Faculty: Dr. Larry Leung, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Community Partner: Parkinson Wellness Projects (PWP)
Responding to a Growing Need
People living with Parkinson disease (PD) and their caregivers often need accessible education and ongoing support to navigate complex medication management. In partnership with Parkinson Wellness Projects (PWP), the UBC Pharmacy Building Resources and Accessibility in Neurology (BRAIN) Team developed online medication support groups to address this need while creating meaningful community-engaged learning opportunities for pharmacy students.
The project aimed to prepare third-year PharmD students to facilitate these support groups, helping them build the communication, leadership, and clinical skills needed to translate classroom learning into patient-centred practice. At the same time, it sought to provide patients and caregivers with evidence-based education and a supportive space to ask questions about Parkinson disease medications.
Learning Through Community Partnership
Supported by the ACEL Fund, the project developed a comprehensive training program that prepared pharmacy students to facilitate three online medication support group sessions covering motor symptoms, motor fluctuations and dyskinesias, and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson disease. Students participated in formal training, received a facilitator guide, educational slide decks, and practical communication strategies before leading small-group discussions under the supervision of registered pharmacists.
The partnership emphasized reciprocal learning. Students applied their pharmacy knowledge while engaging directly with patients and caregivers, who in turn shared lived experiences of managing Parkinson disease. This approach created opportunities for students to learn from patient perspectives while supporting community members through evidence-informed education.
Creating Lasting Impact
The pilot trained 15 pharmacy students, who facilitated online support groups attended by approximately 30–40 participants each session. According to the project team, the strong attendance highlighted the community’s need for additional education and support related to Parkinson disease medications.
Student feedback indicated that the training program was helpful, concise, and provided practical resources that prepared them to facilitate the sessions. Students valued the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a real-world setting, while community participants expressed appreciation for the education they received and for having their medication-related questions addressed. The team described the initiative as a valuable reciprocal learning opportunity that filled an important gap by providing both education and support for people living with Parkinson disease.
Beyond the pilot, the project produced a suite of resources—including a facilitator guide, presentation materials, session summaries, and volunteer training materials—that can support future student facilitators and ongoing delivery of the program.
The Role of the ACEL Fund
The ACEL Fund enabled the development of the student training program, educational resources, and facilitator materials that prepared pharmacy students to lead the support groups. The project team described the funding process as a “low barrier” opportunity that was especially valuable for community-engaged initiatives that might not be supported through larger funding programs.
Looking Ahead
Building on the success of the pilot, the team plans to expand student participation by integrating the medication support groups into the PharmD curriculum. They also intend to refine the training program based on student feedback and continue strengthening partnerships with Parkinson Wellness Projects. Looking ahead, the team hopes to broaden access to these support groups so that more patients can benefit while creating additional opportunities for pharmacy students to learn through authentic community engagement.
Output: Larry L ACEL Artifacts
Learning Through Care: Preparing Future Pharmacists to Support People Living with Parkinson Disease
Faculty: Dr. Larry Leung, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Community Partner: Parkinson Wellness Projects (PWP)
Responding to a Growing Need
People living with Parkinson disease (PD) and their caregivers often need accessible education and ongoing support to navigate complex medication management. In partnership with Parkinson Wellness Projects (PWP), the UBC Pharmacy Building Resources and Accessibility in Neurology (BRAIN) Team developed online medication support groups to address this need while creating meaningful community-engaged learning opportunities for pharmacy students.
The project aimed to prepare third-year PharmD students to facilitate these support groups, helping them build the communication, leadership, and clinical skills needed to translate classroom learning into patient-centred practice. At the same time, it sought to provide patients and caregivers with evidence-based education and a supportive space to ask questions about Parkinson disease medications.
Learning Through Community Partnership
Supported by the ACEL Fund, the project developed a comprehensive training program that prepared pharmacy students to facilitate three online medication support group sessions covering motor symptoms, motor fluctuations and dyskinesias, and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson disease. Students participated in formal training, received a facilitator guide, educational slide decks, and practical communication strategies before leading small-group discussions under the supervision of registered pharmacists.
The partnership emphasized reciprocal learning. Students applied their pharmacy knowledge while engaging directly with patients and caregivers, who in turn shared lived experiences of managing Parkinson disease. This approach created opportunities for students to learn from patient perspectives while supporting community members through evidence-informed education.
Creating Lasting Impact
The pilot trained 15 pharmacy students, who facilitated online support groups attended by approximately 30–40 participants each session. According to the project team, the strong attendance highlighted the community’s need for additional education and support related to Parkinson disease medications.
Student feedback indicated that the training program was helpful, concise, and provided practical resources that prepared them to facilitate the sessions. Students valued the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a real-world setting, while community participants expressed appreciation for the education they received and for having their medication-related questions addressed. The team described the initiative as a valuable reciprocal learning opportunity that filled an important gap by providing both education and support for people living with Parkinson disease.
Beyond the pilot, the project produced a suite of resources—including a facilitator guide, presentation materials, session summaries, and volunteer training materials—that can support future student facilitators and ongoing delivery of the program.
The Role of the ACEL Fund
The ACEL Fund enabled the development of the student training program, educational resources, and facilitator materials that prepared pharmacy students to lead the support groups. The project team described the funding process as a “low barrier” opportunity that was especially valuable for community-engaged initiatives that might not be supported through larger funding programs.
Looking Ahead
Building on the success of the pilot, the team plans to expand student participation by integrating the medication support groups into the PharmD curriculum. They also intend to refine the training program based on student feedback and continue strengthening partnerships with Parkinson Wellness Projects. Looking ahead, the team hopes to broaden access to these support groups so that more patients can benefit while creating additional opportunities for pharmacy students to learn through authentic community engagement.
Output: Larry L ACEL Artifacts
Faculty: Dr. Tamara L. Mitchell, Faculty of Arts
Community Partner: Maya in Exile Garden
Responding to a Growing Need
Latin American Studies 315 (LAST 315) explores the cultural, historical, and political significance of maize in Mesoamerica. While students engage with literature, Indigenous myth, poetry, and historical narratives throughout the course, this project sought to complement those materials by creating opportunities for students to learn directly from members of the local Maya community.
Supported by the Advancing Community Engaged Learning (ACEL) Fund, the project brought Maya-Mam Elder Lix Lopez—a Daykeeper, founder of the Maya in Exile Garden, and survivor of the Guatemalan Civil War—to the classroom. Through a workshop and dialogue, students explored the cultural importance of maize, the role of the Maya Garden in preserving agricultural traditions in the diaspora, and the lived experiences that shaped the course’s themes.
Learning Through Dialogue
The project centred on two connected learning experiences: a workshop and conversation with Elder Lopez, followed by an end-of-semester gathering featuring food from local Mesoamerican vendors and a discussion about diaspora, globalization, and cultural continuity.
To prepare for the workshop, students learned about the ethics of ethnographic interviews and developed respectful questions in advance. During the session, every student participated by asking questions and engaging in conversation with Elder Lopez about Mayan foodways, the history of the Maya Garden, and the importance of maintaining cultural and agricultural traditions in Vancouver.
Creating Lasting Impact
The workshop gave students an opportunity to learn with, rather than simply about, an Indigenous community member whose lived experience connected directly to the course content. Through classroom discussions, blog reflections, and the end-of-term celebration, students reflected on how community dialogue enriched their understanding of Mesoamerican history, diaspora, and cultural identity.
The project also had a meaningful impact beyond the classroom. The workshop helped re-establish connections between UBC and the Maya Garden following the COVID-19 pandemic, while creating new opportunities for student engagement. By the end of the course, two students had already contacted the Maya Garden to volunteer, and Dr. Mitchell also committed to volunteering with the Garden to continue strengthening the partnership.
Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Mitchell noted that inviting Elder Lopez into the classroom changed how students engaged with the course and strengthened her own commitment to integrating community engaged learning alongside literary and cultural texts. The experience also encouraged her to be more intentional in preparing students for community engagement and facilitating meaningful reflection afterward.
The Role of the ACEL Fund
The ACEL Fund made it possible to bring a community partner into the classroom in a way that respected both the expertise of the Elder and the learning needs of students. Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Mitchell shared that the funding process made community engaged learning feel accessible and provided the confidence to pursue more sustained community partnerships in the future.
Looking Ahead
Building on the success of the project, Dr. Mitchell plans to continue volunteering with the Maya Garden, pursue additional training in community engaged learning, and develop a future grant application that would establish a sustainable community engaged component within her foodways course.
Program Name: ACEL
Year of Publication: 2025
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