Alvin Qiu
Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD)
Epigenomic Dysregulation in Synovial Sarcoma
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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.
Name | Academic Unit(s) | Research Interests |
---|---|---|
Ngan, Elton | Department of Psychiatry | Mood & Anxiety Disorders, Schizophrenia |
Nguan, Christopher | Department of Urologic Sciences | Urology; Computer engineering; Civil engineering, n.e.c.; Biomedical instrumentation (including diagnostics); Medical devices; Artificial tissues engineering; Biomedical robotics; Image guided surgery systems; Applied immunology (including antibody engineering, xenotransplantation and t-cell therapies); Transplantation immunology; kidney transplantation; patient reported outcomes; medical apps for mobile health; machine learning analytics of medical imaging; machine learning analytics of complex medical data outcomes; Robotics; quality in healthcare; environmental impact of healthcare; Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare |
Nicholl, David | Nephrology; Nephrology, Renal/Vascular Physiology, Kidney Transplantation, Sleep Apnea, Renin-Angiotensin System | |
Nicolaou, Savvakis | Department of Radiology | Radiology, nuclear medicine and medical imaging; Computed Tomography; Artificial Intelligence; Emergency Radiology; Trauma Radiology; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance |
Nielsen, Torsten | Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine | Clinical oncology; Pathology (except oral pathology); Biomarker development; Breast Cancer; Cancer Diagnosis and Detection; Cancer of the Musculoskeletal System; Clinical trials; Epigenomics; Experimental Therapeutics; Immuno-oncology; Tissue-based diagnostic technologies; Translational research; Genetically engineered mouse models |
Nimmon, Laura | Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy | Health sciences; Qualitative research; medical education; Health Professions Education; Social network analysis; Human connection; Interdependence; Social theories; Social power; Palliative Care |
Nolan, Seonaid | Division of Social Medicine | Substance use disorder; Access to evidence-based medications for incarcerated individuals |
Norman, Wendy | Department of Family Practice | Health equity; Health care effectiveness and outcomes; Fertility and maternal health; Knowledge translation and implementation science in health; Population health interventions; Health services and systems, n.e.c.; Family planning; Health services and policy research; Contraception; Abortion; Population health equity research; Applied public health and population health intervention research; Health professional scope of practice research |
Nunez, Desmond | Department of Surgery | Sensory systems, auditory; Otorhinolaryngology; Age Related Hearing Loss; Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss; Recurrent Acute Otitis Media |
Nygaard, Haakon | Division of Neurology | potential role for anti-convulsant drugs in treating Alzheimers disease, which have shown promise in preclinical models of the disease |
O'Neil, Michael | Cardiology and circulatory sciences (including cardiovascular disease); ketamine | |
O'Connor, Timothy | Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences | Identification of small molecules that stimulate neurite outgrowth and regeneration Examination of the role of semaphorins during embryonic development |
O'Donnell, Maureen | Department of Pediatrics | Pediatrics, children with disabilities, prenatal antidepressant exposure, cerebral palsy, austism, purple crying, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, social disparities |
Oberlander, Timothy | Department of Pediatrics, School of Population and Public Health | Population epidemiological studies that characterize neurodevelopmental pathways that reflect risk, resiliency and developmental plasticity |
Oberle, Eva | Public and population health; Other education; Adolescent Mental Health/ Social-Emotional Wellbeing; Positive youth development; Promoting mental health and wellbeing through schools; Risk and resilience; Research with population-level data; Social and emotional learning in schools | |
Ogilvie, Gina | School of Population and Public Health | Sexually transmitted infections, human papillomavirus, HIV in women and care for marginalized populations |
Ogrodniczuk, John | Department of Psychiatry | Mental Health and Society; Psychodynamic Psychotherapy; Personality Disorders; Group Psychotherapy; Men’s Mental Health; Alexithymia; Athletes |
Oldani, Graziano | Department of Surgery | |
Olson, Robert | Department of Surgery | Clinical oncology; Clinical trials; Radiotherapy; stereotactic radiotherapy; patient reported outcomes; Head and Neck Cancer; Breast Cancer; Epidemiology; Community Health / Public Health; Social Determinants of Cancer; health services delivery; Lung cancer |
Ong, Christopher | Department of Urologic Sciences | Prostate cancer growth; Treatment resistance; Cell signalling pathways; SEMA3C |
Oruc, Ipek | Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences | visual recognition of high level forms such as faces, letters and objects |
Osmond, Shannon Marie | , | |
Oviedo-Joekes, Eugenia | School of Population and Public Health | Psychosocial, sociocultural and behavioral determinants of health; Substance Use; person-centered care in addiction; injectable opioid agonist treatment; Harm reduction |
Oxland, Thomas | Department of Orthopaedics, Department of Mechanical Engineering | Spinal Cord Injury, Aging Spine, Orthopaedic Implants |
Ozturan, Seyma Gulcenur | , |
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 |
---|---|---|
2022 | Dr. Chakraborti examined families involvement in adapted physical activity programs for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. She found parents formed peer support networks, promoting a sense of community. This demonstrates a potential innovative approach to overcome social isolation among families while supporting child development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Karamouzian characterized polysubstance use practices among people with opioid use disorder and the increased risk of overdose among certain subgroups of the population. The findings provide practical implications for measuring and addressing polysubstance use in substance use research, clinical decision-making, and policy development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
2022 | Dr. Eng Stime explored how public health practitioners examining mining impacts on Indigenous health in Canada are drawn into ignoring health inequities associated with dispossession while presenting a veneer of benevolent care. The research illuminates storylines and assumptions of inevitability, offering relational consent as an alternative. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
2021 | Dr. Balthazaar longitudinally examined cardiac alterations of individuals in the months following spinal cord injury. He also investigated the impact of exercise modalities on cardiac adaptations in this population. His work brings to light the cardiac changes after spinal cord injury and can help guide clinical practice and future research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
2021 | Dr. Hynes probed the role of dopamine at the intersection of addiction and decision making. His work led to the discovery that dopamine mediates addiction-relevant behaviours in way that is dependent on biological sex. This work emphasizes the necessary consideration of sex in the pursuit of pharmacotherapies to treat addiction. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
2021 | Dr. Metcalfe explored how patients make decisions about management of high blood pressure during pregnancy, and developed tools to support patients and clinicians to make decisions that align with patient values. This work highlighted the importance of patient values in interpreting and applying medical evidence to individual treatment decisions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
2021 | Dr. Ammar looked at the role of leech saliva extract (LSE) in the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa), he also looked at the role of protease activate receptor-1 (PAR-1) in PCa. He found anticancer effects of LSE in advanced stages of PCa, while he did not find an impact of PAR-1 alone on PCa growth. This helps in better treatment of advanced PCa. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
2021 | Dr. Marshall discovered that lung tumours contain bacteria that produce nutrients essential for tumour growth, while the airways harbour bacteria that forewarn cancer development. Her discoveries led to new strategies for early detection and treatment of lung cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
2021 | Dr. Mahmood investigated accelerometer based measurement of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time in South Asian adults at high risk for diabetes. This research highlighted low levels of Light and Moderate-to-Vigorous PA and high sedentary time. Socio-cultural influences impacted how PA was conceptualized in a South Asian context, offering valuable insights and recommendations for policy development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
2021 | Dr. Del Gobbo investigated genetic variation in the placenta to identify contributors to fetal growth restriction, finding that both large chromosomal changes and smaller genetic imbalances are associated with poor fetal growth. This work improves our understanding of how genetic variation may impact placental function and alter fetal growth. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |