
Sabrina Cao
Master of Science in Rehabilitation Sciences (MSc)
Planning for the implementation of an advanced lung cancer exercise program in the community
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 |
---|---|---|
Boyd, Lara | Department of Physical Therapy | Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Physical therapy; Rehabilitation medicine; Learning; Learning and Memory; Motor System; Motor learning; Neurophysiology; Physiology; Plasticity / Neuronal Regeneration; stroke |
Brauer, Michael | School of Population and Public Health | Environmental and occupational health and safety; Health sciences; Public and population health; air pollution; built environment; Community Health / Public Health; environmental health; environmental epidemiology; healthy cities; remote sensing |
Brigham, Emily | Division of Respiratory Medicine | Asthma; COPD |
Brooks-Wilson, Angela | Department of Medical Genetics | Bioinformatics; Clinical oncology; Genetic medicine; Genomics; cancer families; cancer genetics; genetic susceptibility; human genetics; longevity; Super seniors |
Brotto, Lori | Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Department of Psychiatry | Human reproduction and development sciences; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Clinical psychology; mindfulness; Sexual Dysfunctions; sexual desire; treatment of sexual concerns; women's sexual health; asexuality; digital health interventions |
Brown, Kelly | Department of Pediatrics | Medical, health and life sciences; childhood rheumatic diseases; Inflammation; phagocytes |
Brown, Carolyn Janet | Department of Medical Genetics | Epigenetics and epigenomics; Other basic medicine and life sciences; Gene regulation and expression; Genomics; Developmental genetics (including sex determination); Applied Genetics; Chromosomes: Structure / Organization; DNA methylation; Epigenetic control of gene expression; Gene Regulation and Expression; Genes escaping X-chromosome inactivation; Long non-coding RNAs; X-chromosome inactivation; XIST RNA |
Brubacher, Jeffrey | Department of Emergency Medicine | drugs and driving, alcohol impaired driving, road safety |
Brumme, Chanson | Division of Infectious Diseases | Infectious diseases; Antiviral resistance; Personalized medicine; HIV Antiretroviral Drug Resistance |
Brunham, Liam | Division of General Internal Medicine | Medical, health and life sciences; Lipids; Genetics; Pharmacogenomics; Cardiovascular diseases |
Brussoni, Mariana | Department of Pediatrics, School of Population and Public Health | Developmental psychology; Psychosocial, sociocultural and behavioral determinants of health; Population health interventions; injury prevention; Children's outdoor play; Risky play; Parenting; health behaviour change; Implementation Science |
Bryan, Stirling | School of Population and Public Health | Economics of health care, policy, from UK |
Calam, Betty | Department of Family Practice | medical education; Indigenous health; Decolonizing methodologies; Community‐based participatory projects; Pregnancy and birthing care; Reproductive counselling; Sexual health; Culturally-informed cancer screening; Hospitals & Clinics; Healthcare |
Camp, Pat | Department of Physical Therapy | Physical therapy; Rehabilitation medicine |
Campbell, Kristin | Department of Physical Therapy | Clinical oncology; Physical therapy; Rehabilitation medicine; Biomarkers; Breast Cancer; Exercise Physiology; oncology; physical function; Physiology; Quality of Life and Aging; rehabilitation |
Capon, Francesca | Department of Medical Genetics | Basic medicine and life sciences; Autoimmune Diseases; Pericardial Disorders; Rare diseases; Skin Conditions; Skin inflammation; Bioinformatics |
Carleton, Bruce | Department of Pediatrics | Pediatrics, clinical pharmacology, outcomes research, drug policy evaluation, health services research, drug safety and adverse drug reactions |
Carlsten, Christopher | Division of Respiratory Medicine | Environment and Respiratory Diseases |
Caron, Nadine | Department of Surgery | health policy; special health needs and disparities of rural, remote, northern and Aboriginal communities. |
Cembrowski, Mark Steven | Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences | Molecular neuroscience; Mathematical modelling and simulation; Mechanisms of memory in the brain; Anxiety; Big Data; Bioinformatics; Cell types; Computation; Fear; Genetics; modeling; Neural circuits; neuroscience; Neuroscience of memory; PTSD; RNAseq |
Chakrabarty, Trisha | Department of Psychiatry | Cognitive dsyfunction; Virtual reality cognitive retraining; Bipolarity; Psychotherapy approaches for mood disorders |
Cheifetz, Rona | Department of Surgery | Surgical oncology; Education |
Chen, Carol | Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Pediatric cancer; Epigenetics and epigenomics; Mechanisms of carcinogenesis; Brain Cancer; Brain development; Epigenetics; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Developmental biology |
Cherkasov, Artem | Department of Urologic Sciences | Drug design; Bioinformatics, Molecular modeling; Proteomics; Artificial intelligence; Antibiotics |
Cheung, Karen | School of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering | Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; Medical and biomedical engineering; additive manufacturing; BioMEMS; Biomedical Technologies; biosensors; microfluidics; neural interfaces; organ-on-chip; Tissue Engineering |
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 |
---|---|---|
2025 | Dr. Shenasa studied immune cells surrounding tumors to identify markers linked to patients’ responses to cancer treatments. She compared methods for detecting these immune markers, from standard tests to novel, cutting-edge techniques. Her work can help researchers optimize treatment options for cancer patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
2025 | Dr. Holme discovered the regulatory mechanisms of the ABHD17 proteins that remove a fat group from important protein messengers, providing a promising therapeutic target for leukemia and melanoma cancers. This work enables the creation of targeted anti-cancer therapeutics, and provides a framework to understand related, uncharacterized proteins. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
2025 | Dr. Losciale’s research highlighted and improved our understanding of the persistent loss of muscle function seen after youth sport-related knee injuries. These studies have contributed to improved rehabilitation strategies and approaches to prevent early-onset osteoarthritis in this at-risk group. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
2025 | Dr. Squier conducted pioneering research on tendon health, focusing on hypercholesterolemia, hormonal influences, and mechanical loading. His work revealed novel insights into tendon function, adaptation, and injury mechanisms, providing a foundation for innovative research and clinical applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
2025 | Dr. Zou studied the role of autophagy and transcriptional factor EB in pancreatic β-cell adaptation under stresses associated with diabetes and post islet transplantation. This research will enhance our knowledge of autophagy’s protective role in β-cell and underscore the potential for preserving β-cells via improving TFEB function. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
2025 | Dr. Hossain has developed big data predictive analytics and causal inference methods to address limitations in analyzing health administrative data. These methodological advancements have significant implications for the tuberculosis and epidemiology literature in minimizing bias, enhancing prediction accuracy, and generating robust inferences. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
2025 | Dr. Delaisse studied how recent, highly skilled Vietnamese migrants in Vancouver and Paris build belonging through daily activities while moving across countries. She examined their experiences with immigration systems in Canada and France and return migration to Vietnam, offering insights into policies and practices shaping mobility and belonging. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
2025 | Dr. Jeong found that treating hepatitis C infection with direct-acting antivirals significantly improves health beyond the liver, reducing risks of extrahepatic manifestations. Her research also highlighted the treatment's role in mitigating ethnic health disparities, emphasizing the need for early diagnosis, treatment, and equitable access to care | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
2025 | Dr. Wang’s research has been focused on developing new radioactive drugs to help detect and treat cancer by targeting a protein called GRPR. These drugs are designed to reduce normal organ accumulations and to improve stability for better tumor detection and treatment. The best candidate from her study is now being tested in a clinical trial. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
2025 | With the goal of expanding the therapeutic utility of platelet transfusions, Dr. Strong developed novel methods to genetically engineer platelets with mRNA-lipid nanoparticles that are compatible with blood banking practices. His research lays the foundation for the development of next-generation platelet products with expanded therapeutic uses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |