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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
Younger, Alastair Department of Orthopaedics ankle arthritis, foot and ankle arthroscopy, biological enhancement to bone healing
Zandstra, Peter School of Biomedical Engineering, Michael Smith Laboratories Medical biotechnology; Medical and biomedical engineering; Stem cell bioengineering; Bioengineering; Synthetic biology; Biomedical Engineering; Immuno-engineering; Biotechnology; Computational Biology; Computational modeling; Gene/Cell Therapy Systems; genomics; Immunology; personalized medicine; Regenerative medicine
Zeng, Haishan Department of Dermatology & Skin Science Family practice, dermatology
Zhou, Lily Division of Neurology Public and population health; Cerebrovascular Diseases; Stroke Epidemiology; Cost Effectiveness of Medical Interventions
Zhou, Youwen Department of Dermatology & Skin Science Autoimmunity; Dermatology; Gene and molecular therapy; Translation research; Genetics and genomics of skin diseases; Vitiligo, pigmentation diseases, eczema; Innovative therapeutic development
Zoubeidi, Amina Department of Urologic Sciences Drug resistance in prostate cancer, androgen receptor activity, phenotypic plasticity, enzalutamide
Zwicker, Jill Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Occupational therapy; Rehabilitation medicine; Brain development; developmental coordination disorder; Infant / Child Development; Learning Disorders in Children; Motor System; neuroplasticity; Prematurity; rehabilitation

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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.

 

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
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)
2021 Dr. Nizamudheen studied novel therapeutic strategies for two childhood genetic eye diseases, Aniridia syndrome and Usher syndrome 1D, in mouse and 3D tissue models. Drug (Ataluren) and stem cell approaches were used to replace the missing Pax6 and Cdh23 proteins, rescuing the structural abnormalities and improving vision in the mouse models. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2021 Dr. Wilcox studied HealthWISE, a tool created by UN agencies to improve the occupational health of health workers using local resources. Focusing on its use in 7 hospitals in Africa, she concluded that strengthening international organizations to better support and facilitate the sustainable implementation of such interventions would be beneficial. Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD)
2021 Dr. He studied cell divisions that occur in the mammary gland. This research indicates a new and crucial role for the breast cancer gene, BRCA1, and suggests new ways to detect and possibly treat hereditary breast cancers that arise in young women. Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD)
2021 Dr. Kaal examined the care people who survived cancer early in life receive in the BC healthcare system. She found that survivors comparatively receive more care and that coordinating care between different doctors matters in terms of the number of doctor visits and cost of care. This work benefits the growing population of young cancer survivors. Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD)

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