Brenda Poon

Overview: My research focuses on understanding ways that community capacity and cohesion influence health and health inequalities. Through strong community engagement and partnerships, my research prioritizes community-based knowledge creation towards identification of best practices and policy that support healthy communities. My research lab at UBC, the Community Research & Engagement Lab (CoRE-Lab), works closely with collaborators through participatory community-based knowledge-to-action research on community-level determinants of health and inequities to accessing services and supports. My research program focuses on identifying and addressing barriers that make it difficult for children, families, and persons from disability, Deaf, and disconnected communities to reach and use services and supports. Over the past decade, I have partnered extensively with the provincial government, regional health authorities, and diverse community and social service agencies to support provincial and community-based planning, implementation, and evaluation initiatives.
Publications: Rethinking diagnosis-based service models for childhood neurodevelopmental disabilities in Canada: a question of equity
Paediatrics and Child Health (Canada)
DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxac131
2023
Communication with face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic for adults with hearing loss
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications
DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00376-8
2022
A community-based systems dynamics approach for understanding determinants of children's social and emotional well-being
Health and Place
DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102712
2022
Understanding the Influence of Community-Level Determinants on Children’s Social and Emotional Well-Being: A Systems Science and Participatory Approach
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19105972
2022
Developmental profiles of children at risk for autism spectrum disorder at school entry
Autism Research
DOI: 10.1002/aur.2742
2022
A glossary on building longitudinal, population-based data linkages to explore children's developmental trajectories
Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods
DOI: 10.22237/JMASM/1556670060
2019
The Transition to School among Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Children: Teacher and Parent Perspectives
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enz027
2019
The transition from early intervention to school for children who are deaf or hard of hearing: Administrator perspectives
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
DOI: 10.1093/deafed/enw067
2017
Working together: Communication between stakeholders during the transition from early intervention to school for children who are deaf or hard of hearing
Exceptionality Education International
2017
Life course approach to oral health research workshop: A summative report
Journal of the Canadian Dental Association
2016
Can Routinely Collected Early Intervention Data for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children Be Used for Outcome Monitoring? A Case Example from British Columbia, Canada
Deafness and Education International
DOI: 10.1080/14643154.2015.1102470
2016
Dental caries disparities in early childhood: A study of kindergarten children in British Columbia
Canadian Journal of Public Health
DOI: 10.17269/CJPH.106.4918
2015
Social support for parents of deaf children: Moving toward contextualized understanding
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
DOI: 10.1093/deafed/ent041
2014
The key functions of collaborative logic modelling: Insights from the British Columbia early childhood dental programs
Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation
2013
Family support needs as perceived by parents of preadolescents and adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing
Deafness and Education International
DOI: 10.1179/1557069X11Y.0000000005
2011
Development of an integrated child health information system for children who are deaf or hard of hearing
Paediatrics and Child Health
DOI: 10.1093/pch/15.9.583
2010
Parent-screener discourse in a newborn hearing screening program: Implications for professional preparation and practice
Infants and Young Children
DOI: 10.1097/01.IYC.0000314487.00324.96
2008
Research: Community-centered childhood mental health promotion and prevention
My research involves integration of systems science and community based participatory research approaches to first investigate, then, based on the knowledge created, develop community-centered and tailored solutions that facilitate implementation of coordinated and integrated mental health promotion and prevention service delivery for vulnerable childhood populations with special developmental health concerns and disabilities. My work involves ongoing community engagement to co-design research that will support children and families to connect with services, service providers, and other families through creation of more coordinated and integrated service pathways.
Connecting the disconnected: Barriers and facilitators to service access and navigation
I am committed to understanding ways that children, families, and persons from disability, Deaf, and disconnected communities experience barriers and inequities in accessing services and supports. My work aims to translate research-to-practice in ways that contribute new knowledge on best practices and policy to address obstacles and promote equitable environments and accessibility. Through participatory approaches, my work centers on meaningful engagement of underrepresented community groups in the issue/problem identification, research question development, design, and interpretation phases.
Optimizing strategies for early identification and intervention for hearing health concerns
I am interested in academic-community partnered research that helps to identify and develop strategies for addressing key systemic barriers preventing children and adult patients from seeking or receiving hearing health care. I am interested in the roles of primary health care and community service providers in promoting hearing health, the barriers they face in providing optimal hearing health care, and the impacts of these barriers on the patients' hearing health care journeys.

Grants

Connecting the disconnected: Building capacity and partnerships in communities to promote equitable and accessible early years social-emotional supports for families. Funding Source: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Development Grant
Accessibility for virtual care for Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing communities. Funding Source: Government of Canada
A Community Research and Engagement (CoRE)-Lab approach to mobilize systems that support healthy social and emotional well-being among children in BC. Funding Source: Vancouver Foundation Investigate Grant
Breaking Barriers: Empowering Primary Care Providers to be Instigators of Change in Hearing Health Care Practice. Funding Source: Vancouver Foundation Investigate Grant
Match funding for Breaking Barriers Hearing Health Care Research. Funding Source: Michael Smith Health Research BC
Adoption of a Response to Intervention Model across Different Educational Contexts. Funding Source: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Grant

Stories See all

Unlocking the mystery of nephrotic syndrome in kids: Q&A with new investigator Dr. Susan Samuel

Pediatric nephrologist Dr. Susan Samuel, a new investigator who joined BCCHR in September 2024, has been investigating ways to improve the quality of life of children diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome. She is serving as the director for the ENRICH program, a national network of mentors and learners. We met Dr. Samuel to talk about the importance of research and mentorship.

Continue reading Unlocking the mystery of nephrotic syndrome in kids: Q&A with new investigator Dr. Susan Samuel

BC Children’s Hospital researchers bring Mini Med School to the Yukon for the first time

World-class researchers from BCCHR will travel to the Yukon on March 28 to present a day of discovery with Mini Med School. This health science youth outreach and public education program is designed for high school students to explore the world of health sciences, career opportunities in science and medicine, and connections with leading researchers and health experts.

Continue reading BC Children’s Hospital researchers bring Mini Med School to the Yukon for the first time

Torin Halvorson and Hebah Hussaina awarded Vanier scholarships for immunotherapy and mental health research

BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) is proud to announce that two of its outstanding research trainees, Torin Halvorson, an MD/PhD student working with the Levings research team, and Hebah Hussaina, a graduate research assistant in the Brussoni Lab, have been awarded the prestigious 2024 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

Continue reading Torin Halvorson and Hebah Hussaina awarded Vanier scholarships for immunotherapy and mental health research

Studies highlight the impact of the pandemic on children and youth’s mental health

The Pediatric Outcome ImProvement through COordination of Research Networks — which involves BCCHR — has published their latest research findings on mental health hospitalizations of children and youth throughout the pandemic. These findings led the team to a second study where they evaluated the relationship between hospital admissions for eating disorders and public health restrictions.

Continue reading Studies highlight the impact of the pandemic on children and youth’s mental health

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