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Every day across British Columbia, trainees and researchers at the UBC Faculty of Medicine are turning skills into jobs, investments into discoveries, and discoveries into solutions that are transforming health for everyone.

Ranked among the world’s top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors, health care professionals, and medical researchers, making remarkable discoveries to help create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The UBC Faculty of Medicine offers a diverse array of training opportunities including cutting-edge research experiences in the biosciences, globally recognized population health education, quality health professional training, as well as several certificate and online training options. The Faculty of Medicine is home to more than 1,700 graduate students housed in 20 graduate programs (14 of which offer doctoral research options). Year after year, research excellence in the Faculty of Medicine is supported by investment from funding sources here at home and around the globe, receiving approximately more than $1.8B in total research funding since 2016.

We value our trainees and the creative input they have to scholarly activities at UBC. Our priority is to enable their maximum potential through flexible opportunities that provide a breadth of experiences tailored to their own individual career objectives. We maintain high standards of excellence, and work to create a community of intellectually and socially engaged scholars that work collaboratively with each other, the university, and the world, with the overarching goal of promoting the health of individuals and communities.

 

Research Facilities

UBC Faculty of Medicine provides innovative educational and research programs in the areas of health and life sciences through an integrated and province-wide delivery model in facilities at locations throughout British Columbia.

The Life Sciences Centre is the largest building on the UBC Vancouver campus. Completed in 2004, the $125 million, 52,165 sq metres building was built to accommodate the distributed medical educational program and the Life Sciences Institute.

The Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH), a partnership between the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health, unites under one roof research and clinical expertise in neuroscience, psychiatry and neurology in order to accelerate discovery and translate new knowledge into better treatment and prevention strategies. DMCBH has both laboratory and clinical research areas within the Centre proper and in the UBC Hospital Koerner Pavilion. Our core facilities are essential to ongoing collaboration, teaching, and research.

The BC Children's Hospital Research Institute is it the largest research institute of its kind in Western Canada in terms of people, productivity, funding and size. With more than 350,000 square feet of space, the Institute has both 'wet bench' laboratory and 'dry lab' clinical research areas, and other areas to facilitate particular areas of research and training.

Research Highlights

New knowledge and innovation are crucial to successfully identifying, addressing and overcoming the increasingly complex health-related challenges that influence the lives of all of us – in British Columbia, in Canada, and in countries and communities around the globe.

The UBC Faculty of Medicine is recognized nationally and internationally for research innovation that advances knowledge and translates new discoveries to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Research opportunities feature extensive collaborations across other faculties, health institutions and health partners across British Columbia, Canada and internationally.

The Faculty provides and fosters research excellence across the full continuum, from basic science to applied science and then to knowledge implementation, with a focus on precision health; cancer; brain and mental health; heart and lung health; population health; and chronic diseases.

Graduate Degree Programs

Research Supervisors in Faculty

or browse the list of faculty members in various academic units. You may click each unit to view faculty members appointed in that unit. View the full faculty member directory for more search and filter options.
Name Academic Unit(s) Research Interests
Jeavons, Roxanne
Jenstad, Lorienne School of Audiology and Speech Sciences Other health sciences; hearing aids; Aging; audiology; hearing health; amplification
Jevitt, Cecilia Department of Family Practice Medical, health and life sciences; Midwifery; perinatal obesity; weight management in pregnancy; obesity prevention
Jiang, Xiaoyan Department of Medical Genetics Cancer drug development and therapeutics
Johnson, James Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, Department of Surgery diabetes, hormones, cell biology, signal transduction, apoptosis or programmed cell death, heart failure, heart disease, calcium signalling, pancreatic cancer, obesity, longevity, imaging, Causes of type 1 and type 2 diabetes at a molecular level discovery of genes and associated gene networks linked to diabetes risk and by known risk factors that predispose individuals to diabetes
Johnston, Jay ,
Jones, Steven J Department of Medical Genetics Bioinformatics, genome science, mutations, cancer progression
Jones, Allan Division of Hematology Medical Education, teaching and assessment, Clinical Trials in Hematological Malignancies
Joseph, K.S. Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, School of Population and Public Health Pregnancy complications, preterm birth, fetal growth, infant mortality, neonatal
Ju, Myeong Jin Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, School of Biomedical Engineering Medical and biomedical engineering; algorithms for quantitatively imaging biological dynamics in human retina; cellular resolution functional retinal imaging systems; Medical Imaging; optical imaging systems; signal processing algorithms
Kaigala, Govind School of Biomedical Engineering enabling technologies for healthcare and life-sciences; new concepts and devices (liquid scanning probes) for manipulating biointerfaces
Kalia, Sunil Department of Dermatology & Skin Science Skin Cancer; Optics and Photonics; Skin Disorders; Epidemiology; optics; photobiology; dermatoepidemiology; Cancer
Kalua, Khumbo School of Population and Public Health Population health interventions; Infectious diseases; Global health; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); Neglected Tropical Eye Diseases; Global Eye Health; Cluster Randomized Trials; Implementation Science; International Global Health; Community Based Research; Clinical trials
Kareemi, Hashim
Karim, Ehsan School of Population and Public Health Biostatistical methods; Survey methodology and analysis; Statistical learning; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); Public and population health, n.e.c.; Causal inference; Biostatistics; Statistics; Machine Learning; data science; Survey data analysis; multiple sclerosis
Karmali, Shamir
Karsan, Aly Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Hematological tumours; Cancer molecular targets; Leukemia; Hematopoiesis; Genomics and epigenomics; Noncoding RNAs; Aging
Kassam, Rosemin School of Population and Public Health Medical, health and life sciences; Child Health, Malnutrition, Adult Chronic Disease, Geriatrics
Kastrukoff, Lorne Division of Neurology MS; human immunology and multiple sclerosis particularly T-cell responses and most recently NK or natural killer cell responses
Kazanjian, Arminee School of Population and Public Health Cancer Survivorship, Knowledge Exchange and, Translation, Psychosocial oncology, Palliative care in cross-cultural context, Vulnerable populations, including women
Kealy, David Department of Psychiatry Consciousness, Subjectivity and Personal Identity; Mental Health and Society; Affective and Emotional Development; Psychotherapy; mental health; Personality; Emotional functioning
Kelleher, Dermot Division of Gastroenterology immune response to many of the leading causes of gastrointestinal infectious disease worldwide
Keown, Paul Anthony Division of Nephrology immune response in transplantation and autoimmune disease, and ranges from molecular genetics to healthcare economics
Keramatian, Kamyar Department of Psychiatry early intervention in bipolar disorder, Mental Health & Addictions
Kerr, Thomas Division of Social Medicine harm reduction, injection drug users, HIV / AIDS, safe injection site, addiction, HIV/AIDS, injection drug use, health policy and service evaluation, and community-based research methods

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Recent Publications

This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Medicine.

 

Publication: Cell Reports Methods
UBC Author(s): Nozomu Yachie (School of Biomedical Engineering / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 4
Publication Date: 25 March 2024

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Publication: Developmental Cell
UBC Author(s): Peter C Leung (Obstetrics & Gynaecology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 15345807
Volume: 59
Page Range: 776-792.e11
Publication Date: 25 March 2024

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Publication: PLoS Genetics
UBC Author(s): Jessica Dennis (Medical Genetics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 15537390
Volume: 20
Publication Date: 22 March 2024

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Publication: Blood
UBC Author(s): Christian Steidl (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00064971
Volume: 143
Page Range: 1057-1058
Publication Date: 21 March 2024

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Publication: Cell Systems
UBC Author(s): Joerg Gsponer (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 24054712
Volume: 15
Page Range: 246-263.e7
Publication Date: 20 March 2024

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Publication: Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
UBC Author(s): Daniel Renouf (Division of Medical Oncology / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 42
Page Range: 1067-1076
Publication Date: 20 March 2024

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Publication: Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
UBC Author(s): David Scott (Division of Medical Oncology / Faculty of Medicine), Aly Karsan (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine), Alina Gerrie (Division of Medical Oncology / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 42
Page Range: 1077-1087
Publication Date: 20 March 2024

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Publication: JMIR public health and surveillance
UBC Author(s): Lucy Perrone (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 10
Page Range: e50407
Publication Date: 20 March 2024

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Publication: Neuropharmacology
UBC Author(s): Anthony Phillips (Psychiatry / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00283908
Volume: 246
Publication Date: 15 March 2024

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Publication: JAMA Network Open
UBC Author(s): Thiviya Selvanathan (Pediatrics / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 7
Page Range: E242551
Publication Date: 15 March 2024

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Publication: Clinical Cancer Research
UBC Author(s): Jonathan Loree (Division of Medical Oncology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 10780432
Volume: 30
Page Range: 1121-1130
Publication Date: 15 March 2024

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Publication: Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
UBC Author(s): Shoukat Dedhar (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 10849521
Volume: 156
Page Range: 1-10
Publication Date: 15 March 2024

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Publication: Heliyon
UBC Author(s): Monika Naus (School of Population and Public Health / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 24058440
Volume: 10
Publication Date: 15 March 2024

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Publication: Cancer
UBC Author(s): Stephen C Lam (Division of Respiratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 0008543X
Volume: 130
Page Range: 913-926
Publication Date: 15 March 2024

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Publication: International Journal of Cardiology
UBC Author(s): Simon Rabkin (Divisions of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 01675273
Volume: 399
Publication Date: 15 March 2024

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Publication: BMJ open respiratory research
UBC Author(s): Christopher Ryerson (Division of Respiratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 11
Publication Date: 13 March 2024

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Publication: Behavioural Brain Research
UBC Author(s): Jason Barton (Division of Neurology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 01664328
Volume: 461
Publication Date: 12 March 2024

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Publication: JAMA
UBC Author(s): Mahyar Etminan (Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 331
Page Range: 885-886
Publication Date: 12 March 2024

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Publication: Bladder Cancer
UBC Author(s): Alexander Wyatt (Urologic Sciences / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 23523727
Volume: 10
Page Range: 1-8
Publication Date: 12 March 2024

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Publication: Clinical and experimental immunology
UBC Author(s): Kenneth Madden (Division of Geriatric Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 216
Page Range: 89-103
Publication Date: 12 March 2024

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Publication: JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions
UBC Author(s): John Webb (Divisions of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 19368798
Volume: 17
Page Range: 666-677
Publication Date: 11 March 2024

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Publication: JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions
UBC Author(s): John Webb (Divisions of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 19368798
Volume: 17
Page Range: 681-692
Publication Date: 11 March 2024

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Recent Thesis Submissions

Doctoral Citations

A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
Year Citation Program
2022 Coxsackievirus B3 shows therapeutic potential towards lung cancer but with evident organ toxicity. Dr. Liu's study on the genetically miRNA-modified virus provides insightful information on optimizing the viral backbone for balanced oncolytic potency and safety with enhanced genomic stability, as well as maximum capacity to carry therapeutic genes. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2022 Dr. Lyons studied the virulence associated Type 3 Secretion System from pathogenic E. coli using structural biology techniques. Her research on this system assists with our understanding of how this vital system functions, in addition to the future development of therapeutics that help neutralize this important toxin delivery system. Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Tse evaluated shoe orthotic insoles as a novel complementary treatment for individuals with progressive knee joint degeneration. These works highlight how shoe orthotics alter movement patterns and knee joint load transfer during walking, and provide a prediction tool to match insole designs to individual presentations knee joint degeneration. Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD)
2022 Multiple factors play a role in endometriosis pain, ultimately impacting treatment decisions. Dr. Orr found a clinically practical tool to identify central sensitization in endometriosis and found that KRAS mutations were related to endometriosis severity. Her findings will contribute to a new classification system for endometriosis care. Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD)
2022 Dr. Zhao explored storing platelets in the cold versus at room temperature. He showed that cold-stored platelets are more effective at stopping bleeds and have preserved metabolomic parameters than the currently in-use room-temperature stored platelets. His work contributes to and accelerated the clinical investigation of cold-stored platelets in cardiothoracic patients. Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD)
2022 Dr. Vanderkruk showed how the identity and function of insulin-producing beta cells is enforced by a system of cellular memory centred on methylation of histone H3 lysine 4 proteins. These studies provide novel insight into how beta cell identity is stabilized during the long period of adulthood in mammals and destabilized during diabetes. Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Kenny investigated heading in female varsity soccer players and provided important details on the frequency and magnitude of these repetitive head impacts. Using the substantial video data and comprehensive data collection over 3-years, she demonstrated a potential dose response to the number of headers and both brain physiology and function. Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD)
2022 Dr. Juang uncovered novel mechanisms of blood clotting and developed reagents that modulate clotting to decrease both bleeding and the formation obstructive clots. In the short-term, these reagents are useful as research tool to study blood clotting. In the long-term, these reagents will hopefully be translated into the clinic as therapeutics. Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Simkin examined differences in cancer risk by geography in British Columbia, Canada, using various methods that leverage locational information. In doing so, he revealed new insights on the geographical distributions of cancer, and developed analytic approaches and tools that provide localized information to support regional health planning. Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD)
2022 Dr. Arostegui discovered the embryonic origin of a unique cell population responsible for the development of tendon-bone attachment sites and various stromal lineages in the limb. This work represents the foundation for future studies involving the role of this unique cell population in tissue repair and regeneration. Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD)

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