the use of headphones in music programs for people living with #dementia in LTC homes @nurselillian.bsky.social @agingsmart.bsky.social @vchhealthcare.bsky.social @vchresearch.bsky.social

Critical reflections from a transdisciplinary team on deploying an AI-enabled robot in long-term care This study presents our reflections as student researchers working within a transdisciplinary, intergenerational team that implemented Aether, an AI-e…

Our student team reflected on deploying the Aether care robot in long-term care, and shared what transdisciplinary and intergenerational collaboration taught them along the way. Check out our new paper in Nurse Education in Practice:

UBC IDEA lab Postdoctoral Fellow Position (Computer Science) Care robots have the potential to offer useful support in long-term care. We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow with a strong background in computer science or engineering to lead the ...

We are hiring a Postdoctoral Fellow with a computer science or engineering background to lead the technical development and real-world implementation of autonomous mobile robot assistants in long-term care settings. Learn more and apply: www.postdocs.ubc.ca/ad/58967

Graphic with a navy background. At left, a group photo of the UBC IDEA Lab team standing and sitting around a decorated Christmas tree, framed by a colourful holiday border. At right, large text reads “Happy Holidays from the UBC IDEA Lab,” beside a cartoon character wearing a Santa hat and scarf. A gold banner along the bottom reads: “Read our 2025 year-end message from Dr. Lillian Hung.”

Happy Holidays from the UBC IDEA Lab 🎄✨ Read our 2025 year-end message from @nurselillian.bsky.social here: idea.nursing.ubc.ca/2025/12/24/m...

Baycrest Centre - Episode 30 Baycrest is a research and teaching hospital for the elderly in the North York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Is caring for a pet beneficial for brain health? VCHRI researcher Dr. Lillian Hung spoke on the Defy Dementia podcast about innovations in dementia care, including the use of robotic pets: https://ow.ly/MeA250XC2xN Dr Lillian UBC School of Nursing UBC IDEA Lab Centre for Aging SMART

New space, same mission. We can’t wait to welcome you into our new home on the fourth floor of the UBC Gateway Building as we continue advancing dementia and aging care through #PatientOrientedResearch.

Frontiers | Exploring intergenerational interactions with tiny social robots: a qualitative study BackgroundWith the rapid aging of Canada’s population, more older adults are choosing to “aging in place,” yet they face challenges of social isolation and h...

New qualitative study led by @nurselillian.bsky.social explores how two #TinyRobots (EMO and AIBI) can support intergenerational interactions between older adults and university students. Out now in Frontiers in Dementia (@frontiersin.bsky.social):

A group of long-term care staff, researchers, and patient partners sit in a bright lounge at Opal Vancouver, listening to Dr. Jim Mann, an older adult patient partner, standing and speaking at the front of the room during a long-term care clinical huddle.

Last week, our Intergenerational & Interdisciplinary Research (IIR) team ran a long-term care clinical huddle at Opal Vancouver.

Patient partner Dr. Jim Mann spoke about unconscious bias toward people living with dementia and how small assumptions shape everyday care 💜

We @idea.nursing.ubc.ca completed our Canada arm of multi countries cultural aging study. Very happy to share Canadian results with other countries in Singapore

Blog - Heartstrings and Hardware: Navigating the Ethics of LOVOTs in Elder Care - Bioethics Today A group of researchers at the University of British Columbia’s IDEA Lab recently invited older adults living with dementia and their family care partners

New blog post on Bioethics Today by Hana Abbasian and Perisa Ashar responds to our recent LOVOT reflection paper, raising ethical questions about #AlgorithmicIntimacy and #EmotionalAccountability when using social robots in dementia care.

Sena Kholmatov speaks at a wood-paneled lectern with a laptop and mic during SFU’s Research Day on Aging.

Sena Kholmatov recently presented our Co-Create VR project at the SFU GRC (@SFUGero.bsky.social) Research Day on Aging. We explored how VR can create meaningful moments for older adults through co-design with residents, staff, and families. Feeling grateful to share this work.

10 strategies: 1, inclusion, 2, focus on what works, 3. Embrace complexity, 4, connect hearts. 5 connect heads, 6 adopt to need,7 build big tent, 8, make it easy, 9 realtime testing, 10 keep pace

Dr. Lillian Hung and Yuka Ohno stand smiling on either side of their research poster titled “Long-term care residents and staff perspectives on PARO using video reflexive ethnography” at GSA 2025.

Yuka Ohno and Dr. Takanori Shibata stand in front of the PARO booth in the exhibit hall at GSA 2025, each holding a fluffy white PARO seal robot and smiling at the camera.

Our #PARO project co-lead, Yuka Ohno, presented a poster on her work and met PARO’s inventor, Dr. Takanori Shibata, in the exhibit hall at #GSA2025. We’re excited to keep exploring how socially assistive robots like PARO can support people living with dementia and their care partners.

Thanks for sharing, friends!

On #RemembranceDay, we honour and remember the military and civilian lives lost to war, and the families who hold their stories. Working alongside older adults and care partners, we are reminded every day of the power of memory and community.

Flying to Boston #GSA2025, 2 papers, an invited president symposium, 6 posters @idea.nursing.ubc.ca @ubc-vnursing.bsky.social 🥳 🤩 Excited to see friends and colleagues

Featured in Canadian Healthcare Technology, a new study by VCHRI researcher Dr. Lillian Hung reveals how accessible, AI-enabled robot companions foster emotional engagement & social connection for residents of long-term care homes: ow.ly/gHZ850XnXP5