Attention
We are currently updating our website. Please excuse any inconsistencies in our content or temporary disruptions during this time. Thank you.
We are currently updating our website. Please excuse any inconsistencies in our content or temporary disruptions during this time. Thank you.
Dr. Ian Pike retired on June 30 ,2025, after a long and successful career in injury prevention research, advocacy, and public education.
Dr. Pike has improved public safety and shaped injury prevention policy and practice in British Columbia. His inquisitive nature, collaborative spirit, and advocacy for equality shines through in all of his work. Since his appointment to the Department of Pediatrics in the UBC Faculty of Medicine in 2004, Dr. Pike’s work has resulted in 136 publications, 58 reports, and 133 invited presentations.
He has held various leadership roles during his years at UBC, including Director of the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU), co-lead of the Evidence to Innovation research theme at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), a member of BCCHR’s Research Leadership Council, Director of Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC, and Co-Executive Director of Preventable, an award-winning social marketing campaign.
Read about Dr. Pike’s career highlights below.
---
Dr. Pike completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Saskatchewan and after the summer off, started work in the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Regina. His first job was managing the Pool and Aquatics and Community Programs, including instructing in the undergraduate program. Following the completion of a Masters degree (University of Alberta) he returned to Regina as the Manager of the Centre for Health, Wellness, & Performance (formerly the Dr. Paul Schwann Centre), a fitness and lifestyle lab at the University of Regina.
Dr. Pike took an academic leave from the University of Regina and obtained his PhD in Physical Education and Recreation from the University of Alberta in 1995. While at the University of Alberta, he played rugby for the Edmonton Nor’westers and enjoyed several alpine skiing trips to Jasper and Lake Louise.
His PhD dissertation evaluated the effectiveness of the Esso Headquarters corporate fitness program at Fifth Avenue Place (then called the Esso Plaza), finding that investment in employee health and fitness was associated with increased health and well-being, reduced absenteeism, and reduced benefits consumption.
His work resulted in an offer to re-locate from the prairies to British Columbia to take up the position of Director of Employee Health and Safety Services at The Healthcare Benefit Trust and subsequently, Director of the Lower Mainland Region of the Canadian Red Cross.
The BCIRPU was created in 1996 following a recommendation by the BC Minister’s Advisory Committee on Injury Prevention. The Chair, Dr. Shaun Peck, recommended a partnership between the BC Ministry of Health, the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Department of Pediatrics (Dr. Bob Armstrong), and what is now the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) (Dr. Ron Barr), and the BCIRPU was formed at BC Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Pike was a member of the Advisory Committee through his role at the Red Cross, and the Committee was looking for a new Director after Dr. Parminder Raina left the role to move to McMaster University. Dr. Pike met Dr. Mariana Brussoni, then Associate Director of the BCIRPU, through the committee.
“Ian was on my list,” Dr. Brussoni said. “He had the respect of many, and he was already integrated into the injury prevention community. He was a bridge and relationship builder with excellent vision and leadership skills. We knew he was the right fit.”
During a conference on Vancouver Island, Dr. Brussoni played her first round of golf with Dr. Raina and Pike. On the green, they chatted with Dr. Pike about the job, and after careful consideration, Dr. Pike applied for the role and was successful.
Dr. Peck said that Ian had a special set of skills they desired. “At the beginning we wanted to ensure, under Dr. Raina, that there was a strong focus on the epidemiology of injury prevention,” he said. “With Ian’s appointment, he brought the skills of social marketing and health promotion to BCIRPU. Thanks to his leadership, today the BCIRPU has both the epidemiology research skills as well as those of social marketing and health promotion.”
Through his various roles in the public and private sector, Dr. Pike learned how to give a boardroom presentation, write a government briefing note, and run a successful fundraising initiative. He applied these skills with an academic lens.
“The whole notion of taking an academic approach to things was something I wanted to do,” Dr. Pike said. “When I came to the BCIRPU, my initial view of injury prevention was to consider it like any other intervention seeking to make change in people’s lives. It seemed very much like my work during my PhD or at that at the Dr. Paul Schwann Centre.”
During his 20 years at the helm of the BCIRPU, Dr. Pike was involved in many projects and initiatives. He is particularly proud of the BCIRPU’s work assisting the BC Government in updating the BC Motor Vehicle Act to improve child restraint safety in vehicles in 2008. In addition to new rules for infants and young children, this update made booster seats mandatory for children travelling in vehicles up to 9-years-old or 145cm (4’9”) tall. This work led directly to a series of research fellowships in Japan.
“A highlight of my career was to be able to work in another country with some of the skills and abilities that Canada has given me,” Dr. Pike said. “I am so grateful to my colleagues in Japan for the opportunity.”
Dr. Pike fondly remembers the five-year Canadian Institutes of Health Research Team Grant in Child and Youth Injury Prevention (2010–2015)—for which he and Dr. Alison Macpherson (York University) were nominated Principal Investigators. This pan-Canadian research team published over 140 peer-reviewed manuscripts, made 185 invited presentations, co-developed a graduate-level workshop course in injury research methodology, leveraged additional research grants totalling more than $8 million, and recruited and trained over 60 trainees. Many of the trainees have gone on to become successful researchers and leaders in injury prevention today.
.JPG)
Dr. Pike has made connections across the province and Canada. He was Chair of Parachute’s Expert Advisory (Scientific) Committee from 2013 to 2018. And, since then, a member of the Board of Directors. He has shaped injury prevention education, co-creating the School of Population and Public Health injury prevention course (SPPH 555) and developed the Canadian Injury Prevention Curriculum and co-edited the companion textbook.
“The injury prevention field would not have advanced as far as it has without Ian’s vision, leadership, and expertise,” said Ms. Pamela Fuselli, President and CEO of Parachute, Canada’s injury prevention charity. The influence he has had, and will continue to have, extends around the globe. Far beyond the enormous achievements Ian has realized are the deep and genuine relationships he’s built and his joy for life.”
Other projects Dr. Pike remembers include: the development of 34 national injury indicators for children and youth, and 27 separate indicators for First Nations and Inuit children and youth; his long-time collaboration with retired City of Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis; and the VOICES of Children and Youth projects.
Having mentored almost 100 students, Dr. Pike believes in giving space for people to take ownership and succeed.
“You have to generate your own existence,” he said. “The work you do must bring credibility to your organization, must be excellent in the field, but it also has to attract resources: time, talent, and treasure [funding].”
"The injury prevention field would not have advanced as far as it has without Ian’s vision, leadership, and expertise. The influence he has had, and will continue to have, extends around the globe." - Ms. Pamela Fuselli, Parachute
Many BCIRPU team members were there in the early days and still work there today, including current Director Dr. Shelina Babul, Ms. Fahra Rajabali, and Ms. Kate Turcotte. This is a testament to the skills and success of the team, led by Dr. Pike for so many years.
“What I’m most proud of is the BCIRPU staff team,” Dr. Pike said. “It’s a very strong, supportive, and cohesive team. And, I get that confirmation from government sponsors and health authority colleagues as well. People want to work for us and with us.”
In 2007, Mr. Kevin La Freniere and Mr. Dave Anderson from WorkSafeBC approached Dr. Pike with a proposal: can you provide the evidence for a mass-media marketing campaign for injury prevention? The initiative was called SafeBC.
After three years of research and testing and establishing a cross-sectoral partnership approach, SafeBC had evolved into The Community Against Preventable Injuries (Preventable). This non-profit organization runs a social marketing campaign to change attitudes and behaviours around serious preventable injuries and deaths.
Dr. Pike and Mr. La Freniere co-lead Preventable, ensuring a dual marketing and evidence-based approach. Using TV and digital advertising, social media, and billboards, Preventable provides a reminder at the time and place that an injury could happen. Preventable has gained international recognition, been presented at numerous conferences, published and cited in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks, and won awards. Most importantly, since the launch of the first campaign, BC has seen measurable shifts in attitude towards preventable injuries and a reduction in injury-related deaths among its target audience of 25-54-year-olds and their children.
For both BCIRPU and Preventable, Dr. Pike serves as spokesperson, becoming a trusted source to news media. In 2017, he received the UBC President’s Award for Public Education through the Media. He was the only recipient asked to speak at the award ceremony that year.
“Ian’s experience, dedication, and passion have been instrumental in shaping Preventable’s success,” said Mr. La Freniere. “He is deeply respected by his peers, jurisdictional partners, and the entire injury prevention community.”
“I have always appreciated his willingness to go above and beyond. It has been an incredible journey.”
Going forward, Dr. Pike will be involved in ongoing research projects. He has been accepted to the UBC Emeritus College, and given a post-retirement appointment in the UBC Department of Pediatrics. He will continue his work with Preventable, which will launch a new campaign platform in 2026.
Dr. Pike will spend time doing more of his favourite things: visit with family and friends, watch rugby, enjoy a pint of beer on a sunny patio, play golf, and sail the beautiful waters of BC. He will travel to Vietnam and Australia later this year, and spend more time in his workshop on wood carving, drawing, and painting.
Above all, Dr. Pike is looking forward to more quality time with his wife. “We really are each other’s best friend,” he said.
As for the future of injury prevention in BC, Dr. Pike hopes that the work will continue. Prevention and acute care are connected, he says, and continuing BC’s strong investment in injury prevention is needed if we are to support front-line workers and continue the downward trend in preventable injuries and deaths.
“We are the most fortunate province in Canada in terms of the understanding and investment made by government and others in injury prevention,” he said. “What we have is working. Don’t waste that investment.”
"Ian’s leadership was never about titles. It was about vision, collaboration, and a genuine commitment to making people live safer lives." —Dr. Shelina Babul
“Ian’s leadership was never about titles,” said Dr. Shelina Babul, current Director of the BCIRPU. “It was about vision, collaboration, and a genuine commitment to making people live safer lives. Working with Ian has shaped my career in ways I’ll always be grateful for. But more than that, I’ve gained a colleague I respect deeply and a friend I’ll always value.”
“It’s been a pleasure. I’ve grown as an academic and a leader because of the example Ian has set,” said Dr. Brussoni. "He’s been a mentor, colleague, and trusted friend.”
The BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit is a leader in the production and transfer of injury prevention knowledge and the integration of evidence-based injury prevention practices in the daily lives of those at risk, those who care for them, and those with a mandate for public health and safety in British Columbia.
F508 – 4480 Oak St.
Vancouver, BC, V6H 3V4
Email: bcinjury@bcchr.ca
