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Empower multicultural communities with the information and skills they need to manage their health.

This page is also available in Chinese and Punjabi

The interCultural Online Health Network (iCON) is a community-driven health promotion initiative that provides culturally and linguistically tailored information on chronic disease management for multicultural communities. A leader in eHealth, iCON works in collaboration with partner organizations and with the support of the Ministry of Health to expand eHealth literacy in BC. iCON works with patients, caregivers, and health professionals to support individuals in navigating the BC healthcare system and shaping their self-management journey.

Since 2007, iCON has hosted public health events with Chinese and Punjabi-speaking communities to provide language appropriate health information. Health professionals from these communities provide health education in ways that respect the communities’ different cultural needs. iCON also works alongside Vancouver Coastal Health, First Nations Health Authority, Vancouver Island Health Authority and the Indigenous community to integrate traditional practices into Western primary and acute care settings.

What we do

The interCultural Online Health Network (iCON) is a partnership between UBC Digital Emergency Medicine and the Patients as Partners program and is supported by the B.C. Ministry of Health.

Partnership & collaboration

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Culturally-tailored health promotion & outreach

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Multi-channel dissemination

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Digital literacy to support patient self-management

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Evaluation & impact

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Mission

  • Promote health and wellness
  • Prevent chronic disease
  • Empower patients with information and skills to manage health
  • Close gap on health disparities
  • Improve patient navigation and health services accessibility
  • Foster culturally sensitive healthcare
  • Build awareness of digital tools to support self-management

Values

Collaboration

Working together to support patient-centered care.

Community responsiveness

Programming that is responsive to the needs of communities it serves.

Integrity

Continuous evaluation to ensure improvement and excellence.

Diversity

Embracing cultural diversity in health care. Fostering cultural sensitivity and open dialogue in health care.

Impact

Empowering patients to achieve better health outcomes.

Our team

Dr. Kendall Ho, MD FRCPC

Executive Director of iCON

Dr. Gulzar Cheema, MBBS, LMCC, CCFP, FCFP

Chief Medical Officer

Barbara Ho

Chief Nursing Officer

Harleen Chohan

Clinical & Cultural Liaison

Betsy Leimbigler

iCON Program Manager

Alex Fung

iCON Evaluation Analyst

Ana Feng

Research Assistant

Clair Wang

Work Learn Student - Communication Associate

Hargun Sidhu

Work Learn Student – Research Assistant

Jamie Lam

Work Learn Student - Communication Associate

Jamie Vanden Broek

Project Coordinator

Karen Chan

Event Coordinator

Minika Chu

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Puloma Gupta

Research Assistant

Pooja Ramachandran

Senior Research Assistant

Simran Dhaliwal

Research Assistant

Get Involved

Volunteer Benefits

  • Gain knowledge regarding prevention, self-management, and treatment of chronic diseases
  • Gain experience in engaging the public in interactive health events
  • Gain knowledge and experience in methods of evaluating health events
  • Be part of a team dedicated to providing health education to Chinese, South Asian and Aboriginal communities throughout the province
  • A letter of recognition with documentation of the total number of volunteer hours will be issued following completion of the volunteer commitment
  • Meet some great people!