About

Jennifer C. Davis

Jennifer Davis is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Management. Her career goal is to improve the health of Canadians through applied health economic evaluation and outcomes research. Jennifer’s research focuses on conducting economics evaluations alongside randomized controlled trials (i.e., cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses) in a variety of clinical settings that include falls, fracture and cognition. A core part of Jennifer’s current research program includes health outcomes research (i.e., exploring the value of patient reported outcome measures) in the fields of healthy aging (i.e., cognition, mobility) and various surgical outcomes. Jennifer also enthusiastically contributes as a co-director of operations of the Falls Prevention Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital. Dr. Davis is working collaboratively on an initiative to apply proven cost-effective and cost-saving secondary falls prevention interventions for high risk older adults across BC. Jennifer has served on the editorial board (since 2008) and as a Deputy Editor (since 2017) for Health Economics Submissions to the British Journal of Sports Medicine (to 2020).

Education

• PhD, Experimental Medicine & Health Care and Epidemiology (Health Economic Stream), University of British Columbia (Vancouver), 2010
• MSc, Experimental Medicine (Clinical Research), University of British Columbia (Vancouver), 2006
• BSc (Hon), Physiology, University of British Columbia (Vancouver), 2003

Selected Grants & Awards

• Jennifer is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) and a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar (2020).
• Jennifer received CIHR and MSFHR awards to fund her postdoctoral fellowships. She also was the recipient of the CIHR Banting Canada Graduate Scholarship for her PhD studies where she received the VCHRI top graduating PhD student award and the CIHR Age+Prize for her PhD work.
• Jennifer is currently leading a project funded by CIHR’s BC Support Unit that examines how patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) may support patients’ adherence to fall prevention recommendations in the Falls Prevention Clinic.

Our People

Kirsten Husdal

Kirsten is a Research Technician at the Applied Health Economics Lab under Dr. Davis with a focus on lifestyle interventions for mobility and cognitive impairments. Endlessly curious about people, their stories, and how their interactions shaped the world around her, Kirsten developed a passion for helping others from a very young age. This led her to study Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), where she graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science. During her undergraduate degree, Kirsten specialized in cognition and memory, developing a strong interest in healthcare interventions along the way. When she isn’t in the lab, Kirsten can be found delving into many good books, exploring new trails, or trying out (and ranking) muffin recipes.

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Kimia Rostamian

Kimia is a prospective Master’s student and a Research Technician at the Applied Health Economics Lab under the supervision of Dr. Davis. Kimia graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Kimia is involved in a diverse array of research projects including conducting a systemic review focused on health interventions for post-stroke patients, applied health economic projects, and falls prevention research at the Falls Prevention Clinic. Kimia has a passion for clinical research and a career in healthcare and is looking forward to her co-supervision with Dr. Liu-Ambrose at the Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Health Lab. Kimia enjoys traveling to explore new places, experimenting with cooking new recipes, and skiing.

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Ben Karnon

Ben is in his first year of a Master of Science in Experimental Medicine, with an applied health economics specialisation at the University of British Columbia – (Vancouver). Ben completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Adelaide in Australia, graduating with an Economics Degree and an Honours Degree in Health and Medical Sciences. Ben will be working with Dr. Davis on a range of economic evaluations of randomized controlled trials looking at the health and economic impacts of lifestyle interventions. Ben enjoys playing basketball, going hiking and exploring new coffee shops!

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Stefanie Wallace

Stefanie is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Princeton University pursuing a degree in Economics.  Stefanie enjoys working both qualitatively and quantitatively and has a strong interest in exploring the intersection of healthcare and economics. Stefanie is working with Dr. Davis in the Applied Health Economics Lab, identifying and interpreting trends in longitudinal healthcare utilization costs for individuals with chronic stroke. In her spare time, Stefanie enjoys playing ice hockey, being outdoors, and reading!

 

 

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Kim Buschert

Kim has a Master of Library and Information Studies from UBC and has been an academic business and management librarian since 2014. She works with students and faculty in the lab to select research tools and design search strategies for their research projects. In Dr. Davis lab, Kim provides mentorship and tutorials to students for systematic review methodology and literature searches.

 

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Alumni

Adriana Velibekova

Adriana is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UBC – Okanagan pursuing a Bachelors in Management with a minor in Psychology. Adriana is the recipient of the International Undergraduate Research Award (IURA) where she worked on a cost of impairment/illness study. Adriana worked with Dr. Davis to develop new skills in systematic review methodology, data analytics and health economics. Adriana is interested in research in the healthcare industry because she has always tried to use her skills to help and improve lives of other people. In the future, she is planning to continue to contribute in various researches in healthcare industry, as well as develop a career path in finance. Apart from studying and working, Adriana enjoys traveling, painting and watching movies in her free time.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriana-velibekova/

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Ifaz Chowdhury

Ifaz is a 4th-year management student with a passion for accounting and finance at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan. As the upcoming Vice President of Finance for the Management Student Association in the year 2023-2024, he is fuelled by a desire to create meaningful experiences for fellow students within the faculty. Ifaz was the recipient of a Management Undergraduate Research Award (URA) where he worked with Dr. Davis to develop research skills such as systematic review analysis. Ifaz’s passion for research stemmed from a curiosity and drive to uncover valuable insights and push the boundaries of knowledge.

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Cassandra Adjetey

Cassandra completed a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies – Community Engagement, Social Change and Equity, with a focus in Health Economics at the University of British Columbia (Okanagan) under the supervision of Dr. Davis. Cassandra is from Ghana and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia’s (Vancouver) Bachelor of Arts program in Economics and Statistics in 2019. She worked with Dr. Davis on an applied health economics project comparing the efficiency of exercise or social and cognitive enrichment interventions compared with usual care among individuals with chronic stroke. In her free time, Cassandra enjoys painting, listening to music and podcasts and spending time with friends. Cassandra will be working with Interior Health as an evaluation specialist.

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Hardikaa Balasubramaniam

Hardikaa is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Management Degree at the University of British Columbia (Okanagan). Instilled with data-driven decision-making and an impact-driven mindset, Hardikaa aims to pave the way towards creating a sustainable society. Hardikaa is also passionate about people. Whether it be embarking on projects to support food security, supporting students as a teaching assistant, or pitching ideas in hackathons and case competitions to help organizations thrive, Hardikaa works with creativity and passion in giving back to the community. Currently, Hardikaa worked with Dr. Davis to explore the efficient approaches to improve health-related outcomes using lifestyle interventions. This project was funded by IURA (International Undergraduate Research Award). Apart from the academic elements, Hardikaa enjoys hiking, swimming, talking philosophy, and appreciates the little things in her life.

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Shuhui Wu

Shuhui is a fourth-year student currently working towards her Bachelor of Management Degree at the University of British Columbia (Okanagan). She is from China and aspiring to work in the HR field. One of her personal missions is to empower others and help them improve. Because of this, she is drawn to research within the healthcare field. She thrives working in a team environment. Besides study and work, Shuhui is very adventurous and enjoys travelling. Shuhui worked with Dr. Davis on a project funded by funded by the IURA (International Undergraduate Research Award).

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Josie Leung

Josie is going into her fourth year of the Bachelor of Management program with a minor in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (Okanagan Campus). She was born in Canada and raised in Hong Kong. She graduated from a local secondary school in Hong Kong in 2018, and she is interested in pursuing her career in either Human Resources or Marketing in Canada after graduation. She has actively participated in university clubs and the Student union. She would describe herself as being good at communication, commitment, and creativity. She worked with Dr. Davis, funded by the MURA (Management Undergraduate Research Award) Program.

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Kim Bennett

Congratulations Kim on completing your Master of Science in Rehabilitation Sciences program co-supervised by Prof. Teresa Liu-Ambrose and Dr. Jennifer Davis. The focus of her thesis was post-stroke cognitive function and she used both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the experience of cognitive changes post-stroke and the relationship between post-stroke cognition and mobility. Her thesis work was in-part been funded by a SHHRC CGS-M Award. Contact: kimbenn@mail.ubc.ca

 

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Shree Nithi Santhagunam (Nithi)

Nithi is a 4th-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Management Degree in the University of British Columbia (Okanagan) with a minor in Psychology. She is from a small beautiful hill station in Southern India called Kodaikanal. Nithi graduated from Kodaikanal International School with International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2017 and is on track to pursuing a career in Marketing, Human Resources or Accounting She has worked with Dr. Davis funded by the MURA (Management Undergraduate Research Award) Program where she developed a framework to promote adherence among older adults who fall. Apart from this, she enjoys playing the flute, hiking, horseback riding and watching movies in her free time.

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Daria Tai

Daria completed her Bachelor of Science in Behavioural Neuroscience and is interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare field. In the lab, she lead a qualitative project exploring how patient-reported outcome measures can help support patients’  adherence to fall prevention recommendations. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, swimming, and baking.

 

 

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Lexi Percival

Lexi Percival is a recent UBC Sauder School of Business Graduate specialized in Business Technology Management and Entrepreneurship with a Sustainability and Social Impact concentration. She is passionate about health performance and empowerment, social impact, and using collaborative intelligence to bridge the gap between business and community for a better future. Instilled with a guiding philosophy of values-based living, she resonates deeply with values- and mission-driven organizations that are leading the way to a regenerative economy. Lexi’s previous work experience includes program coordination, teaching, and research on integrative and preventative health topics such as diabetes in Canada and the medical tourism market in India. She is a nature-lover, enthusiastic learner and opportunist who is constantly striving to give back and contribute in unique ways through a service-mindset. Lexi worked with Dr. Davis exploring the cost imposed by functional limitations among older adults, a project funded by the Regional Socio-Economic Development Institute of Canada.

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