Using Drone Technology to Enhance Rural and Remote First Nations Healthcare Access
The Drone Transport Initiative (DTI) is a collaborative partnership between Stellat’en First Nation, the Village of Fraser Lake, and the UBC Faculty of Medicine that explores the use of drone technology to enhance healthcare access in rural, remote, and First Nation communities. In Phase I, the initiative successfully demonstrated the feasibility of transporting medical supplies while strengthening community partnerships and generating valuable insights to inform future implementation.
Join Sandy Lee and Dr. John Pawlovich as they share pearls from Phase II of the Drone Transport Initiative, including key findings, lessons learned, and opportunities to further advance equitable and sustainable healthcare delivery in rural, remote, and First Nations communities through innovative transportation solutions.
BC Virtual Health Grand Rounds is a quarterly provincial rounds series for health professionals, health administrators and IT colleagues. The Rounds explore transformative, technology-enabled health-care delivery. The sessions spark discussion on risks, benefits and considerations for adopting technology to support patient-centered care.
- Describe the unique healthcare challenges faced by rural and First Nation communities, and explain how targeted rural health programs can improve access to care, health outcomes, and health equity.
- Examine how supply-chain logistics planning supports healthcare delivery in rural and remote settings and in rural First Nation settings, including the reliable distribution of medicines, medical supplies, diagnostics, and time-sensitive healthcare resources.
- Assess how integrated rural health programs and resilient supply chains strengthen community preparedness and response capacity during public health emergencies, natural disasters, and service disruptions
Dr. John Pawlovich
Dr. John Pawlovich is a family physician with over 25 years of clinical service spent across B.C. in some of the most remote and underserved communities across the province. With over a decade of experience providing hybrid telehealth services to rural, remote and Indigenous communities in the Carrier-Sekani territories across North-central BC, Dr. Pawlovich provides key insights into existing hybrid care models, as well as extensive experience in creating community-led healthcare solutions. As a founding member of the Real-Time Virtual Support program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Pawlovich has embraced innovation in the face of new and emerging challenges and has long supported the adoption of technology to support and elevate patient care.
Sandy Lee
Sandy Lee has worked in healthcare administration for over ten years. She has a Master in Public Policy, and is a certified Project Manager Professional with certificates in change management and agile leadership. As the Senior Project Manager on the Drone Transport Initiative, Sandy spearheads strategic partnerships with communities and stakeholders and has fostered partnerships outside of healthcare, including with applied sciences, airport authorities, regulators, and other industry partners. Sandy identifies herself as a life-long learner and is invigorated by the continuous learning in her role. This philosophy also extends to her approach with community engagement, enabling her to foster cultural safety and humility throughout her work.
Moderated by Dr. Kendall Ho
We are pleased to partner with the Rural Education Action Plan, UBC Digital Emergency Medicine Department, BC Academic Emergency Network and the Academic Health Science Network to deliver this program to you at no cost.
The Division of Continuing Professional Development, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine (UBC CPD) is fully accredited by the Continuing Medical Education Accreditation Committee (CACME) to provide CPD credits for physicians. This activity is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by UBC CPD. You may claim a maximum of 1.0 hours (credits are automatically calculated). This activity meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been certified by UBC CPD for up to 1.0 Mainpro+® Certified Activity credits. Each physician should claim only those credits accrued through participation in the activity.