You Matter LabYou Matter LabYou Matter LabYou Matter Lab
  • ABOUT
    • Our Team
    • Our Supporters
    • Our Collaborators
    • Abbreviations
  • PROJECTS
    • ADVANCE COVID-19 Vaccines Study
    • ASSESS-DBS Study
    • STBBI Policy and Guideline Development for BC Corrections
    • Test, Link, Call Project
  • EDUCATION RESOURCES
    • For Healthcare Staff in BC Corrections
    • For Staff in BC Corrections
    • For Clients in BC Corrections
    • COVID-19
  • GUIDELINES & TOOLS
    • Guideline on pathways to care for STBBIs
    • Test, Link, Call Project Tools
      • Downloadable Resources for Test, Link, Call Project
      • Medicine Bundles – Frequently Asked Questions
    • Tools for Engagement
    • Tools for Healthcare Staff in BC Corrections
    • Tools for Release Planning
  • OUTPUTS & UPDATES
    • Blog
    • Graphic Summaries
    • Media Stories
    • Publications & Reports
    • Presentations
  • CONTACT

You Matter - Pathways to STBBI Care Project Policy recommendations and guidelines for STBBI testing and linkage to care for
BC Provincial Correctional Centres.
GO TO THE GUIDELINES
BCCDC STBBI Course for Corrections Staff Learn more about STBBI basics including prevalence, stigma, testing rates, and
understanding work hazards as a corrections staff and link to free online course.
DETAILS
Person-Centred Language for People in Prison Using person centered language for people with lived/living experience of incarceration is important for reducing stigma.
DETAILS

YOU MATTER

About Us

The You Matter Lab is an applied public health research lab embedded at the British Columbia (BC) Centre for Disease Control (CDC). The lab is led by Dr. Sofia Bartlett, Scientific Director (Interim) for Clinical Prevention Services at the BC CDC and Assistant Professor (Partner) at the UBC School of Population and Public Health. Grounded in the principles of equity, harm reduction, and community-engaged research, the You Matter Lab focuses on improving population level health and well-being through reducing the impact of communicable diseases on people impacted by incarceration, substance use, and structural stigma. Our work focuses on addressing infections which most disproportionately impact this population, including sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) such as HIV or hepatitis C virus, as well as COVID-19 and tuberculosis.

The You Matter Lab builds on the foundation of the STBBI Pathways Project — which was a collaboration between the BC CDC and BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services carried out from 2020-2022. This initial project was centered on the voices and preferences of people living with or at risk for STBBIs who experience incarceration in BC, in order to create person-centered and trauma-informed guidelines for how to provide STBBI testing and care in provincial correctional centres. The You Matter Lab expands this vision into a broader, long-term program of embedded and applied public health research, aiming to create systems and services where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued— and knows that they matter.

Our Goals

We strive to generate actionable evidence to inform interventions, programs, and policies using mixed-methods, community-based, and participatory research. Our work is shaped by close collaborations with community members, particularly those who have lived or living experience of STBBIs, peer researchers, clinicians, and decision-makers, and is guided by a foundational commitment to intersectional health equity. In fulfillment of our legally enshrined obligations under the BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the Government of Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, we strive to uphold Indigenous sovereignty in all aspects of our work.

Our Values

  • Collaboration, co-design, & co-leadership
  • Trauma-informed and decolonial practices
  • Elevating evidence that incorporates western scientific sources and methods with Indigenous Ways of Knowing as well as community expertise and knowledge
  • Identifying & addressing the root causes of health inequities through focusing on the social determinants of health
  • Fostering person-centered care and research that respects individuals, their choices, and their concerns
  • The importance of engagement in care to mitigate morbidity and mortality for STBBIs and other health issues
  • Striving to eliminate stigma
  • Intersectionality
  • Harm reduction

You Matter

OUR PROJECTS

We work on transformative projects to help improve health outcomes for people who experience incarceration, substance use, and structural stigma with a focus on addressing STBBIs. Check out some of the projects we are working on:

STBBI Policy and Guideline
Development for BC Corrections

The You Matter Pathways to STBBI Care project is funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada …

DETAILS

Test, Link,
Call Project

We recently received funding for the Test, Link, Call (TLC) Project which will be launched in Fall 2021 …

DETAILS

ADVANCE COVID-19
Vaccines Study

The “Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine concerns among people who are incarcerated” (ADVANCE) study involves COVID-19 vaccine research …

DETAILS

You Matter

EDUCATION

The focus of the educational resources and tools in this website are to address gaps in what is available to provide education specifically for people who are incarcerated, using substances, or experiencing structural marginalisation, as well as for staff working with these people. Check out some of the resources created listed by health area below:

Education for Healthcare Staff

DETAILS

Education for clients in BC Corrections

DETAILS

COVID-19

DETAILS

You Matter

GUIDELINES & TOOLS

The Guidelines and Tools pages include links to current STBBI-related guidelines, templates, tools and other resources to support engagement with people affected by or at risk of STBBIs.

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Guidelines
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Presentations
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Publications & Reports
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Healthcare Tools

You Matter

NEWS & STORIES

The News & Stories page include blogs written by team members, news, project updates and past and upcoming events.

  • Blog Posts
  • Media Stories

Blog Posts

  • Supporting Access to HIV and Hepatitis Care: How Cell Phones and Peer Support Are Changing Lives for People Who Experience Criminalization

    By Admin | Comments are Closed

    SEPTEMBER 5, 2024. By Amrit Tiwana, Nicola Gale, and Sofia Bartlett. People who experience criminalization, such as those who have been incarcerated,Read more

  • Prescribing cellphones and peer support to improve access to STBBI care

    By Admin | Comments are Closed

    AUGUST 2024. By Nicola Gale, RPh (APA), MPH. More about Nicola Gale. Nicola Gale is a clinical pharmacist with an out-patient liverRead more

Media Stories

  • Test, Link, Call Project brings vital care within easier reach for underserved populations

    By Admin | Comments are Closed

    By Pacific Public Health Foundation NOVEMBER 8, 2023, Pacific Public Health Foundation Test, Link, Call: a simple premise with a powerful purposeRead more

  • Province takes action to eliminate hepatitis C

    By Admin | Comments are Closed

    By BC Ministry of Health JULY 30, 2023, BC Ministry of Health Communications People in B.C. will be better protected against theRead more



We do community-engaged research to improve health equity for people
affected by STBBIs, incarceration, and systemic stigma. We collaborate
with partners across sectors to create real-world impact through applied
public health science.

PROJECTS

  • PROJECTS
    • ADVANCE COVID-19 Vaccines Study
    • ASSESS-DBS Study
    • STBBI Policy and Guideline Development for BC Corrections
    • Test, Link, Call Project

EDUCATION RESOURCES

  • Education Resources
    • Healthcare Staff
    • Corrections Staff
    • Clients & Community
    • COVID-19

PUBLICATIONS & TEMPLATES

  • GUIDELINES & TOOLS
    • Guideline on pathways to care for STBBIs
    • Test, Link, Call Project Tools
      • Downloadable Resources for Test, Link, Call Project
      • Medicine Bundles – Frequently Asked Questions
    • Tools for Engagement
    • Tools for Healthcare Staff in BC Corrections
    • Tools for Release Planning
  • Y5 Creative
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
Copyright @ 2021 - You Matter | All Rights Reserved
  • ABOUT
    • Our Team
    • Our Supporters
    • Our Collaborators
    • Abbreviations
  • PROJECTS
    • ADVANCE COVID-19 Vaccines Study
    • ASSESS-DBS Study
    • STBBI Policy and Guideline Development for BC Corrections
    • Test, Link, Call Project
  • EDUCATION RESOURCES
    • For Healthcare Staff in BC Corrections
    • For Staff in BC Corrections
    • For Clients in BC Corrections
    • COVID-19
  • GUIDELINES & TOOLS
    • Guideline on pathways to care for STBBIs
    • Test, Link, Call Project Tools
      • Downloadable Resources for Test, Link, Call Project
      • Medicine Bundles – Frequently Asked Questions
    • Tools for Engagement
    • Tools for Healthcare Staff in BC Corrections
    • Tools for Release Planning
  • OUTPUTS & UPDATES
    • Blog
    • Graphic Summaries
    • Media Stories
    • Publications & Reports
    • Presentations
  • CONTACT
You Matter Lab