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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.
Most Faculty research is conducted under the auspices of 23 centres and institutes that are part of UBC or affiliated with it, in collaboration with our health partners.
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.
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.
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Medicine.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Dr. Lehnertz investigated the biological relevance of histone lysine methylation in the development of blood cells. His findings have shown specific functions of two enzymes that catalyze the methylation of histones which have important implications for the pharmacological inhibition of these enzymes in regenerative medicine. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Wong studied iron storage in bacteria and focused his research on the protein bacterioferritin. He uncovered details of the molecular mechanism by which this protein converts iron into a biomineral. His discoveries enhance our understanding of iron storage proteins that are found in nearly all living organisms. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Smith explored the meaning of spirituality and religion for individuals living with a diagnosis of schiozphrenia. She identified the spiritual language that her participants used and found it to be both hope-inspiring and empowering. Her work is useful for both health care professionals and spiritual communities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr Lisé examined the role of a specific class of motor proteins in the intracellular transport of molecules important for proper neuronal function. Her work provided a better understanding of how synaptic connections are formed during brain development, learning, and memory formation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Sutton evaluated the inhibitory effect of grafting inert polymers to the surface of respiratory syncytial virus or its host cell. He found that both strategies were highly effective at preventing viral infection. This work provides the foundation for novel prophylactic therapies that may prevent severe respiratory infections in children. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Buys identified DNA alterations contributing to the poor prognosis of lung cancer, Canada's leading cause of cancer death. He successfully associated specific gene changes to clinical features of this disease, including tumour resistance to chemotherapy. This work brings us closer to personalized cancer treatment strategies and improved survival rates. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Zuyderduyn developed methods to help understand the large amounts of complex information generated from certain methods of profiling cancers. Dr Zuyderduyn used these methods to identify several genes that may be important in the initiation and progression of a common form of lung cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Williamson piloted an international study into the molecular epidemiology of emerging infectious diseases of great socio-economic circumstance. Her efforts had a groundbreaking impact on the field of communicable parasitic diseases. Results have set a precedent for bridging the gap between diagnostic medicine and the pathogenomics of diseases of significant concern to public health. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Harris studied the loss of arm movement experienced by the majority of those people who suffered a stroke with particular respect to resulting decrease of independence in community living. She designed a new treatment method for the affected arm and tested it in four hospitals across BC. Results showed the new treatment improved arm use in daily activities more than usual care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2009 | Dr. Allahverdian studied the role of epidermal growth factor receptor and Interleukin-13 in airway epithelial repair. She found that carbohydrate modification of the EGFR plays an important role in epithelial repair. Her findings have important implications for identifying novel therapies for conditions resulting from impaired epithelial repair. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |