A full day of hands-on activity is what is in store for the nearly two hundred high school students from across northern BC who are traveling to the University of Northern British Columbia for the first-ever Discover Health Forum. The event is designed to expose students to leaders in the health and health science fields and provide them with practical experience with health research and technology. Senior high school students will be coming to Prince George on Friday , February 19, from schools in communities such as Quesnel, Williams Lake, Chetwynd, Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, and 100 Mile House.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase the exciting health research being done right here in the North to students about to choose their career paths,” says UNBC’s Associate Vice President of Research (Health), Malcolm Ogborn who is coordinating the event. “We want to show young people the many ways there are to approach a career in health services. There is a significant amount of data being published recently that shows young people tend to gravitate more towards the careers they observe when they grow up. There is also an ever-increasing need for health practitioners and researchers in the North so this is certainly a mutually beneficial opportunity.”

Students will be participating in health-related events such as DNA extraction, X-Ray technology, nursing, and psychology. In addition, a career panel featuring health professors, students, and staff from UNBC and Northern Health will give the students an overview of the many health-related career paths available in northern BC.  

“Initially, we were aiming at having about 100 students in attendance,” says Dr. Ogborn. “We have been a bit overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and interest and so now are preparing for nearly double that number.”

The event is sponsored by UNBC, Northern Health, the Northern Medical Program, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Near BC, Genome BC, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.