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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dr. Hategeka examined health system quality and the contribution of several quality improvement interventions in Rwanda. He found that health system quality has improved over the past decade, however, further improvements are needed to improve maternal and child health. His research will inform future quality improvement strategies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Dixon studied the molecular basis of inherited cancer predisposition. Using novel sequencing technologies, her work demonstrated that specific genetic changes influence normal cell and tissue function to increase disease risk. This research provides insights into the challenges of genetic diagnosis and may improve the care of affected families. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Gerak studied a protein fragment, called the PNT domain, that is present in many oncoproteins. She investigated how the PNT domain self-associates to activate these oncoproteins, thereby causing cancer, and searched for molecules that might prevent this self-association. This knowledge aids in identifying a new class of anticancer therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Hsieh studied how our immune system weakens with age using blood samples from people living with HIV, who appear to age faster than the general population. He found that HIV affects some cells more than others, and his research suggests that treating viruses that are even more common than HIV may slow aging for the majority of people. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Chen developed new ways to deliver chemotherapy drugs to leukemic cells. His work involved the use of liposomes, which are nano-carrier vessels that can deliver drugs to cancer cells. Through his work, Dr. Chen was able to improve the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy drugs and shed new light on the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Kadgien studied how a gene mutation that causes Parkinson's disease affects communication between brain cells. She showed that the mutation causes increases in communication that could be a good target for therapeutics. Her work expands our understanding of neurodegeneration, and supports personalized therapy for Parkinson's disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Khorvash determined computationally how an antibody specific towards Alzheimer's disease (AD) detects its toxic species, amyloid beta oligomers. The target regions were used to design a smaller version of the antibody and to predict the binding sites of oligomers on the surface of neurons, which can be used to design more effective antibodies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Afshar explored the benefits that individuals with diabetes receive from delivering support to peers with the same health condition in peer support interventions. She proposed how to optimize these programs and maximize these benefits, which will help patients with diabetes, researchers, and policymakers designing peer support interventions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Eisner examined a population of progenitor cells present in the adult skeleton to determine their roles in bone homeostasis and regeneration, and identified a signaling pathway crucial to maintain the normal function of these progenitors. This work furthers our understanding of bone biology and presents potential targets for skeletal therapies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Ennis determined the dietary requirements for amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine in human pregnancy, while comparing findings to current management practices of maternal phenylketonuria patients. These studies will improve dietary recommendations during pregnancy that have the potential to positively impact birth outcomes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD) |