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If you are passionate about health sciences research that makes a difference in people's lives, you're in good hands. We offer award-wining graduate programs led by world-class researchers. You'll have access to top-tier facilities and be working alongside the best and brightest in the field, conducting research that addresses real life problems. Our paradigm-changing approach is collaborative, innovative, and results-driven.
We're tackling diseases like asthma / chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. We're developing better ways to deliver drugs and prevent adverse drug reactions. And we're conducting clinical and economic research in pharmaceutical outcomes.
Our reputation as a top research centre attracts some of the brightest and most productive minds in the field. Our faculty includes Canada Research Chairs, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholars and Senior Scholars, and Distinguished University Scholars.
Purpose
We are innovators in pharmacy education, research and practice, with the goal of supporting the optimization of drug therapy in the pursuit of improved patient outcomes.
Commitments
- We support our people, creating a community that enables excellence through collective action.
- We seek novel ideas, putting into practice those with the greatest scope for sustained impact.
- We search for relevant connections, fostering meaningful collaborations that provide mutual benefit.
Mission
Research Centres
adMare BioInnovations is located in our building. It is an independent, non-profit organization with a focus on bridging the gap between academic discoveries in the health sciences and the development of new medicines to treat human disease. The Faculty partners with adMare BioInnovations to provide unique research and mentoring opportunities for MSc and PhD students.
We are also home to several sophisticated research centres that specialize in the areas of human genome and exome sequencing, and health outcomes research.
Research Facilities
Opened in 2012, the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building at UBC is a state-of-the-art learning and research facility. The building houses modern, modular labs designed specifically for the type of research intended for the space. Our classroom facilities are fitted with advanced technology to facilitate new modes of learning.
Measuring 246,000 square feet, it's an eye-catching addition to our campus, and has drawn attention and admiration from around the world—including 15 awards of excellence.
Research Highlights
As a leading research faculty, we conduct ground-breaking research in the pharmaceutical sciences – all with the goal of addressing the pressing health needs of society and improving lives. Our research activities centre around four areas of focus.
Epidemiology & Health Outcomes
This theme covers our activities in epidemiological analysis, health outcomes and health economics research seeking solutions for the predictive enhancement of intervention strategies for practical and preventive healthcare. The impact of this work is used to shape policy to optimize the allocation of health care resources as well as defining the efficacy of healthcare interventions and strategy.
Molecular & Systems Pharmacology
This highly interdisciplinary theme embodies research directed at the interactions of therapeutic agents with human cells, and covers fundamental questions of the mechanisms of the drug action through to the behaviour of drugs in human systems. These studies are used to inform and optimize the development and delivery of drug intervention regimes for clinical practice and the pharmaceutical industry.
Nanomedicine & Chemical Biology
This theme applies our expertise in the chemical biology of the fabrication and handling of nanoscopic materials to drug discovery and delivery. Sensing and screening technologies are also an important focus.
Pharmacy Education
Our research in this theme addresses the issue of scholarship in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences with a view to augment our educational research capacity and enhance the methodologies of teaching practice, student learning and curriculum decision-making.
Graduate Degree Programs
Research Supervisors in Faculty
| Name | Research Interests |
|---|---|
| Nislow, Corey | genomics and develops biotechnology tools to address both fundamental and applied biological questions; Parallel genome-wide chemical genomic screens; High throughput cell-based screens; Next Generation Sequencing |
| Page, Brent | Drug discovery, design and delivery; Cell Signaling and Cancer; Cancer; Cell signaling; Chemical Biology; Drug development; Drug Discovery, Design and Delivery; Medicinal Chemistry; Target Engagement |
| Rafizadeh, Reza | Translational and clinical pharmacology, and therapeutics; Psychotic disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Clinical Research |
| Rodrigues, Brian | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Diabetes; Cardiomyopathy; Heart Failure; Energy Metabolism; Cardiovascular metabolism; Endothelial cell - cardiomyocyte crosstalk; Vascular Endothelial Growth factors |
| Ross, Colin | Genetic medicine; Genomics; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Biomedical Technologies; Drug Metabolism; Gene Therapy; Gene-based therapeutics; Pharmacogenomics; Precision Medicine; Transgenic Model |
| Sadatsafavi, Mohsen | Respiratory diseases; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); Epidemiology; Biostatistics; Respiratory Research |
| Schummers, Laura | Pediatrics and reproductive medicine; Health Services; Health Policy; women’s reproductive and perinatal health |
| Soja, Peter | how synaptic transmission through identified ascending spinal sensory pathways and motoneuron pools differs during distinct behavioral states such as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM sleep, or general anesthesia vs. wakefulness |
| Turgeon, Ricky | Cardiology and circulatory sciences (including cardiovascular disease); Health care effectiveness and outcomes; Knowledge translation and implementation science in health; Heart failure pharmacotherapy; Acute coronary syndromes / myocardial infarction; Cardiovascular risk reduction (lipid-lowering therapy, antiplatelet therapy); Cardiovascular safety of medications; Drug Effectiveness; Evidence-based practice; Shared decision making; Point-of-care decision aids / decision support tools; Knowledge translation / implementation; Risk calculators / clinical prediction tools; Pharmacist scope of practice; Clinical assessment / physical examination |
| Velenosi, Thomas | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, n.e.c.; Cancer drug development and therapeutics; Cancer molecular targets; Metabolomics; Lipid biology (including lipidomics); Pharmacometabolomics; Pharmacology; Lipidomics; mass spectrometry; Cancer; Stable isotope tracing; Bioinformatics |
| Vu, Ly | Post-transcriptional and translational regulation during normal and malignant hematopoiesis |
| Wilbur, Kerry | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Professional Practices; Education Systems; culture and health professional education; interprofessional education; patient and medication safety; public health roles of pharmacists; workplace-based learning |
| Williams, Karla | Oncology |
| Wisnovsky, Simon | Cancer genetics; Tumour immunology; Cellular immunology; Glycomics and glycobiology; Chemical genetics; Systems biology; Cellular interactions (including adhesion, matrix and cell wall); Genomics; Cancer molecular targets; glycobiology; carbohydrates; Tumor immunology; Functional genomics; CRISPR screening; Glycomics; Biochemistry; Molecular Genetics; Cell Biology; Cancer |
| Wong, Judy | Cancer genetics; Mechanisms of carcinogenesis; Drug discovery, design and delivery; Nucleic acids studies; Enzymes (including kinetics and mechanisms, and biocatalyst); Cancer biology; Aging; Genome Instability; Nucleic Acid Structures; Pharmacology; Genetics and Genomics |
| Wong, Harvey | applications of translational modeling and simulation techniques to optimize drug dose and regimen for new therapeutics, and to better understand emergence of cancer tumor drug resistance |
| Wright, Robert | Clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice; Drug discovery, design and delivery; Applied immunology (including antibody engineering, xenotransplantation and t-cell therapies); Transplantation immunology; Lung Transplantation; Cytomegalovirus Infection; Transplant Immunology |
| Zed, Peter | Pharmacotherapy, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, airway pharmacology, sedation and analgesia, evidence-based medicine, adverse drug events, Pharmacotherapy best practice in emergency medicine and patient safety, particularly adverse drug events |
| Zhang, Wei | Public and population health; Health Policies; Pharmacoeconomics; Economic evaluation; Health economics |
Pages
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 Pharmaceutical Sciences.
UBC Author(s): Urs Hafeli (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 09396411
Volume: 196
Publication Date: March 2024
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UBC Author(s): Jacquelyn Cragg (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 07351097
Volume: 83
Page Range: 752-754
Publication Date: 20 February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Urs Hafeli (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 9
Page Range: eadh8702
Publication Date: 14 February 2024
View Publication
UBC Author(s): Shyh-Dar Li (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences), Urs Hafeli (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 15438384
Volume: 21
Page Range: 688-703
Publication Date: 5 February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Kerry Wilbur (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 13696513
Volume: 27
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mary De Vera (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 01728172
Volume: 44
Page Range: 283-289
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mohsen Sadatsafavi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 209
Page Range: 262-272
Publication Date: 1 February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mohsen Sadatsafavi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 22132198
Volume: 12
Page Range: 536-539
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Kate Johnson (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 177
Page Range: 155-164
Publication Date: 1 February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Shyh-Dar Li (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 01683659
Volume: 366
Page Range: 864-878
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Ricky Turgeon (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 0828282X
Volume: 40
Page Range: 160-181
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Ricky Turgeon (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 6
Page Range: 65-71
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Simon Wisnovsky (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences), Karla Williams (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 00219258
Volume: 300
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mark Harrison (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 22107703
Volume: 46
Page Range: 111-121
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Corey Nislow (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 16
Publication Date: 1 February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Kate Johnson (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences), Mohsen Sadatsafavi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 10811206
Volume: 132
Page Range: 229-239.e3
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Kate Johnson (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 10811206
Volume: 132
Page Range: 223-228.e8
Publication Date: February 2024
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UBC Author(s): Karla Williams (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 02235234
Volume: 264
Publication Date: 15 January 2024
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UBC Author(s): Kate Johnson (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 209
Page Range: 175-184
Publication Date: 15 January 2024
View Publication
Pages
Recent Thesis Submissions
Doctoral Citations
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dr. Khatri examined the health and economic impact of introduction of 13-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in infant immunization program in British Columbia, Canada. This research illuminates the value of PCV13 vaccine in preventing pneumococcal disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Price investigated the processes of inflammation, antioxidant defense, and steroidogenesis within the placenta. These studies assist us in understanding the higher rates of pregnancy complications associated with assisted reproduction technologies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Al Fayez worked on improving the effectiveness of currently available liver treatments. Her research focused on developing novel lipid-based nanoparticles for hepatocytes targeting. Dr. ALFayez believes these nanoparticles can be used as a platform to enhance the treatment of many terminal liver diseases including chronic hepatitis B infection. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Nguyen developed a method to make chemical modifications to drugs that enable formation into nanoparticles for improved drug delivery and efficacy. This research will benefit a spectrum of drugs and identify new formulations that will offer safer and effective therapies for patients battling diseases like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Benbow developed a pre-clinical model of migraine headache using monosodium glutamate (MSG). He subsequently applied his model to identify and validate a novel drug target that may be leveraged to treat and prevent migraines in people. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Salmasi measured medication taking in atrial fibrillation patients in BC. She revealed that patients exhibit distinct patterns of medication taking over time. Study findings can inform the design of interventions to improve medication taking, and ultimately avoid preventable strokes and deaths in patients with atrial fibrillation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Nosrati developed a novel drug delivery system that targets and treats rheumatoid arthritis. Her work resulted in concentrating toxic drugs in inflamed joints more effectively with less side effects, reducing inflammation more strongly and for longer periods of time. Patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis will benefit from her findings. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Brown examined how protein arginine methyltransferases interact with their binding partners and identified a process by which these enzymes contribute to stress in yeast cells. Since yeast and human cells are highly similar, these results provide new knowledge of the importance and impact of this family of enzymes on biological pathways. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Yang studied a special four-stranded nucleic acid structure, called the G-quadruplex, through developing new tools and methods. His collection of works provide evidence for the biological relevance and existence of these structures in living human cells. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Lin performed structure-activity relationship studies on anti-HIV molecules. During this process, she discovered novel chemical reactivities of these compounds. The findings are crucial for the future development of biologically active molecules toward treatments of various diseases and crop protection. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |