Congratulations to our SPPH Scholar Day 2025 award winners!
As part of the Dr. James M. Robinson Memorial Prize, Alpamys Issanov and Maria Mulder have been invited to present their work in the SPPH Research Seminar Series.
Join us on January 23, from 12:00–1:00 PM, in Room B104, 2206 East Mall, or via Zoom, to hear their outstanding research presentations.
Register for Zoom link: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/FOMHiKyGSmWidnq1f5JVxg
A light lunch will be provided for those attending in person.
Presentation title: Air Pollution and Lung Cancer: Differential Risk by Smoking Status in the UK Biobank
Introduction: Lung cancer (LC) remains the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Although smoking is the primary risk factor, 15–20% of LC cases globally—and up to 50% in some Asian populations—occur in people who have never smoked (PNS). Air pollution is an established contributor to LC, yet many prior studies focused on highly polluted regions or relied on outdated exposure estimates. Using recent data from the UK Biobank, a large prospective cohort in a comparatively low-pollution setting, we examined associations between air pollution and LC among people who smoked (PS) and PNS.
Methods: The cohort included over 480,000 participants without prior LC or recent cancer history. Baseline residential exposures to fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) were estimated using land-use regression models. Incident LC was identified through linked hospital and cancer registry records. Cox proportional hazards models assessed associations between pollutants and LC, adjusting for covariates selected using the disjunctive cause criterion, including sociodemographic, lifestyle and medical factors.
Results: Mean PM₂.₅ concentrations were 10.1 µg/m³ in PS and 9.9 µg/m³ in PNS. Over six years, 1,583 LC cases occurred among PS (risk 0.72%) and 239 among PNS (0.09%). Among PS, LC risk increased with natural log-transformed PM₂.₅ (HR 5.46; 95% CI: 2.19–13.6) and log-NO₂ (HR 1.63; 95% CI: 1.16–2.28). No associations were observed in PNS.
Conclusion: In this low-pollution context, air pollution was associated with higher LC risk among people who smoked but not among never-smokers, future studies are needed to incorporate more refined exposure assessment to better characterize risk across smoking groups.
About the speaker
Alpamys Issanov is a PhD candidate at the School of Population and Public Health, UBC, specializing in machine learning for lung cancer risk prediction. Holding a Master’s in Public Health and an MD in General Surgery, he has assumed diverse roles, including serving as a physician, a faculty member, epidemiologist, and health policy consultant in Kazakhstan. Alpamys possesses experience in conducting both quantitative and qualitative research projects, and he has co-authored numerous publications across various fields.
Presentation title: Supporting Health Information Needs Amidst Challenging Legal and Informational Contexts: Insights from a study on cannabis use decision-making in pregnancy and lactation
Introduction: The availability of quality, trusted, and evidence-based information is essential for individuals who need to make personal health decisions. When clinical information about a health topic is minimal or inconclusive, people may struggle to address health-related information needs. Cannabis use in pregnancy and lactation is one such area that lacks conclusive evidence and clear medical guidelines for personal health decision-making. Despite federal-level criminalization of cannabis consumption in the US, increasing numbers of states are legalizing adult consumption, creating challenging and unique situations for individuals who use—or even seek information about—cannabis while pregnant or lactating. Challenging legal contexts, combined with a dearth of reliable and conclusive information, leave individuals with barriers to making empowered health decision-making.
Objective: This study seeks to understand the health information needs of individuals considering cannabis use while pregnant/lactating, whether stated needs are adequately met, and how various information behaviours are used in response to individual health information needs amidst a challenging legal context.
Methods: Reflexive Thematic Analysis, grounded in intersectionality, was used to qualitatively analyse 23 interview transcripts with pregnant or postpartum people who had considered using or used cannabis during their pregnancy or lactation.
Results: This study found that the information needs of pregnant/lactating people considering cannabis use are complex, contextual, and poorly addressed by current research. The development and application of a novel information behaviour model of Everyday Triangulation resulted in several key recommendations to improve support of cannabis-related information needs in clinical settings with pregnant/lactating patients.
Conclusion: Clinicians can play a key role in supporting the health information needs of their pregnant and lactating patients considering cannabis use. By better understanding the information needs and barriers of their pregnant/lactating patients, clinicians can develop trusting relationships that empower satisfying personal health decisions, even amidst challenging legal contexts.
About the speaker
Maria (they/them) lives and works as an immigrant-settler on the unceded lands of the Musqueum, Squamish, and Tsleil-Watuth Nations (colonially known as Vancouver, Canada). Maria is currently a second year PhD student at the University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health, where their work sits at the intersection of information science and public health research. Maria completed their Master of Library and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia iSchool having come to information science with an interdisciplinary BA and several years’ professional experience in various forms of education and healthcare-adjacent roles. Their previous research has focused on transgender and gender expansive (TGE) experiences of pregnancy and childbirth, information behaviours relating to cannabis decisions during pregnancy and lactation, and information behaviours related to vaccine hesitancy in new parents. Their current research interests include mis- and dis-information relating to TGE healthcare and the health information behaviours and needs of systemically marginalized populations.