HEART Program

HEART (Healthy Environments in Academic Research Teams) is a team-based program that helps research groups create more respectful, inclusive, supportive, and collaborative environments. Through guided discussions, interactive learning, and practical action planning, your team can identify opportunities for growth and build a healthier research culture.

Build Healthier Research Environments, Together

HEART welcomes Faculty of Medicine research teams interested in building healthier, more inclusive, and more collaborative research environments to enroll in an upcoming cohort. Three cohorts are planned each year, with space for approximately 8–10 research teams per cohort. Choose the cohort that best fits your team’s schedule and readiness to participate. Expressions of interest can also indicate 2028 as a preferred start date. 

Winter Cohort:  Jan 29 – Feb 26, 2027 (no activities during reading break) 

Spring Cohort: May 7^th – 28^th, 2027  

Fall Cohort: Oct 1 – 22^nd, 2027 

Eligibility Criteria:  

• Research Teams in the Faculty of Medicine with more than 3 people. 
• PIs must explicitly endorse the team’s participation when the expression of interest is submitted on behalf of the team. 
• Participation should include the majority of the trainees, postdocs, research staff, and must include the PI. Please note, volunteers, undergrads, or non-UBC students generally cannot participate in the program and do not count towards team participation. 
• Participation will be limited to 10 teams per 4 week cohort (100 participants). 

Time commitment:  

• Expressions of interest are accepted on a rolling basis. 
• The estimated time commitment is 18 hours over 4 weeks, including in-person and virtual workshops, online content, a canvas course, and post-program feedback surveys.  
• Sessions and activities take place during working hours.

At the endof the HEART program, research teams will be able to:

• Describe the factors that influence a healthy research environment
• Describe their role in influencing a healthy research environment and identify development areas
• Participate in conversations about the research environment in a way that promotes safety, well-being and inclusion
• Develop actions to discuss, promote and evaluate a healthy research environment on an ongoing basis

The HEART Framework

Mapped against the Faculty of Medicine values, this framework forms the basis of the HEART program. Our research with faculty, staff and trainees highlighted that healthy research environments is one in which everyone: 

Respect 

• Team members contribute to a psychologically safe environment where team members can express themselves, disagree, disclose difficulties and make mistakes 
• Team members model respectful behaviour outlined in UBC guidelines 
• Team members recognize the diverse and ongoing contributions of all team members toward research goals

Integrity 

• The team endeavors to provide and receive constructive feedback 
• Team members take ownership of mistakes and personal development as part of the learning process
• Team members respond to inappropriate or disrespectful behaviour using UBC guidance and reporting mechanisms

Compassion 

• The team listens to, acknowledges and adapts to the needs and experiences of team members 
• The team creates opportunities for team members to connect on a personal level, and integrates work and personal priorities
• Team members model mental health literacy to support team members while maintaining appropriate boundaries

Collaboration 

• Team members regularly communicate and collaborate on research outputs, problem-solving and skill development, reducing barriers to collaboration
• The team negotiates and agrees on clear roles, expectations and lines of accountability. 
• The team provides effective mentorship and supports team members in achieving personal and professional goals

Equity 

• The team recognizes and addresses personal and institutional biases and stereotypes in thinking and behaviours
• The team values, integrates and celebrates diverse perspectives, identities, experiences and ways of knowing 
• The team engages in ongoing learning, discussion and action to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in the research environment

HEART: Building healthy environments where researchers thrive.

What past participants are saying

91.4% of survey respondents felt their participation in the HEART program increased their appreciation for their role in influencing a healthy research environment.

88.6% of survey respondents felt their participation in the HEART program increased their knowledge of healthy research environments, and increased awareness of relevant skills and competencies (88.6%)

73.5% of survey respondents felt their participation in the HEART program allowed them to feel more confident in taking action towards creating a healthy research environment.

71.4% of survey respondents felt their participation in the HEART program allowed them to feel more confident engaging in team conversations around healthy research environments

“We’ve shifted things around and will permanently shift things around to give people an opportunity who didn’t feel like they had a voice before. That’s something I had no idea was an issue in the lab before the HEART program identified that. We understand that there’s a lot of positives in the lab, but what are some things that we can improve on? There was never really an avenue to surface that before sitting down for a HEART workshop.” (Student interview)

“Taking the HEART program as a group provided our lab times to discuss about issues we had and talk to each other. I think it really helped us to get the atmosphere of an open-minded environment.” (Survey response) 

“People were way more open and honest to saying things that they were maybe more nervous to speak up previously.” (Student interview)