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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
Kurteva, Siyana Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Kwon, Janice Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology health policy relating to gynecologic cancers as well as hereditary cancer syndromes
Kwon, Brian Department of Orthopaedics Spinal cord injury
Lacaille, Diane Division of Rheumatology General internal, Arthritis & Joint Health
Lack, Nathan Department of Urologic Sciences late-stage prostate cancer
Laher, Ismail Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Cardiovascular diseases; animal models of sleep apnea; Diabetes; exercise; oxidative stress; regulation of small artery tone, mechanisms of pressuce-induced vasomotor responses, exercise, sleep
Laksman, Zachary Divisions of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery, School of Biomedical Engineering
Lallous, Nada Department of Urologic Sciences Cancer drug development and therapeutics; Cancer progression and metastasis; Cancer molecular targets; Biochemistry; Biophysics; Cancer biology; Therapeutics; Protein research; Drug resistance; transcription factors
Lam, Stephen C Division of Respiratory Medicine Lung cancer, optical imaging, tomography, spectroscopy
Lam, Wan Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Cancer progression; Genome biology; Epigenetics; Molecular Systems Biology; Lung Cancer; Technology Development
Lam, Raymond Department of Psychiatry Psychiatry (including psychotherapy); depression; Biomarkers; light therapy; cognition; digital technologies; bipolar disorder; antidepressants; global mental health
Lan, James Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Kidneys and Urinary System; Histocompatibility; Immunogenetics
Lang, Donna Department of Radiology Medical, health and life sciences; Structural Neuroimaging; Psychosis; Addiction; cognition; Cardiovascular Function; Microvascular integrity
Lange, Dirk Department of Urologic Sciences Ureteral stents; antifouling coatings; antimicrobial coatings; device complications
Lange, Philipp Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Bioinformatics; Genomics; Pathology (except oral pathology); Cell Signaling and Cancer; mass spectrometry; pediatric cancer; personalized medicine; post translational protein modification; Proteomics
Langlois, Sylvie Department of Medical Genetics Studies of genotype/phenotype correlations in single gene disorders; Validations of genomic tools for the study of mental retardation and prenatal screening for aneuploidy; Outcome studies related to prenatal genetic screening
Lansdorp, Peter Department of Medical Genetics Genetic medicine; Application of single cell Strand-seq in precision medicine; Applied Genetics; cellular aging; Cellular Degeneration; Cellular Division; Complex Trait Genetics; DNA replication, epigenetics and stem cells; Gene Regulation and Expression; Genetic Diseases; Stem Cells and Organogenesis; telomeres; Telomeres, genomic instability, aging and cancer
Lapointe, Melissa
Lau, Joseph Department of Radiology Cancer drug development and therapeutics; Nuclear medicine; Cancer; Radiopharmaceuticals; Imaging; Radiotherapy
Laule, Cornelia Department of Radiology, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Medical physics; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Pathology (except oral pathology); Auto-Immune Diseases; Axons; brain; Central Nervous System Inflammatory Diseases; Cerebral Atrophy; Histology; image analysis; Imaging; Inflammation; magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; multiple sclerosis; myelin; Nervous System Development; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurological diseases; Neuronal Systems; pain; Pathology; Schizophrenia; Spinal Cord Diseases; spinal cord; Spinal cord injury
Lavallee, Danielle Patient and citizen engagement research; Health systems; patient-oriented research; Patient-Reported Outcomes
Lavoie, Pascal Department of Pediatrics Neonatal Immunity, Infection/Inflammation, Inheritance/Genetics of Neonatal Morbidities, Neonatal Chronic Lung Disease
Law, Michael School of Population and Public Health Health care administration; Health sciences; Public and population health; Global Health; Global Health and Emerging Diseases; Health Policies; Health Policy; Observational studies; Pharmaceutical policy; Pharmacoeconomics; Pharmacoepidemiology; Program evaluation
Leavitt, Blair Department of Medical Genetics Genetic medicine; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Alzheimer's disease; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Ataxia; Dementia; Experimental Therapeutics; Frontotemporal Dementia; Gene regulation; Gene Silencing and Gene Editing; Gene Therapy; Huntington disease; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; Medical Genetics; Mouse models of disease; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurogenetics
Lee, Tim Department of Dermatology & Skin Science Computing; Early Cancer Detection; Epidemiologic Research on Skin Cancer

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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: Global Spine Journal
UBC Author(s): Marcel F S Dvorak (Orthopaedics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 21925682
Volume: 14
Page Range: 17S-24S
Publication Date: February 2024

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Publication: Global Spine Journal
UBC Author(s): Marcel F S Dvorak (Orthopaedics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 21925682
Volume: 14
Page Range: 66S-69S
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Global Spine Journal
UBC Author(s): Marcel F S Dvorak (Orthopaedics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 21925682
Volume: 14
Page Range: 4S-7S
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)
UBC Author(s): Helene Cote (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 95
Page Range: 197-206
Publication Date: 1 February 2024

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Publication: Current Opinion in Biotechnology
UBC Author(s): Seth Parker (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 09581669
Volume: 85
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
UBC Author(s): Rajavel Elango (Pediatrics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00029165
Volume: 119
Page Range: 371-383
Publication Date: February 2024

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Publication: Journal of Community Genetics
UBC Author(s): Julie Robillard (Division of Neurology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 1868310X
Volume: 15
Page Range: 97-101
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
UBC Author(s): Artem Cherkasov (Urologic Sciences / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 14741776
Volume: 23
Page Range: 141-155
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: AJPM Focus
UBC Author(s): Erica Frank (School of Population and Public Health / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 3
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Pediatric Urology
UBC Author(s): Kourosh Afshar (Urologic Sciences / Faculty of Medicine), Andrew MacNeily (Urologic Sciences / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 14775131
Volume: 20
Page Range: 17.e1-17.e6
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Current Opinion in Cell Biology
UBC Author(s): Sriram Subramaniam (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 09550674
Volume: 86
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: American Heart Journal
UBC Author(s): Brian Grunau (Emergency Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00028703
Volume: 268
Page Range: 29-36
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Personality and Individual Differences
UBC Author(s): Steven Taylor (Psychiatry / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 01918869
Volume: 217
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Research in Developmental Disabilities
UBC Author(s): Jill Zwicker (Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 08914222
Volume: 145
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: AJOG Global Reports
UBC Author(s): Roxana Geoffrion (Obstetrics & Gynaecology / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 4
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Health Expectations
UBC Author(s): Julie Robillard (Division of Neurology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 13696513
Volume: 27
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: British Journal of Dermatology
UBC Author(s): Jan Peter Dutz (Dermatology & Skin Science / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00070963
Volume: 190
Page Range: 276-277
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Neuropsychology
UBC Author(s): William Panenka (Psychiatry / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 38
Page Range: 126-133
Publication Date: 1 February 2024

View Publication
Publication: British Journal of Dermatology
UBC Author(s): Jan Peter Dutz (Dermatology & Skin Science / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00070963
Volume: 190
Page Range: 281-282
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology
UBC Author(s): Myeong Jin Ju (Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00084182
Volume: 59
Page Range: e88-e89
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Human Genetics
UBC Author(s): Anna Michelle Lehman (Medical Genetics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 14345161
Volume: 69
Page Range: 101-105
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Clinical Teacher
UBC Author(s): Laura Nimmon (Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 17434971
Volume: 21
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
UBC Author(s): William Miller (Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00039993
Volume: 105
Page Range: 303-313
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication
Publication: American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A
UBC Author(s): Jehannine Austin (Psychiatry / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 15524825
Volume: 194
Page Range: 288-300
Publication Date: February 2024

View Publication

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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 Dr. Hall's research synthesized health economics with learning health systems to support strategic management of care portfolios. Through the development and implementation of his 'Economic Learning Health System' framework, he assisted a health authority with the optimization of care delivery for seniors receiving home health services. Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD)
2022 Dr. van Ballegooie examined how polyethylene glycol conjugated protein based nanoparticles could be synthesized using microfluidics for applications in pharmaceutics requiring IV administration. She also demonstrated potential use as a triggered release system for combinatorial therapy (radiation + chemotherapy) used in cancer treatment regimes. Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Decotret investigated various ways cancer cells spread throughout the body. She found a novel role for a widely expressed molecule called PTP alpha in breast cancer cell invasion and developed an advanced method for tracking the invasion of brain cancer cells into surrounding brain tissue. Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD)
2022 Dr. Yen studied drug resistance mechanisms in chronic myeloid leukemia by identifying predictive microRNA biomarkers and exploring the role of the translation initiation complex. This research will help stratify drug-insensitive patients and develop alternative combination treatments to treat them. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2022 Dr. Sadasivan investigated how RNA viruses inhibit cellular stress responses during virus infection. He showed that a virally encoded protein modulates the activity of a key host protein to evade the stress response. Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Tran examined a novel method of achieving compatibility between donors and recipients in kidney transplantation. She demonstrated that matching at immunogenic protein motifs is feasible and clinically beneficial in preventing graft failure. This work is now acting as the foundation for a national matching program for kidney organ allocation. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2022 Dr. Crockett used novel brain imaging techniques to determine functional brain networks disrupted in older adults vulnerable to dementia. She also studied the benefits of physical activity and resistance training for brain health. Her take away message is: to make gains for brains, we should all regularly squat low and feel our brains grow. Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD)
2022 Dr. Li investigated a class of oxidative enzymes that are traditionally researched for their potential to convert non-edible plant biomass into second-generation bioethanol. He subsequently showed that these enzymes are also highly suitable to facilitate chemical modification of biomass fibres into value-added bio-products. Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD)
2022 Dr. Atoyebi explored the needs of family caregivers of people with neurocognitive disorders as well as possible solutions to address those needs. He collaborated with caregivers and care recipients to develop a medium fidelity prototype of their most preferred solution, which is a web-based service to assist families in hiring paid support workers. Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD)
2022 Dr. Johnson investigated how a new drug candidate selectively kills lung cancer cells by an oxidative stress-linked mechanism of action. He identified specific enzymes that are inhibited and demonstrated why lung cancer cells are sensitive but normal cells are not. His research will help the development of new, targeted anti-cancer therapeutics. Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD)

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