Research Opportunity: AI and Health Care

Posted on February 27, 2025
by Lydia Wood

Artificial Intelligence and Technology-Enhanced Emergency Care Collaboration Centre (AiTECCC) – Community Engagement: Engaging Spinal Cord Injury BC and Rick Hansen Foundation Community Members to Co-Design AI in Health

Subject: Invitation to participate in a Community Engagement on AI in health care

Dear community member,

Thank you for your engagement, SCI BC and RHF is partnering/collaborating with the Artificial Intelligence and Technology-Enhanced Emergency Care Collaboration Centre (AiTECCC), led by Dr. Kendall Ho, Lead, Digital Emergency Medicine, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, on a project that aims to engage the community in discussions about the responsible, equitable and culturally safe uses of digital health and AI in healthcare to inform the design, adaptation and evaluation of person-centered solutions.

You are invited to take part in this study in one or both of the following way.

  1. You may choose to complete a healthcare scenario survey only. Completing the survey does not require attending an engagement session.
  2. You may also choose to complete the survey and participate in an engagement session.

 

This engagement sessions will take place on Thursday, March 26, 2026, 2-4 pm (in-person) and Monday, March 30, 2026, 6-8 pm (virtually). The Zoom link will be forwarded to everyone who chooses to participate virtually and the in-person engagement is located at the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, Vancouver, BC in an accessible meeting space. It is important to note that the session will be recorded, and participants will be asked to complete an optional post-session survey. For more information:  

  1. Healthcare scenario survey

  2. Information sheet

  3. Consent form

As part of the study, we require interested participants to sign a consent form. If you are interested in participating, please refer to the information sheet and consent form link. We will follow up with an email containing details for the discussion session. If you need help or have any questions, please contact the research study contact, Trinity Truong (trinity.truong@ubc.ca).

Thank you very much for your consideration to be a part of this session and we look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,

Spinal Cord Injury BC

On behalf of:

Artificial Intelligence and Technology-Enhanced Emergency Care Collaboration Centre (AiTECCC)

Dr. Kendall Ho, Principal Investigator, Lead, Digital Emergency Medicine, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia

E-mail: kendall.ho@ubc.ca

General Information

Click here to download the General Information pdf.

This engagement is part of a UBC research study led by the Artificial Intelligence and Technology-Enhanced Care Collaboration Centre (AiTECCC) and partnering organizations (Spinal Cord Injury BC and Risk Hansen Foundation). The principal investigator for this study is Dr. Kendall Ho. The study explores how community members in BC view the opportunities and challenges of using AI in healthcare. We are interested in co-designing approaches that are culturally safe, inclusive, and responsive to local needs.

  • Explore lived experiences and comfort levels- Understand how community members within the spinal cord injury community currently experience, perceive, and use artificial intelligence in everyday life and in health-related contexts.
  • Identify perceived benefits, concerns, and risks- Elicit community members’ perspectives on the perceived opportunities, challenges, and ethical concerns associated with the use of AI in health and wellness.
  • Assess expectations of AI use in health care- Examine whether current and emerging uses of AI in health align with community members’ expectations, needs, and values.
  • Surface aspirations and support needs-Identify how community members would like AI to support their health and wellness, and what role the health system should play in enabling—or limiting—AI use in a way that is accessible, safe, and person-centred.
  • Inform responsible, community-informed AI design and policy
  • Generate qualitative insights to inform future research, engagement, and system-level decision-making related to the ethical, inclusive, and appropriate use of AI in health for people living with spinal cord injury.
  • Your participation in this research is voluntary.
  • You may choose to take part in one or both of the following ways.
    • You may complete the survey only. Completing the survey does not require attending an engagement session.
    • You may also choose to complete the survey and participate in an engagement session, either in person or virtually. Participation in an engagement session requires providing informed consent to take part in the study. Honoraria are provided only for participation in engagement sessions.
  • You may choose not to participate or to withdraw from the study at any time without any negative consequences. If you withdraw, any data collected up to the point of withdrawal will not be used in the study.

By consenting to participate in the study, you agree that data generated through the discussion and shared perspectives may be used in a de-identified form for future design analyses and for further engagement sessions with community members.

The engagement will follow the following outline:

  1. Welcome and opening – (15 min)
  2. Purpose and Approach – Q&A (15 min)
  3. Discussion #1 – (30 min)
  4. Break – (5 min)
  5. Shared Context – Presentation (15 min)
  6. Discussion #2 – (30 min)
  7. Closing – (10 min)
  • If you consent, your contributions in the engagement (via polls, group discussions, chat, audio recordings, transcripts) will be included in the research dataset.
  • All information will be stored securely on UBC servers and accessible only to the research team.
  • We will not collect names or personal identifiers.
  • Risks: You may feel uncomfortable sharing your opinions in a group setting. Participation is voluntary, and you may skip questions or withdraw at any time.
  • Benefits: While there may be no direct personal benefit, your contributions will help shape future design and policy around AI in healthcare, ensuring that your perspectives are represented.

The study is being conducted by UBC’s AiTECCC – Digital Emergency Medicine unit research team.

 

If you have any questions regarding the study, please contact the study research assistant Trinity Truong (trinity.truong@ubc.ca).

Next steps:

If you agree to participate and be part of this study, please click on the following link to access the consent form: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9BH1YnfQAMiUYGq

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