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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
Gerrie, Alina Division of Medical Oncology Clinical medicine; Lymphoid Cancer; Leukemia; genomics; Population-based outcomes; Cellular therapy; Quality of life; Survivorship
Giaschi, Deborah Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; amblyopia; reading; dyslexia; motion perception; binocular vision; visual development
Gibson, William Department of Medical Genetics Genetic medicine; Genetic Diseases; Chromosomes: Structure / Organization; Epigenetics
Gilbert, Mark School of Population and Public Health Public and population health; Development, implementation, evaluation and scale-up of innovative sexual health programs; Gay men’s sexual health, including sexual health literacy; Synergistic and integrated dynamics of infectious diseases, mental illness and other conditions
Gill, Sharlene Division of Medical Oncology Colorectal cancer, hepatobiliary malignancies, pancreatic cancer, phase II/III clinical trials, health outcomes research
Gill, Jagbir Division of Nephrology Kidney transplantation; Organ donation; Clinical epidemiology
Gill, John Division of Nephrology Clinical outcomes in kidney transplant patients; Access to kidney transplantation; Living donor transplantation; Cardiovascular risk in transplant patients
Gleave, Martin Department of Urologic Sciences Infectious diseases, interdisciplinary oncology, prostate
Glegg, Stephanie Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Child Development; Children's Health; Developmental Disabilities; Exercise for Children; Health services research; Opioid Abuse and Addiction; rehabilitation; Translational Medical Research; Knowledge translation
Goerges, Matthias Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics Electronic health (e-Health); Health information systems (including surveillance); Expert systems technologies in artificial intelligence; Anesthesiology; Medical devices; Human-computer systems and interface; Bio-signal processing and analysis; Digital health; predictive analytics; decision support systems; Critical Care Medicine; Biomedical Technologies; Health Care Technologies; Human Computer Interaction and Design; Medical informatics; Software Development; patient-oriented research; Data sharing / open data
Goldenberg, S Larry Department of Urologic Sciences prostate cancer, men’s health issues
Goldman, Ran Department of Pediatrics Evidence to Innovation; Pediatric Research in Emergency Therapeutics (PRETx) Program
Gonzalez-Montaner, Julio Sergio Division of Infectious Diseases Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, development of antiretroviral therapies and management strategies
Gourlay, William Department of Urologic Sciences renal transplantation
Granville, David Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Autoimmunity; Medical molecular engineering of nucleic acids and proteins; Proteases; Granzymes; Extracellular matrix; Chronic inflammation; Aging; Disease models; Autoimmune disease; Skin; Vascular biology
Greenblatt, Ethan Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gregory-Evans, Cheryl Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Tissue fusion during development, Aniridia, retinal therapeutics
Gregory-Evans, Kevin Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences retina, stem cells, gene therapy, retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, age-related macular degeneration, Stargardt’s disease, Best’s disease, x-linked retinoschisis, electroretinography., Eye, novel molcular approaches in the treatment of retinal disease, cell-based therapeutics ofr age-related macular degenration and retinitis pigmentosa, molecular defects underlying retinal disease
Greidanus, Nelson Department of Orthopaedics osteoarthritis and joint replacement procedures
Greyson, Devon School of Population and Public Health Medical, health and life sciences; Everyday health information behaviours & practices; Population health information interventions; Health mis/dis/malinformation; Vaccine confidence and decision making about vaccination; LGBTQ+ health; Qualitative and mixed methods
Griesdale, Donald E Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Department of Medicine Neurocritical care, traumatic brain injury, invasive neuromonitoring, airway management
Grocott, Hilary Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Grunau, Brian Department of Emergency Medicine Medical, health and life sciences; Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; Resuscitation; Extracorporeal-CPR
Grunau, Ruth V Department of Pediatrics Biobehavioural regulation, brain and neurodevelopment in premature infants and children, Long-term effects of neonatal pain on stress regulation, brain, behavior, neurodevelopment, Infant pain and stress, Parenting stress, parent-infant interaction
Grzybowski, Stefan Department of Family Practice preconception care; prenatal care; rural obstetric outcomes

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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: Annals of the American Thoracic Society
UBC Author(s): Bradley Quon (Division of Respiratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 23296933
Volume: 22
Page Range: 302-305
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Canadian Urological Association Journal
UBC Author(s): Miles Mannas (Urologic Sciences / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 19116470
Volume: 19
Page Range: 63-72
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
UBC Author(s): Kirk Schultz (Pediatrics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 26666375
Volume: 31
Page Range: 109.e1-109.e13
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Gynecologic Oncology
UBC Author(s): Jessica McAlpine (Obstetrics & Gynaecology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00908258
Volume: 193
Page Range: 1-11
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Modern Pathology
UBC Author(s): David Scott (Division of Medical Oncology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 08933952
Volume: 38
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Neurobiology of Disease
UBC Author(s): Lynn Raymond (Psychiatry / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 09699961
Volume: 205
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Drug and Alcohol Dependence
UBC Author(s): Nadia Fairbairn (Division of Social Medicine / Faculty of Medicine), Michael-John Milloy (Division of Social Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 03768716
Volume: 267
Publication Date: 1 February 2025

View Publication
Publication: American Journal of Kidney Diseases
UBC Author(s): John Gill (Division of Nephrology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 02726386
Volume: 85
Page Range: 205-214.e1
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: British Journal of Pharmacology
UBC Author(s): David Fedida (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00071188
Volume: 182
Page Range: 1075-1089
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Advanced Nursing
UBC Author(s): Wendy Norman (Family Practice / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 03092402
Volume: 81
Page Range: 1019-1037
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Genetic Counseling
UBC Author(s): Laura Arbour (Medical Genetics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 10597700
Volume: 34
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Social Science and Medicine
UBC Author(s): Thomas Kerr (Division of Social Medicine / Faculty of Medicine), Mark Gilbert (School of Population and Public Health / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 02779536
Volume: 366
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal
UBC Author(s): Savvakis Nicolaou (Radiology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 08465371
Volume: 76
Page Range: 68-75
Publication Date: February 2025

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Publication: Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice
UBC Author(s): Alison Elliott (Medical Genetics / Faculty of Medicine), Tom Blydt-Hansen (Pediatrics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 13561294
Volume: 31
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Experimental Neurology
UBC Author(s): Christopher West (Cellular & Physiological Sciences / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00144886
Volume: 384
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America
UBC Author(s): Andrei Krassioukov (Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 10479651
Volume: 36
Page Range: 17-32
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy
UBC Author(s): Jacqueline Whittaker (Physical Therapy / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 55
Page Range: 1-11
Publication Date: 1 February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Diabetes
UBC Author(s): Anna Michelle Lehman (Medical Genetics / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 74
Page Range: 153-163
Publication Date: 1 February 2025

View Publication
Publication: VideoGIE
UBC Author(s): Neal Shahidi (Division of Gastroenterology / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 10
Page Range: 67-80
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia
UBC Author(s): Thalia Field (Division of Neurology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 10530770
Volume: 39
Page Range: 470-478
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Clinical Teacher
UBC Author(s): Rola Ajjawi (Medicine, Dean's Office / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 17434971
Volume: 22
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: The Lancet Neurology
UBC Author(s): Thalia Field (Division of Neurology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 14744422
Volume: 24
Page Range: 140-151
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: Clinical Teacher
UBC Author(s): Rola Ajjawi (Medicine, Dean's Office / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 17434971
Volume: 22
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: The Lancet Neurology
UBC Author(s): Ging-Yuek Robin Hsiung (Division of Neurology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 14744422
Volume: 24
Page Range: 128-139
Publication Date: February 2025

View Publication
Publication: JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging
UBC Author(s): Jonathon Leipsic (Radiology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 1936878X
Volume: 18
Page Range: 195-206
Publication Date: February 2025

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
2023 Dr. Lapointe extensively employed various DNA sequencing technologies to gain deeper insights into anti-viral drug resistance and the molecular epidemiology of HIV, HCV, and SARS-CoV-2. His research has significantly advanced our understanding of viral public health dynamics, and heloed shape the local and national clinical management guidelines. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2023 Dr. Sheth investigated the neural correlates of two distinct types of dynamic patterns  freely-moving and goal-driven  present in the stream of thought. Her findings offer new insights into the functions of the default and executive networks of brain and have implications for mental health, spontaneous thought, mind-wandering, and creativity. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2023 Dr. Rufenach studied the biophysical interactions and three-dimensional structures of protein complexes involved in calcium signaling pathways. Her research has contributed to understanding the mechanisms of skeletal muscle contraction and rare neuromuscular diseases. Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD)
2023 Dr. Francis mapped the dynamics of antibiotic resistance gene carriage in the healthy newborn infant gut and characterized changes in response to severe acute malnutrition and HIV, in low-resource settings. His findings have major implications for antibiotic prophylaxis, therapy and stewardship practices in global neonatal and infant populations. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2023 Dr. Desai revealed that despite better CF prognosis in recent years, people with CF still face substantial burden from lung impairment and other complications. Rising healthcare costs due to expensive medications pose additional challenges. These findings will help improve their service planning and resource allocation in the future. Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD)
2023 Dr. Dellazizzo Toth developed imaging techniques and technologies enabling rapid recording of all activity across a complete neural arbor in an awake animal and applied these tools to interrogate how individual neurons are modified by experience. Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD)
2023 Millions of undiscovered viruses circulate in wildlife and many of them threaten to spillover into humans and livestock, causing outbreaks and pandemics. Dr. Kuchinski developed new genome sequencing techniques for discovering these threats and monitoring their spread. These tools will help protect our health and livelihoods from these viruses. Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD)
2023 Dr. Carlaw's research helped improve the efficacy of therapeutic CRISPR Cas9 base editing for the treatment of previously incurable childhood genetic diseases. Her research helped establish some of the first reporter models for studying base editors and paved the way for the next generation of lipid nanoparticle delivered gene editors. Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Cyrus' work focused on the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 syndromes, where she expanded the clinical phenotype of the most recently described syndrome: SUZ-12 Related Overgrowth. She further used Drosophila melanogaster to develop assays that can tell us if human genetic variants of interest can cause these syndromes or not. Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD)
2023 Dr. Lu studied the function of a major autism risk gene neurexin-1, showing that losing one copy of this molecule leads to significant synaptic deficits. He subsequently used gene-editing technology to rescue these impairments by altering how neurexin-1 RNA is processed, identifying a potential therapeutic strategy for neuropsychiatric patients. Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD)

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