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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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Dr. Tham's research identified the processes involved in establishing certain aspects of the structure of the kidney and of the brain. His findings may lead to the discovery of novel treatments for some diseases, including the abnormal accumulation of water in the brain tissue that may occur following a stroke. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Rivera's work focussed on treatments for chronic pain. He examined the pharmacological properties of local anesthetics on pain sensors. Using various methods, he established a model for the regulation of the sensors by these pain blocking compounds. His work provides a foundation for new approaches to selectively target and treat chronic pain. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Li sought to improve detection and screening of very early lung and cervical cancers by combining measurements of cellular DNA content with complementary biological information. His work demonstrates new techniques that might be applicable to other cancers and cautions against approaching early cancers as isolated and uniform entities. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Young investigated reproductive processes at the cellular level. Her work involved the development of a technique that prevents sperm cells from reaching maturation. This research contributes to our understanding of cell to cell interactions in general and may provide insight into certain types of male infertility. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Young's research focussed on Huntington Disease, or HD, an inherited neuro-degenerative disorder that results in cognitive and motor impairment and psychiatric changes. She studied an enzyme known as HIP 14, and found its absence in mice results in HD-like symptoms. This discovery suggests new approaches for the treatment of Huntington Disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Dahabieh's work in the Sadowski laboratory focused on studying how the genes of the HIV virus are regulated. He also developed new technologies to examine the ways in which HIV gene regulation promotes viral persistence. Such technologies are vital to identifying novel therapies that may be used in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Semaka studied a rare genetic test result for Huntington disease called an intermediate allele. Using a unique combination of molecular and qualitative techniques, her data were translated into genetic counselling implications, which will improve genetic testing for patients and families impacted by Huntington disease around the world. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Davies identified the process by which a single protein can transform normal cells into breast tumour cells. These cells were found to belong to the triple-negative breast cancer subtype, the most aggressive form of the disease. His work uncovered therapeutic strategies that target the cause, rather than the consequences, of breast cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Hiebert studied age-related skin disorders. He showed that Granzyme B, an enzyme produced during chronic inflammation, contributes to skin aging and to the persistence of chronic wounds that do not heal. These findings help to explain age-related skin disorders like chronic wound healing, and may contribute to improved treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Minaker investigated how genomic instability and DNA damage can result from mutations. Thos mutations affect the cellular machinery required to decode the genetic information in DNA. This work expands our knowledge of genes that are required for maintaining genome integrity, which could be contributing factors to cancer development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |